Nobuyuki "Nobu" Siraisi (1934 – March 10, 2016) was an artist and designer. He was a major contributor on the team at

Michael Hertz Associates Michael Hertz Associates (MHA) is a New York City graphic design firm, best known for its 1979 design of the New York City Subway map and the station and subway car signage systems that the map engendered. The 1979 map, with some modifications, re ...

that produced the 1978 redesign of the

New York City Subway map Many transit maps for the New York City Subway have been designed since the subway's inception in 1904. Because the subway was originally built by three separate companies, an official map for all subway lines was not created until 1940, when t ...

. Siraisi was born in Japan as the youngest of three siblings. He had graduated from

Tokyo University of the Arts or is the most prestigious art school in Japan. Located in Ueno Park, it also has facilities in Toride, Ibaraki, Yokohama, Kanagawa, and Kitasenju and Adachi, Tokyo. The university has trained renowned artists in the fields of painting, scul ...

prior to coming to

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. Siraisi moved to New York City in 1959 to work as studio assistant to

Isamu Noguchi was an American artist and landscape architect whose artistic career spanned six decades, from the 1920s onward. Known for his sculpture and public artworks, Noguchi also designed stage sets for various Martha Graham productions, and several ...

. CBS featured Siraisi in television where his sculptures and paintings were covered in the early 1960s. He then worked as a graphic designer at

Gilbert and Associates Advertising Gilbert may refer to: People and fictional characters *Gilbert (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters *Gilbert (surname), including a list of people Places Australia * Gilbert River (Queensland) * Gilbert River (South A ...

and at Michael Hertz Associates, where he had helped produce the redesigned New York City Subway map. Siraisi met and married Nancy Gillian in 1961, and they had two sons, Maro and Genji. He died at home due to illness on March 10, 2016, and his funeral was held in

Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Siraisi, Nobuyuki People from New York City Japanese expatriates in the United States Japanese emigrants to the United States Tokyo University of the Arts alumni American artists of Japanese descent American graphic designers 1934 births 2016 deaths