To the place where "good design" was created
Good design, excellent design, design that opens up the future, ideas that move people's hearts, and actions that lead society always have small beginnings.
Interviews with designers at the birthplaces of good design to find hints for the next design.
Beyond the company’s activities is society (Part 1)
A plumbing company that built public toilets – you may imagine that this is one aspect of contribution to the local community, or a corporate social responsibility project. However, the “Infrastructure Stand” developed by Ishiwa Plumbing Ltd. of Tokorozawa City, Saitama Prefecture, is a bit of a different story. This project, which began with an extremely unique attempt to build a public toilet as an extension of their showroom, was also a business strategy with an eye to the company’s future： in the words of CEO Daigo Ozawa, “This is both a publicity tool and a recruitment tool.” After taking the company’s activities to their utmost limit, a place in which people come together is born, and the scope eventually broadens to encompass community and disaster preparedness, all while drawing in private enterprise and government. Rather than trumpeting their social contribution in a loud voice, the next step beyond the company’s activities is society. We asked about how this was put into practice.
Designing agricultural heroes (Part 2)
“Saga Agri Heroes”： introducing design to agriculture, supporting the producers to build their own brands. This original initiative won a GOOD DESIGN BEST 100 award in 2022. In Part 1, we introduced Saga Prefecture’s mechanism for incorporating design into local government and supporting the brand development of farmers by accompanying them over a long-term period of four years. In Part 2, we explore the challenges faced in the second phase, which is currently underway （2023-2026）, the differences from the first phase, and the ways in which design is changing people and local communities.
Designing agricultural heroes (Part 1)
Introducing design to agriculture, supporting the producers to build their own brands... Saga Prefecture’s “Saga Agri Heroes” is generating new value in the local area through such highly original initiatives. In a context in which single-year subsidy programs are the norm, this initiative has instead adopted a four-year long-term support system in which farmers and designers work together to come up with ideas and develop products. A number of the brands created through collaboration between primary industries and design have attracted attention, and the project received a GOOD DESIGN BEST 100 award in 2022. In this article, we hear about it from its launch to the results of its first phase. We talked to Hiromi Ushijima of Saga Prefectural Government’s Agricultural Management Division and Issei Koga and Chika Sasaki of the prefecture’s Saga Design, producer Naoki Ezoe, Junichi Hayama of DEJIMAGRAPH, and Daiki Ito of Ito Egg Farm “picnic.”
Umbrella innovation that changes our daily lives (Part 2)
We should not overlook the “minor inconveniences” in our daily lives, but rather solve them through our own ideas... Starting from this stance, Marna Inc. has created many hit products. The Shupatto Umbrella, which was selected as one of the GOOD DESIGN BEST 100 in 2023, is an epoch-making product that revolutionized the very structure of umbrellas. In Part 1, we listened to the story behind the development of this umbrella, which was born from the idea of being able to fold it without getting your hands wet. In Part 2, we will unravel “Marna’s design thinking” which lies behind its product development.
Umbrella innovation that changes our daily lives (Part 1)
We should not overlook the “minor inconveniences” in our daily lives, but rather solve them through our own ideas... Starting from this stance, Marna Inc. has created many hit products. One of these, the Shupatto Umbrella, is an epoch-making product that has revolutionized the very structure of umbrellas. While folding umbrellas and design quality are the mainstream among the competition, this umbrella, which was born from the idea of being able to fold it without getting your hands wet, offers a new experience in which all the fabric comes together at once the moment you close it. And in 2023, it was selected as one of the GOOD DESIGN BEST 100. We interviewed Ryota Taniguchi, who led the development of this product, about the development process which spanned five years from the moment when the idea came into being, and the repeated trial and error which led to its commercialization.
The cats are the designers. My role is communications. (Part 2)
Yukako Futono turned her love of cats into a business by founding Cross Clover Japan. In Part 1, we asked her about developing products by thinking as a cat does, rather than prioritizing what suits humans. In recent years, the average lifespan of cats has increased dramatically, but at the same time, new issues have arisen. In Part 2, she tells us about the world which unfolds with cats as its starting point.
The cats are the designers. My role is communications. (Part 1)
The relationship between cats and humans is an old one. Cats are said to have first come to live in human settlements in ancient times to catch the rats that had increased due to the start of farming. In recent years, the average lifespan of cats has increased dramatically, but at the same time, new issues have arisen. Yukako Futono turned her love of cats into a business by founding Cross Clover Japan, and develops products from the cat’s viewpoint. What kind of viewpoint is the cat’s?! She told us about her activities, which even envisage the creation of a society with cats as its starting point.
Transforming the World of Architecture through Digital Fabrication (Part 2)
Digital fabrication draws fully upon digital technologies to make innovative creations. The architectural group VUILD was selected for a GOOD DESIGN GOLD AWARD in 2020 for its House for Marebito, constructed by meticulously cutting wood using digital fabrication and assembling the pieces like a plastic model kit. The group’s founder, Koki Akiyoshi, is pursuing the democratization of architecture and continues to boldly implement this principle in order to bring about a society in which anyone can become a maker. This is also an innovation that seeks to change society.
Transforming the World of Architecture through Digital Fabrication (Part 1)
Digital fabrication is attracting attention for accelerating the pace of manufacturing. The Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications defines digital fabrication as technology which produces creations based on digital data. There are many devices including 3D printers, 3D scanners, CNC milling machines, robotic arms, and sensors, and their expansion within the field of architecture is particularly impressive. The VUILD architectural group is producing cutting-edge examples of this. House for Marebito, an accommodation facility that was selected for the GOOD DESIGN GOLD AWARD in 2020, was an ambitious work created by meticulously cutting local wood with a digital milling machine and assembling the pieces like a plastic model kit. The company’s founder, Koki Akiyoshi, is pursuing the democratization of architecture and continues to boldly implement this principle in order to bring about a society in which anyone can become a maker. What he has in his sights is changing the Japanese construction industry. It was also an activity to propagate innovation.
Design Expands the Potential of Resin (Part 1)
“I want to raise the value of resin!” The brand “9º” (Kudo) was born from these words, part of a conversation between a designer and an engineer who met at an exhibition. These containers, which can be used for cooking, were selected for the GOOD DESIGN BEST 100 in fiscal 2018. What underpinned this project was the desire for people to continue using plastic (resin) items, which are often thrown away, for all their usable life. How was the brand built? We asked Yoshiko Saito and Mikito Ichinohe of KaB DESIGN to give us some hints about how they developed their ideas from the smallest starting point into reality, despite twists and turns along the way.
Planning/editing
Tomoko Ishiguro
After working in the editorial department of “AXIS,” she became a freelancer. She writes, edits, and plans, with a focus on design and life culture. Her major editorial works include LIXIL BOOKLET series (book, LIXIL Publishing) and “Oishisa no Kagaku” (magazine, NTS Publishing).