How can designers take small steps within companies? — Shigeo Usui of Panasonic, Kazuhisa Horikiri of Fujifilm, and Seiichi Saito of the GOOD DESIGN AWARD

On February 25, 2025, we released the report “FOCUSED ISSUES 2024 A Small Step, Design Leaps,” which outlines the GOOD DESIGN AWARD 2024 Focused Issues.

This report captures the “waves” within design that emerge each year during the screening process for the GOOD DESIGN AWARD, and specific examples of these, as well as actions and hints for connecting the “waves” to the future. It summarizes them as recommendations leading to our next actions.

A Small Step, Design Leaps: 2024 Focused Issues Report Released

From March 13 of the same year, an exhibition entitled “A Small Step, Design Leaps Exhibition ‑ GOOD DESIGN AWARD 2024 Focused Issues” was held at the Tokyo Midtown Design Hub as an effort to raise awareness of this year’s Focused Issues. This article summarizes the contents of the special talk “Small Steps Spreading out from Design Organizations” which was held to celebrate the opening of the event.

Shigeo Usui, Executive Officer of Panasonic Holdings Corporation and Chief Creative Officer (CCO) of Panasonic Corporation, and Kazuhisa Horikiri, Corporate Vice President, General Manager of Design Strategy Office of Fujifilm Holdings Corporation and General Manager of the Fujifilm Design Center took to the stage. Seiichi Saito, 2024 GOOD DESIGN AWARD Chair, moderated the discussion.

Panasonic and Fujifilm continue to lead the way in Japan in terms of “design combined with management.” From the conversation with Usui and Horikiri, who lead their respective design departments, we look for hints for designers to take “small steps” within their companies.

What we can see from “research and design”

The talk followed several themes prepared by Saito based on the phrase “small steps spreading out from design organizations.”

The first theme was “How to understand the evaluation axis of ‘design,’ which is difficult to quantify.” Saito talked about the background behind this choice of theme as follows, drawing on his experiences during the screening process for the GOOD DESIGN AWARD.

Saito At Panasonic, you received the GOOD DESIGN GOLD AWARD in 2023 for your LAMDASH Palm In electric shaver, for example. Hearing the story of how this product was born, how “It started when the product planning side accepted an in-house proposal from the designers,” left an impression on me.

On the other hand, when I serve as a judge for the GOOD DESIGN AWARD, I regularly hear concerns from various brands and manufacturers, such as that “It is difficult for designers’ work to receive recognition internally,” or “It is hard to quantify the contribution we make, and it is difficult to get our proposals accepted.”

As heads of design departments, how do the two of you deal with “the evaluation of design” within your companies? I would like to ask about your stance and your way of thinking, as well as some specific initiatives.

In response to this question, Horikiri described his thinking about “the evaluation of designers,” citing the example of “researchers.”

Horikiri Our company has a history of achieving growth while developing technologies related to silver-halide photography. We have generated many products out of research and development. Many researchers still belong to the company in order to support this function.

Research literally takes a lot of time. A single researcher does very well if he or she can create even one new technology in his or her lifetime. It’s a world in which this is taken for granted.

That’s precisely why it’s difficult to evaluate researchers. Results are not always immediate, and on top of this, uncertainty is high. Research itself does not directly generate profit. But it goes without saying that in the history of our company, researchers have been a source of value and an indispensable presence.

Although we can’t say exactly the same of them, I think there are similarities with the efforts of designers. In other words, it is difficult to see immediate results and their work often does not lead directly to profits. For that reason, it’s hard to evaluate. In the same way as for researchers, I think that the question of which processes to evaluate using which criteria is a very profound topic.

In response to this, Panasonic’s Usui put into words his thoughts about the ability to demonstrate value which is unique to designers, and about evaluation.

Usui One of the trademark abilities of the designer is the ability to “organize, integrate, and visualize.” I think that making sure that people understand this value is important during evaluation, too. When it comes to our company, for example, in the early stages of research and development, it is not uncommon for us to say, “We’ve come up with a lot of ideas and thoughts, but they’re still scattered all over the place.”

So the designer organizes and integrates the ideas that have been generated and makes them visible so that they can be seen visually. By organizing the ideas so that they are easy to understand, the discussion can move forward and new possibilities can be seen. It can spark the imaginative power of other people, and things can happen all at once.

Unlocking the potential value contained within technology and moving things forward: I think that is where the unique power of design lies.

What distance should there be between management and design?

After the topic of “evaluation,” Saito proposed “Financial and non-financial: the value of design in companies.”

As Horikiri and Usui mentioned already, there are quite a few aspects of the role which design plays that are not directly linked to financial results, namely “sales and profits.” As a result, it is difficult to evaluate design, and sometimes its economic effectiveness becomes the subject of debate and its value within a company becomes shaky, Saito said, explaining the context.

What attitude do the two of you, leading your organizations as executive officers, positions close to management, take towards these difficulties?

Horikiri I start from the premise that there are parts of business activities that can be expressed in numbers and parts that cannot. For example, the research and development which I mentioned earlier is premised on a long time axis: “Things are like this now, but they ought to become like this in the future.” So there are not many things that can be immediately translated into numbers.

On the other hand, sales of consumer products are readily visible in the short term, and the number of reviews is also easy to grasp. The parts that can be explained in numbers are relatively many.

The key is to keep steadily communicating these different natures within the company. In other words, some things can be quantified and some things can’t, and there’s a limit to how much you can evaluate by looking at just one part of things, in other words, “just design.” It may seem obvious, but it’s not a simple matter to keep communicating these different properties to management in an easy-to-understand manner.

Because we have this way of thinking, we make an effort not to force ourselves to generate numbers in our company. We try to communicate both easy-to-understand and difficult-to-understand values in an honest and balanced manner, interweaving them.

After hearing this, Saito went on to ask about “the sense of distance between design and management.”

Saito The concept of “design management” has become widely known, and thanks in part to this, the number of people talking about design as something closely related to management has gradually increased.

In light of these changes, should design departments move closer to management? I would like to ask you both for your thoughts on how design departments should be.

In response, Usui explained his view that it was probably important to consider the sense of distance not only from management but also from the world around.

Usui While it is important to be close to management, I think it is also important to be close to users and the world at large. That’s because no matter how far you view things from a management perspective, if you don’t know the reality of the world, you won’t be able to create honest designs.

This is just one example, but the president of a large company probably doesn’t travel by train. But we’re more likely to build something for people who normally travel by train. In that sense, it is necessary to have a very clear understanding not only of management but also of lifestyles and everyday life.

In our organization, we try to divide up the roles. Broadly speaking, this division consists of a team that works closer to management and a team that works closer to the world. I think this division is essential because the voices of both managers and users are important.

Making internal “energy” visible

The next theme was “How do you pick up the energy of individuals within the organization?” Saito said that the “energy” of the individual designer was essential to creating good design. This idea was also mentioned in the recommendations of “FOCUSED ISSUES 2024 A Small Step, Design Leaps.”

Good design always involves both product design and concept design. When a design comes to life, it often begins with someone’s enthusiasm for an object or a concept, which can drive a team or an organization, bringing a product or service into society. However, to what extent have organizations paid attention to, accommodated, and considered the capabilities and competencies of an individual? It will be important to create a culture that takes notice of possibilities, which sometimes begin with an individual’s ideas, awareness, and enthusiasm within organizations engaged in diverse activities. This is my proposal.

In response, Horikiri introduced an initiative taking place within Fujifilm.

Horikiri In our organization, we try to give each year’s new designers an introductory assignment lasting three months. The theme is pretty broad: it is to propose a design which you have thought of in any way you like.

This initiative has been taking place for several years, and the year before last, two ideas which reached commercialization actually came out of it. When I invited the planning department to hear the presentations, they apparently thought, “This is interesting, there could be a market.” The ideas reached the division manager, and from there, the discussion moved right ahead to commercialization. The designers apparently felt that getting the products which they had designed into users’ hands was the best possible reward.

Through this initiative, I realized that there were more designers in the company who wanted to be involved from the planning stage than I had expected. These are precisely the designers who have the “energy” you mentioned earlier. It was only after continuing the initiative for several years that we began to see the existence of such energy.

In addition to making the energy of individuals visible, how far that energy can be spread to those around them is also important when working in a company. Usui mentioned the importance of trust as a reason for this.

Usui One of the things which we make a conscious effort to do is to create opportunities to share the design department’s processes, initiatives, and “energy” with other departments.

These opportunities will also help us understand the challenges that other divisions are sensing. And as we continue to respond sincerely to each new challenge, trust in designers will grow within the company.

The accumulation of this trust makes people think “If So-and-so says it, let’s try it!” It prompts them to accept ideas from designers and give them shape. I think that if we continue to convey this “energy,” it will come back around and lead to turning this “energy” into something concrete.

Horikiri As well as trust towards individuals, trust towards the design department as a team or organization is also important, isn’t it? If you can give people the ongoing sense that their projects will become more interesting if they ask your department to get involved, other departments will naturally ask you to join them. When that happens, designers themselves naturally start thinking about how they can collaborate successfully. I feel that it is important for individuals to gain trust first in order to create this kind of virtuous cycle.

“Opportunities to explain for yourself” lead to motivation

Here, Saito presented the next theme, “What initiatives maintain motivation within companies?”

He laid out his idea that “creating opportunities for designers to explain for themselves” was the key to increasing their motivation. He added that the screening for the GOOD DESIGN AWARD, where designers themselves sometimes present, could be one such opportunity.

Panasonic and Fujifilm designers have in fact had many opportunities to present at past screenings. Usui and Horikiri explained that, just as Saito said, these had been valuable opportunities for the designers in their companies.

Usui It can be very difficult for designers to explain for themselves during the screening. But at the same time, it’s definitely an opportunity for them to gain a lot of confidence.

It takes a lot of preparation to communicate the unique features of your product and convince someone who doesn’t know the technical background. This is true not just of the screening, but also, for example, of an internal review meeting at which various business divisions come together.

Opportunities for designers to express their ideas are also very important in terms of motivation. People who find the presentation “interesting” may bring new ideas or themes. These can be what prompt motivation for the next project to sprout in a designer’s mind.

Horikiri Yes, the screening for the GOOD DESIGN AWARD is tough. But the designers who do it seem surprisingly keen to get the opportunity. I think it’s because they are serious about the idea of wanting to explain their own thoughts properly that there are quite a few of them.

At the same time, it is very important to take on challenges in a venue like a screening in the sense of “becoming more accountable.” Not only do you have to summarize the key points in a way that is easy to understand, but you also have to deal with unexpected questions. Product knowledge and a deep understanding of technology are also required for this. By repeating this kind of trial and error, your ability to explain in order to transmit your energy ought to get a great boost.

Listening to the two speakers, Saito touched on value within companies, saying “Being able to explain will also help you build your circle inside the company.”

Saito You plan what you want to do, put a proposal through, and make it happen. It’s important to increase your circle of colleagues within the company in order to do so. Some people may think, “If the company doesn’t understand, I’ll quit and go it alone,” but in reality, there are many things that only an organization can tackle. At that time, the presence of one’s own group of colleagues within the company is essential.

“A Small Step, Design Leaps” was raised as the 2024 Focused Issues theme. It may be said that honing the ability of designers to communicate for themselves is truly essential for taking a “small step.”

What should the GOOD DESIGN AWARD do to encourage “brave challenges”?

As the talk drew to a close, it shifted to the final theme: “What is the role of the GOOD DESIGN AWARD for companies?”

The GOOD DESIGN AWARD has continued for more than 60 years since its establishment in 1957. It has changed in various ways over the years, but from your perspective as designers active within companies, what role do you think it should play now, in 2025? This question was posed by Saito, the Chair, to Usui and Horikiri.

Usui spoke about his expectations for the GOOD DESIGN AWARD, taking into account the perspectives on “what is needed for ‘a small step’” which had been talked about so far.

Usui I would like it to play a role in helping designers to continue to take on challenges as they tackle complex issues in companies.

I feel that the GOOD DESIGN AWARD is a mechanism for recognizing not only completed initiatives but also initiatives that are still in the process of growth and communicating them to the world. It gives people within a company who are confronting the kind of deep problems that take time to reach social implementation a chance to feel confident that “We’re doing alright” and “Let’s keep trying.” That’s why it’s so meaningful, I think.

At the same time, I feel that it’s very meaningful that not only the final output and social impact are assessed in the screening, but also the process. Things that are rarely appreciated elsewhere can get sincere recognition from the GOOD DESIGN AWARD. The value of the GOOD DESIGN AWARD is probably that it gives us the power to continue taking on challenges like this in companies.

Horikiri As Mr. Usui said, I feel that the point of carefully evaluating not only the final output but also the process is something good that is not found in other design awards. On the other hand, in a company, the final outcomes and results inevitably tend to become the targets of evaluation. That’s why, because the GOOD DESIGN AWARD evaluates even the process thoroughly, I’m sure it serves as a motivation for many designers to continue their work within companies.

I participate as a judge, and what Mr. Saito said in 2023, “We value bravery,” left a strong impression on me personally. I want it to continue to be an award which evaluates everything, including the bravery to take on challenges which lies behind the final outputs.

Saito The GOOD DESIGN AWARD is a mechanism to evaluate products and services out there in the world. At the same time, I would like it to be a mechanism that encourages companies and individuals to take on challenges.

On top of that, I believe that the perspective and depth of the evaluation give this award something which other awards in Japan and overseas do not have. That is exactly what led us to choose “Brave Attitude, Organic Design,” the 2023 Focused Issues theme that Mr. Horikiri mentioned.

I hope to go on thinking of ways in which the GOOD DESIGN AWARD is particularly able to provide such support, and to continue experimenting through trial and error.

It is important that as many seeds as possible planted by people who think “It may be hard, but I want to take the plunge” continue to grow in society. For this to happen, we probably need to put as many mechanisms as possible in place to recognize the fact of having taken up a challenge and to support this. Otherwise, the number of people who hesitate to take on a challenge may end up increasing. I think the GOOD DESIGN AWARD could be one of these mechanisms.