The potential of designers as “modern-day activists”： reflections on the GOOD DESIGN AWARD 2024 by Naoki Ota, Yutaka Nakamura, and Aki Hayashi

Approaching big problems from small steps by individuals

– As Focused Issues researchers, you have each been part of the 2024 GOOD DESIGN AWARD judging process. As you look back on that process, are there any signs of change that you’ve particularly noticed this year?

Ota When I looked over the 2024 award-winning works, what stuck in my mind was that there were many designs that created “diagonal relationships” between parties who rarely interact on a daily basis. Award-winning works such as “hachikuri house,” a combination of a shared residence and store for the disabled in Meguro Ward, Tokyo; “Fukagawa Enmichi,” a multi-generational welfare facility complex in Koto Ward, Tokyo; and “Plug Magazine,” a magazine in Okayama Prefecture featuring a mixture of people from multiple generations and fields did not simply target a specific audience, but resulted in spaces and services in which many attributes mix together. These made an impression on me.

https://www.g-mark.org/en/gallery/winners/24820 https://www.g-mark.org/en/gallery/winners/25586 https://www.g-mark.org/en/gallery/winners/27473

Nakamura I think we were able to see a willingness to tackle major problems that have previously been considered difficult to solve or have consciously not been addressed. I had the impression that they dealt with the problems in a very positive manner, not by presenting them just as they were, but by breaking down the elements into small parts and coming up with ingenious mechanisms and devices to overcome them.

For example, “women farmers japan” explores the issue of male-centeredness in Japanese society as a whole, which has not been adequately addressed until now in the domain of design. Other examples of unique approaches which take a fresh look at and improve issues include efforts to introduce a “selfcare dialysis system” in areas where there are many medical restrictions, and the publication of the Baachan Shinbun (“Granny Newspaper”) in which rather than simply treating the term “old age” critically, a completely different positive loop has been uncovered.

https://www.g-mark.org/en/gallery/winners/24662 https://www.g-mark.org/en/gallery/winners/26115 https://www.g-mark.org/en/gallery/winners/27504

Hayashi To begin with, I felt that there was an overall trend in which the subject of design was shifting from the corporate to the individual. Of course, there are corporate policies and macro social conditions behind each project, but at the same time, I think this year was characterized by a greater tendency to see individual awareness of the issues, a sense of “Why do I want to do this?”

On top of that, a keyword common to several of the award-winning works was “crossing boundaries.” For example, Toyota’s “Geological Design” and JAKUETS’ “RESILIENCE PLAYGROUND Project,” which won the GRAND AWARD, are examples of the accumulated results of activities carried out by each company while crossing the boundaries of their main areas of business.

https://www.g-mark.org/en/gallery/winners/25806 https://www.g-mark.org/en/gallery/winners/22683

Turning the gaze of the GOOD DESIGN AWARD to “things which haven’t been picked up”

— Are there any issues emerging from these trends among the award-winning works that the GOOD DESIGN AWARD should address in the future?

Ota I feel it is important to create places where people can come together with others who are not from their company or family and do something: a kind of third place. By not only presenting award-winning works but also proposing and introducing places in which anyone can participate, chemical reactions will take place from this mixing of relationships. I think that how to design such places and create a system in which everyone can participate will be major challenges for the GOOD DESIGN AWARD going forward.

Nakamura I think research functions probably need to be made stronger. I think it is necessary for the organizer and those screening the awards to have a system for works that require specialized knowledge for evaluation, allowing them to properly judge how effective they are actually expected to be. For example, if there is a network in place of expert technicians and researchers who can easily be reached, we can get a clearer and more accurate view of this.

In order to build such a network, it would be a good idea to invite various people in the form of study or research groups and set up regular opportunities to listen to them. These would invite people from fields not directly related to design, such as scientists, historians, and philosophers, to thoroughly discuss what is happening in society at the moment and what technological advances are being made. The information obtained there could help us deepen our own understanding and gain new perspectives.

And I think another issue is that there will be quite a few projects that haven’t yet been picked up. I’m sure there are many more projects that haven’t had the capacity to apply for an award because of money or manpower issues. Especially people working in the public or semi-public domain, which does not fall within the so-called business category, or in fields close to social activism are likely to lack the resources to apply. I think that how to conduct research to uncover the wonderful initiatives that are happening or have been going on for years in these kinds of place is a question that should be considered.

Hayashi I think that “designs which expand upon” a single person’s idea or small step are important. “Small steps” have gradually become easier to take, but I think that by gathering attention for them as Focused Issues, rather than leaving them as solutions to small problems, the effect of “expanding upon” them can be added.

Something else I feel is that there are more “designs that need explanation” these days. There are more and more cases where the value of something is understood and appreciated only after hearing the context and the story behind it, rather than immediately being recognized as “amazing” at first sight. On the other hand, I think that the power of design to capture people’s attention intuitively and non-verbally, to make them exclaim “Oh!”, is also important; so I feel that the pursuit of both is difficult.

Picking up unnamed “designs”

— In the light of these issues, how do you think the GOOD DESIGN AWARD should change in the future?

Ota There is a survey which polled 8,000 researchers under the age of 45 in and outside Japan (reference). Looking at the results, the top issues that people wanted to change were “research connected to local communities is not valued” and “cross-disciplinary research is not valued.” I think that designers probably have a lot in common with these, too. So if we could collect real feedback about the hardships faced by the award winners through surveys, for example, the current situation would become visible and we could make clear where the barriers were.

Nakamura In foreign countries, people who don’t have a background in design openly call themselves designers in their work. In Japan, too, the number of people who are active in the social domain is increasing, but for some reason they don’t go so far as to call themselves “designers.” It feels like there’s a huge difference there, and I want to figure out why.

That’s why I think that at the same time as promoting Japan’s interesting initiatives overseas, it would be a good idea also to bring back the interesting things that we find over there and share them with everyone. For example, I don’t know whether they’d be “GOOD DESIGN Advocates” or “GOOD DESIGN Evangelists,” but I think it would be interesting to see more people who understand the idea of good design and view the world from a perspective which goes beyond this going abroad. Perhaps we should be more proactive about initiatives to bring back knowledge from overseas design shows or from seeing other developments in the design industry.

Hayashi There must actually be many more people who don’t realize that they are designing as part of their daily activities and efforts. That’s because, although we use terms like “design industry” and “designer,” actually many people outside these categories are applying.

Even if such people create something new or take action to try to make the world a better place, they can’t get any sympathy or support and feel trapped. I think that applying for and winning awards can help them break out of this, and if they can realize that they, too, are designing, their behavior will change. For example, creating a better working environment, such as by improving business design, personnel systems, or operations, falls into the domain of design. That’s why I hope that non-designers will pay more attention to the GOOD DESIGN AWARD and apply.

“Modern-day activists take on the appearance of designers”

— Finally, do you have a message for the design industry and designers of the future?

Hayashi I feel that society is moving in a more negative direction these days. I don’t know if it’s just Japan or the whole world, but slander is rampant on social media, making it hard even to look at; and in the media scene, things often go by impressions rather than facts.

In these circumstances, I believe that the existence of the GOOD DESIGN AWARD, which celebrates “creation” and “budding,” is all the more important. In the face of a society overcome by a sense of being trapped, I think the stance of valuing good things from a positive perspective will be important in the society of the future. In the midst of a situation where all we hear is a war of criticism, “This is no good” and “That’s no good,” we nevertheless give proper credit to those who try to create something or make things better. This is the role of the GOOD DESIGN AWARD, and I feel that it is an important initiative that will increase in significance in the future.

Nakamura It’s purely my personal impression, but when I became involved with the GOOD DESIGN AWARD, I thought, “Modern-day activists take on the appearance of designers.” As a social activist in the past, I saw many people who had great strength of feeling, but who fell ill due to working too hard in an impossible situation, or who ran out of funds and fell into poverty because they were not running a business. However, I felt that people who do not fight or resist in this way, but rather change the system in a smart way, presenting the appearance of being allies, are designers.

Of course, there have been cases of 20th century design being used to amplify violence, and there are plenty of bad things about it. Even with such dangerous aspects, it may be that design has the power to change things quietly, choosing not to fight. That’s the hopeful image I have inside me.

Ota Actually, I had a similar discussion in my dialogue with Audrey Tan, which is included in this proposal. It became a discussion about how it was not enough simply to say “Diversity is good” or “Let’s overcome confrontation and change awareness.” It’s more effective to create dramatically positive experiences than to call for people to change how they think. By means of “design,” we can probably offer a much broader entry point and make gradual change.