‘Designing Japan’ by Kenya Hara - favorite quotes
Book summary and quotes from Designing Japan, A Future Built on Aesthetics by Kenya Hara
Hara explores the future of Japan’s economy not from the perspective of natural resources, but from the position of design. While technology does generate innovation possibilities, it’s people’s desires that co-steer the future. And it’s design that influences human desire, which leads to changes in the way we live, consume, and utilize. As such, design should play an active role in shaping Japan.
“Design is an intention toward a desired end; it's role is to imagine and plan the form of that end. The essence of design is to make visible underlying potential and reveal an explicit, significant path for the future, to clearly delineate a vision that can be shared with many.” (Preface p.ix)
In Chapter 1, he describes an exhibition that explores the future of ‘movement’ through thought experiments and examining the idea of the automobile. It’s actually speculative design, but without the grotesque or dystopian vibe we’ve come to associate with the practice. He explores peoples desires - for power, speed, and the pleasure of moving freely and quickly. All of these desires allowed a machine fullfiling that purpose to come into being. This is true to the principles of Design Thinking, which emphasizes that importance of spending time to understand that space of human desire, and avoid what Henry Ford warns us of doing, which is to naturally assume the answer is a faster horse. Design is therefore about “imagination, planning, and making the invisible visible are the distinctive characteristics of design.” (p.33)
In Chapter 2, he talks about the interplay between form and behavior; which shapes which? With reference to Sori Yanagi’s father Soetesu Yanagi - the natural evolution of product form is just a result of usage and time; but he urges us that we cannot take this passive position. Because the pressure of technology could take it in other (potentially undesirable) directions. So, “what is needed is the will to employ our reason in crafting a future environment”. (p.41)
In Chapter 3, he talks about homemaking as an example of how many just take what realtors offer without much thought. But he ponders the potential to revitalize the housing market in Japan and talks about using design to make ideas more tangible. “Because design is a business of conception, it can help by materializing the latent possibilities”. (p. 78)
In Chapter 4, he thinks about how to brand Japan and explores the idea of using national parks as an opportunity to communicate such a brand through information architecture. But not a loud type of bold signage effort; rather to rekindle awareness of Japan’s national parks by using information design to “quietly and precisely facilitate connection” (p. 122) to the essence of Japan. And in this, rebrand Japan as a more “aesthetically sophisticated country, a country of hospitality.” (p. 123)
In Chapter 5, he investigates future materials with regards to Japan’s future. After talking about how Paris and Milan tend to set the global trends, he considered Japan’s position globally and feels that “we should pursue functioning in the world rather than being valued by the world” (p.143) (a profound, beautiful statement for us all to ponder personally). His starting point was “to look at fashion as an industry, we need to reconsider it from scratch”, which lead to a focus on fibres. The result was TOYKO FIBRE, an exhibition presenting the future of Japanese high-tech fibres to the world.
In Chapter 6, he addresses the aging population situation, and reflects on the 2011 Tohoku Earthquake. He encourages us to use hardship and dire situations as an opportunity saying: “We should assemble the wisdom of Japan and the world to project a vision of the future that takes our spirits forward, a vision we could not create without this kind of opportunity”. He also encourages Japan and Asia more broadly to reflect on the originality of each one’s country before we become “a uniform, inorganic shade of gray”, and reinforces that design is “a means by which to awaken the essence of everyday living and cultural pride”.
Final thoughts
Even though Hara talks about designing the future of Japan here, this is almost a framework or lens through which we can start to think about other countries, systems, or issues - from redesigning healthcare, to thinking about the future of education. It’s inspiring from a personal growth perspective as a designer as well, to consider new ways of seeing the world and thinking about how we can function and contribute uniquely to making it a better place.
Also I should say that this book is gorgeously written from the first page to the last. Hara’s writing is so human, real, honest, humble, reflective and insightful; it provides healthy challenge to the status quo, inspires bold action, and makes us see the world optimistically and hungry to use design to bring out the beauty in all situations.