Book Review - Origins
July 5th 2008 01:52
Origins: The Creative Spark Behind Japan's Best Product Designs
by Shu Hagiwara and Masashi Kuma
ISBN 4770030401 / 9784770030405 / 4-7700-3040-1
Publisher Kodansha America, Incorporated
Country Japan
Language English
Edition Hardcover
Japanese design has always been different, understandably so due to the unique culture isolated by its geographical position. In Origins the complex task of deconstructing Japanese designers’ inspiration is simplified into asking designers to speak about the origins and inspirations behind particular items they have created. Accompanied by clear photographs by Masashi Kuma, this book presents objects from a broad range of Japanese designers. Particularly refreshing is the inclusion of women such as Midori Mitsui, Hisae Igarashi, Fumie Shibata and Naoko Hirota.
This simple narrative approach works wonders and provides some magnificent insights that will stitch practicality and creative process into a neat package for anyone interested in the area of industrial design. One poetically delightful notion is the idea of the ‘cool crisp air and gentle sunlight of an Italian morning’ being the inspiration for the design of a milk-bottle shaped espresso maker by Ichiro Iwasaki.
The influence of Western thinking and design has made its way into the Japanese landscape for a variety of reasons. Consequently in a land where everyone once happily sat on the floor, designers have created the ‘Hamburger Stool’, the ‘Riki Stool’, the ‘Butterfly Stool’ and the ‘Midori Chair’.
Creativity is a very difficult thing to pin down so when a successful effort such as this is made it’s very welcome and greatly inspiring. All of the designs are terrific in their own way but I particularly enjoyed the Animal Rubber Band by Passkey Design. This fun idea, to make rubber bands the shape of animals, is something incredibly simple, even if the actual realization of the concept was not so easy. I’m also deeply impressed by The Tsubame (meaning ‘Swallow’) bullet train design and the fact that the designer consulted the community whom it would serve in the process of designing it.
David Jobling
by Shu Hagiwara and Masashi Kuma
ISBN 4770030401 / 9784770030405 / 4-7700-3040-1
Publisher Kodansha America, Incorporated
Country Japan
Language English
Edition Hardcover
Japanese design has always been different, understandably so due to the unique culture isolated by its geographical position. In Origins the complex task of deconstructing Japanese designers’ inspiration is simplified into asking designers to speak about the origins and inspirations behind particular items they have created. Accompanied by clear photographs by Masashi Kuma, this book presents objects from a broad range of Japanese designers. Particularly refreshing is the inclusion of women such as Midori Mitsui, Hisae Igarashi, Fumie Shibata and Naoko Hirota.
This simple narrative approach works wonders and provides some magnificent insights that will stitch practicality and creative process into a neat package for anyone interested in the area of industrial design. One poetically delightful notion is the idea of the ‘cool crisp air and gentle sunlight of an Italian morning’ being the inspiration for the design of a milk-bottle shaped espresso maker by Ichiro Iwasaki.
The influence of Western thinking and design has made its way into the Japanese landscape for a variety of reasons. Consequently in a land where everyone once happily sat on the floor, designers have created the ‘Hamburger Stool’, the ‘Riki Stool’, the ‘Butterfly Stool’ and the ‘Midori Chair’.
Creativity is a very difficult thing to pin down so when a successful effort such as this is made it’s very welcome and greatly inspiring. All of the designs are terrific in their own way but I particularly enjoyed the Animal Rubber Band by Passkey Design. This fun idea, to make rubber bands the shape of animals, is something incredibly simple, even if the actual realization of the concept was not so easy. I’m also deeply impressed by The Tsubame (meaning ‘Swallow’) bullet train design and the fact that the designer consulted the community whom it would serve in the process of designing it.
David Jobling
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