Designing Design

Representing a new generation of designers in Japan, Kenya Hara (born 1958) pays tribute to his mentors, using long overlooked Japanese icons & images in much of his work. 

In “Designing Design”, he impresses upon the reader the importance of “emptiness” in both the visual & philosophical traditions of Japan, & its application to design, made visible by means of numerous examples from his own work: Hara for instance designed the opening & closing ceremony programs for the Nagano Winter Olympic Games 1998.

In 2001, he enrolled as a board member for the Japanese label MUJI & has considerably moulded the identity of this successful corporation as communication & design advisor ever since. Kenya Hara, alongside Naoto Fukasawa one of the leading design personalities in Japan, has also called attention to himself with exhibitions such as “Re-Design: The Daily Products of the 21st Century” of 2000.