Director’s Comment

We live in a turbulent society confronted by global-scale challenges surging relentlessly and growing in seriousness. Given the circumstances, things created over time through large-scale production planning have become void of content and unfit for the latest lifestyles, whereas needs for updated technologies, processes, and social systems themselves are increasing. Shifting focus from pursuing perfection or growth to adapting to changing circumstances by constantly taking actions may change our prospects and the ways we approach things. This also leads to “incomplete design,” the theme I chose last year.
While this theme will still be addressed this year, my main focus will be on the fact that efforts are “continuous.” How do we perceive these circumstances and undertake the efforts? I would like to find some hints for surviving the uncertain world.

Director’s Comment

Hit by the COVID-19 crisis, the non-stop, super fast-paced world suddenly came to a halt. The prolonged stagnation has brought unexpected opportunities for self-reflection, which led to discussions and attempts to find new equilibria in societies all around the world. In a world where the economy has always been top priority, it has to be said that design played the role of the engine for fueling consumption with its function to flatter the subject. Rather than making something look special, however, design should essentially be the wisdom and practice of discovering and embodying the ever-changing environment, technology, and “just the right” relationships among people.
The world is About to restart. Production and disposal, digital and physical, rural and urban. I would like to cast a spotlight on efforts to find out what is neither excessive nor insufficient – the “just right” of the future.

Director’s Comment

A combination of satisfaction in the body, mind, and relationships with others, the concept of well- being has been increasingly emphasized in recent years in the field of product and service design as well. While research carried out so far has mainly focused on individual well-being, there is a new movement to recapture the definition of well-being by portraying humanity through our relationships with others and the surrounding environment. In particular, information technology has been optimized for each end user, with the emphasis on the hedonic well-being of “I.” However, in order to foster the well-being of future society, what is required now is a methodology for nurturing sustainable relationships between “us” where a multitude of “I’s” overlap.
In this year’s Focused Issues, I would like to see what kind of relationships can be developed from one design over the long term.

Director’s Comment

Design is expected to possess the power to solve problems facing the world today, as well as the power to examine how the future world should be. So, if existing problems in the world and the vision of an ideal world have an equal level of complexity that cannot be described in a nutshell, then I believe that design should also have a depth that cannot be explained in a single word. Designs for tackling multiple issues from multiple angles are sought for today. The beauty of simplicity is undeniable, and designs that are consistent with the concepts should stay strong. Still, I would like to go deeper back to the roots and explore what design essentially does and should do.

Director’s Comment

It seems that many designers themselves lack diversity in their perspectives, viewpoints, and experiences for creating designs that truly include various people. I believe it is important to face other people’s reality first in order to create designs that resonate more with them. To achieve this, I think we need to try to diversify and enhance the views and people we see within a 10-foot radius of our daily lives. Meet other people, study them through dialogues and common experiences, then create. “How would he use this?” “Maybe I’ll try this, because she was saying such and such” – this is how collaboration is done. As a judge, I would like to watch and listen to the story within a 10-foot radius of each individual design, and update the views I see myself, too.