2018.09.21
R&D DISCUSSION Vol. 01
Architecture: Perspectives from Industrial Design [Part 1]
Kozo Yamada, Director and Advisor, GK Design Corporation
Q: It is said that it was created after the war in Japan.
What kind of profession is "industrial design"?
A: In a word, my job is to "make dreams come true." In the 19th century, when the Industrial Revolution occurred in England, there was a time called the Victorian Inventions. It was a time when everyone dreamed that anything could be done through technological innovation. This is where industrial design began. Many industrial designers are optimistic. Everyone believed that the future was bright. This is the case with home appliances and cars that appear in science fiction movies, and I designed things every day that I thought would be great to have.
GK, the company I work for, is an abbreviation for "Group of Koike." In 1952, a group of students from Tokyo University of the Arts who aspired to study industrial design named the company after their instructor, Assistant Professor Iwataro Koike. Kenji Ekuan GK began its activities under the leadership of GK. One of its earliest projects was the YA-1 motorcycle for Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd. (then Nippon Gakki Manufacturing Co., Ltd.). This was a time when Japan was just about to move from the post-war reconstruction period into the period of high economic growth, and when it came to design, Western tastes were the predominant style. Meanwhile, Nippon Gakki Manufacturing Co., Ltd. (now Yamaha), which had been making propellers during the war, commissioned GK to develop its first motorcycle, putting the company's future on the line. GK designed every last detail of the parts. In an era when the color was all black, the two-tone brown and cream color, inspired by a "chestnut horse," was innovative for the time, and it gained popularity along with its high performance.
Since then, GK has been designing motorcycles for over 60 years. A motorcycle is a substitute for a "horse." It has a skeleton (frame), legs (wheels), and a stomach (tank). It takes in air through its mouth (intake port), and oxygen powers its heart (engine). Exhaust passes through organs (exhaust pipes) and is released (muffler). This GK-style way of looking at things has become a tradition. The development of a new product begins with a discussion about what kind of character and function the "horse" should have. Of course, the function of each part is important, and this is Louis Sullivan's "form follows function," but the character of the horse is determined by the relationship between the parts to create the whole. What we aim for is exactly "unity of man and machine." Man and machine simultaneously sense danger and avoid it at the same time. I believe that the key to a motorcycle is whether or not they can instantly communicate with each other, "what the man wants to do" and "how the machine moves." The moment when the minds of man and machine become one is the most interesting part of manufacturing.
Q: So the design starts from the product itself.
A: As times change and technology evolves, the role of design has also changed - in other words, what is designed. For example, the Yamaha audio equipment "Hi-Fi Tuner "R-3"", which was designed at the same time as the aforementioned "YA-1", is characterized by a simple and clear design that integrates function and appearance. The position of the dial, the size, the movement of the meter, and the neat proportions are very Japanese. After that, in 1980, I designed the "Stereo Power Amplifier "B-6". By this time, electronic technology had advanced, the contents had become compact, and the relationship between the inside and the outside had become weak. When it became possible to freely design the appearance, the "meaning" of the form became more important than the function. As Louis Kahn said, "Form Evokes Function", the form is required to have the power to evoke what it is. In this power amplifier, the "high-quality power" was expressed by the pyramidal square pyramid shape.
Another representative work of GK, the Kikkoman soy sauce table bottle, is loved today for its unchanging design, and is designed not only for its sharp spout, but also for the beauty of the gesture when using it. When you pinch the bottle around the neck with three fingers and tilt it, the center of gravity is lower, so the elbow of the right hand is supported by the left hand. This is the manner of Japanese food, which has been exported to 100 countries around the world. GK has also been involved in public transportation for many years. The seats and interior designs of JR East's Narita Express and JAL passenger aircraft are both Japanese national brands. In addition to the comfort of travel such as the interior, the color red is used in various places with an awareness of the "welcoming spirit" of the users. Together with the secondary colors of black and white, it is a design code that can be associated with Japan. In the field of urban environment, the "sign ring" is a symbol of Nishi-Shinjuku. The functions of signals, lighting, signs, cameras, etc. are integrated into this ring. In addition to the functions necessary for the intersection, we considered the symbolism of this place and created a new landscape.
(Kikkoman / 1961)
Q: You are responsible for many of the things we see in our daily lives, but goalkeepers seem to be relatively unknown.
Why don't you mention the goalkeepers' names in the list very often?
A: I think the only famous industrial designers are car designers. Industrial products are mass-produced in our daily lives and are used like air. Even though Kenji Ekuan is well-known in the industry, he is not well-known to the public. I think the public is not very interested in who designed the things we use every day. The manufacturer's name and brand are more important than the designer. Our clients want to strengthen their brand. The GK works introduced here are just a small part of the works, and we design tens or hundreds of times more objects every day. On the other hand, GK's specialty is the B to B world. We have designed things that professionals can be proud of, such as industrial machinery, heavy construction equipment, medical equipment, and precision tools. I think that industrial designers are basically the unsung heroes. Also, industrial products are an area that cannot be done by one person, so it is difficult to say who designed them. There are many moments when I think that engineers are more amazing than us.
That said, there are quite a few GK fans. They are people I've worked with and built a relationship of trust with. What makes me happiest is when someone says, "Is this really GK? I can kind of relate."
PROFILE
Director and Advisor, GK Design Corporation
Kozo Yamada
Yamada Kozo
Born in 1954. Graduated from the Faculty of Fine Arts, Aichi Prefectural University of the Arts. Joined GK Industrial Design Institute (now GK Design Group) in 1979. After serving as president and CEO of GK Design Institute Hiroshima, a joint venture between GK and Mazda Motor Corporation, he became president and CEO of GK Design Group Inc. in 2012. He has held his current position since 2016. He is a director of the Japan Industrial Designers Association Inc. and a G Mark judge fellow at the Japan Institute of Design Promotion (JDP). He is a part-time lecturer at the Graduate School of Design, Kyushu University. He is also an auditor at the Tool Society.
GK Group http://www.gk-design.co.jp/
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