Designing Design

Representing a new generation of designers in Japan, Kenya Hara (born 1958) pays tribute to his mentors, using long overlooked Japanese icons and images in much of his work. In 'œDesigning Design', he impresses upon the reader the importance of 'œemptiness' in both the visual and philosophical traditions of Japan, and its application to design, made visible by means of numerous examples from his own work: Hara for instance designed the opening and closing ceremony programs for the Nagano Winter Olympic Games 1998. In 2001, he enrolled as a board member for the Japanese label MUJI and has considerably moulded the identity of this successful corporation as communication and 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 'œRe-Design: The Daily Products of the 21st Century' of 2000.Hara, Kenya is the author of 'Designing Design ', published 2007 under ISBN 9783037781050 and ISBN 303778105X.