Author: Jiang Nan Elspeth

In me the tiger sniffs the rose.
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MUJI ｜ Ikko Tanaka

Mujirushi Ryohin, in Japanese, translates to “no-brand quality goods.” MUJI's design philosophy highlights simplicity, moderation, humility and self-restraint. (Aaker,2010)

From initially producing supermarket goods in 1983 to becoming the strongest retail brand of Japan and exhibiting products in the Museum of Modern Art, the same design philosophy asserted by Ikko Tanaka remain at MUJI’s core. With more than a thousand stores worldwide, MUJI continues to impose major influence on design trends and the lifestyle of millions. During my presentation, I analyzed the 5 core design philosophies and how they were being employed in their products (refer to the slides below). This write up complements with some personal thoughts and inspiration I draw from MUJI,  as a product designer.

MUJI kept the packaging minimal, with consistent neutral colours, intuitive function and no overt branding. A single product like that could have easily fallen into anonymity. However, with the entire product range in picture, and soothing music playing in the background, MUJI conveys a lifestyle in accordance with Japanese Zen. The design was not made to sell a product, rather, products were made to sell their design (philosophy).

Simplicity runs within the organization too. MUJI has employed famous designers including Jasper Morrison, Enzo Mari and Yohji Yamamoto; however, they remain anonymous once their designs reach the shelves. (Kanai, 2010) I think this is to prevent short-term furor and excessive consumerism, at the expense of potential revenue. Their design process also minimizes computer usage to avoid unnecessary details (paper preferred). For Muji, it seems, inaction speaks louder. (Aaker, 2010) MUJI’s creative director summed it up perfectly by saying: ‘Muji is an empty vessel. Its products fit into the context of every lifestyle’.

I think modern lifestyles have made MUJI’s design philosophy even more appealing because consumers have witnessed the adverse impacts of over-consumption, on our environment and spending habits etc. There is a notable craving for simplicity, we demand fewer additives in food and skincare, easy-to-assemble IKEA furniture, user-friendly interfaces, and voice control gadgets to make life simpler etc.

I take it to heart that good designs should have as little design as possible. The ‘no-brand’ theory becomes slightly metaphysical? With MUJI’s anti-glitz effort, you can easily distinguish their products from others – ironic branding achievement. Few brands deliver more self-expressive freedom than MUJI. The fact that there has been little competition shows the strength of their marketing barriers and uniqueness. This is something all product designers should look up to.

 

Reference:

Kanai, M. (2010). Muji = Mujirushi Ryōhin

Aaker, D. (2010). Muji: The no-brand brand. Marketing News, 44(1), 13. American Marketing Association. Retrieved from: https://remotexs.ntu.edu.sg/user/login?url=https://www.proquest.com.remotexs.ntu.edu.sg/docview/216410231?accountid=12665

Kenya Hara. Visualize the philosophy of MUJI. Retrieved from: https://www.muji.com/us/flagship/huaihai755/archive/hara.html

GMI conference. (2017). A Talk with Kenya Hara: Nothing, Yet Everything. Retrieved from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=px4vx0hFImQ

Presentation slides:

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Presentation on Social Practice Art

   

Footnotes for the presentation:

From wk3’s reading social practice art (I’ll call it SPA) is contemporary art that says, aesthetics and capitalism are not everything. Therefore, SPA is not what the market wants to see, but what the artist wants to do for the world.

Social.

Defined by the reading is “Neoliberal artists are consciously engaging with issues around the world.” So it got me thinking, what differentiates artists from just anyone that reads the newspaper? 

Practice

Artists can actually do something about it. SPA gives voice to the issues and creates 2 types of impacts. The outcome can be TANGIBLE and QUANTIFIABLE. An IMMEDIATE SOLUTION to the problem, like the row houses, should be ACCESSIBLE or USABLE. 

The outcome can also be hypothetic. Like the Third Paradise Manifesto. It is INTANGIBLE, producing UNCERTAIN results that are difficult to quantify. For example, emotions and a change in behavior. Which takes TIME. The medium used is usually more abstract and personal because it projects the artist’s take on the matter, as compared to materialistic outcomes that focus more on the subject.

This is a meme that mocks at the ineffectiveness of SPA which triggers me.

So, how do we measure the effectiveness of SPA?

I think that for materialistic solutions, we can look at the end products. While for hypothetic solutions, the process of creating art is often more valuable.

As a product design student, I want to bring light to a category of art that people often overlook. Humanitarian Art. I believe it has the power to converge the best of both worlds.

Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum held an exhibition called DESIGN WITH THE 90%. It was one of the U.S. first museums to showcase humanitarian art to promote socially responsible designs. 90% refers to the 90% of the population and third world cities that do not have access to professional design services. By saying Design WITH instead of DESIGN FOR, it shows the artist’s active involvement with the community in need.

*EXAMPLES*

Tracy Ellyn is the founder and director of the Project: For Healing Through The Arts. The Project uses the creative process “to heal, transform, and enhance lives.” One of its many arts-related initiatives has been to present art classes and therapeutic arts consultation for special needs like troubled youths. Her art is also exhibited in hospitals and doctor’s offices to soothe the heart.

*EXAMPLES*

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Reading Response

REVIEW | critique of social practice art

 

To succinctly sketch out the central discussion of this article, I would cite Ben Davis’s idea that Social Practice stems from a dispirited reaction to the commercial art industry’s obsession with profit. This topic is worth engaging in the contemporary scene because we as designers, should pursue art that makes a difference, beyond aesthetic qualities. Henceforth, I have hatched a brief idea on how art itself, can be the answer.

Take a glimpse of history, art was never assumed to be pragmatic, or collaborative. In other words, artists, writers, performers alike, tend to practice in solemn to stereotypically produce a pleasing work so that the patron will pay the one with his/her name signed.

Modern artists begun to paint their philosophy of the world on unexplored mediums, we call them contemporary arts. Traditional canvas can be substituted by the intangibles (digital platforms, interactivity-based works, etc), the tangibles (freedom in material choice), and everything that lies in-between (mix-medium). However, a shift in the medium does not automatically equate itself to a change in behavior. ‘The fixation on escaping commercialized art itself shows a narrow understanding of art’s role in a capitalist society.’ Undeniably, to disincentivize just any industry would sound unrealistic. Then, should we put ourselves on a superior moral ground to criticize artists whose works are primarily profit-driven? Or blame their passive engagement in cross-industry synergy? 

Art was never expected to walk alongside subjects that ‘saves the world’, but, to provide a discernible remedy to communities with specific needs, an assembly of professionalism across fields of mathematics, engineering, and the sciences is presumably vital. 

Coming from a product designer’s perspective, the majority of us still design for extrinsic rewards nowadays but improvements are notable. We cannot forfeit the contribution of lauded individuals who stepped up to ‘go after the disease itself’ by producing radical designs that have changed lives. GravityLight, Hippo Roller, Life Straw, are all products of cross-industry collaboration.

Every great design begins with an even better idea. Perhaps, if every designer is willing to brace up and seek opportunities for technical execution, the world can be a better place with fewer problems. All in all, cease letting the creative ideas in your mind slip just because it all seems impossible before it’s done.

 

 

REVIEW | designing for the digital age

 

While this reading is mostly instructional, the introduction written by Goodwin at the start gave an interesting perspective on the definition of design and ultimately how it straddles the line between science and art. Being neither science nor art means that design as a craft brings about its own set of challenges unique to it.

As mentioned by Goodwin, the term “design” is an arbitrary one, and there is never a correct definition for it. However, Goodwin puts forward some intriguing ideas in his own definition, particularly about how design is the “craft of visualizing concrete solutions”. I believe that design, in its naked form, is simply the process of trying to get from point A to point B, with A being the initial state and B being the desired state. Of course, littered along the process is multiple obstacles as highlighted in the rest of the article.

One of these obstacles that stood out to me is how the different stakeholders and other non-design related factors can actually affect the design process itself. When designing a product, it goes beyond just creating a solution, but creating a specific solution that caters not just to the user, it must also satisfy the criteria of the many financial investors and marketing executives. This shifts the entire framework of design beyond itself, and into the wider world of economics, business, and even politics.

It is not surprising, therefore, that a successful designer is one that works well within this framework, and has a process that is transparent to all the shareholders in order to maximise and achieve a solution. Proven once again, cross-industry collaboration is the key to push art to a new height.

 

 

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Red Dot Museum Product Review

 

My ugly photo for Airpods is replaced by a atas demo video.
Honestly, i think Peer should appreciate white on white
half as much as i do. Agree to disagreement, cheers. :D

Me when i get to escape NTU and go on a field trip. :3

Me when Patrick actually lemme use his expensive printers.

Futuristic Furby???

I'm confuse why a speaker need to look like MUJI diffuser.

Can i even review this light decor? It's pretty though.
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History of Design || Manifesto

I always feel like colour is a language by itself,
encapsulating expression and emotions, which determines
the subjective characteristic. From nature to our world
within, red arouse physical alertness, and truth applies
to our mental activity the same. Universal, disregarding
age, space, and even species, yet differentiated by the
slightest difference we have.

As such, red also means prosperity.
Who to determine the meaning of colour then?

When we express, message from within was being transmitted,
and simultaneously, message was also taken in as influence.
We all agree, blue makes us sad. Perhaps, we do not define
colours but communicate with it. Through the context of
culture and other things associated, colours define us.
Our personality, our image, our perspective and identity.

The world is made up of only colours, one against each
other. Yet it is so integrated that its presence seems
negligible.

When was the last time someone ask you;
"What colours do you like?"
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Creative Response 02 || Art Nouveau & Dada

*feature image should be 02

The heading reads: William Morries is not Chinese?

Many of his wallpaper designs are nature-centred, with
distinctive elements such as vines, flowers, birds and
whirling decorative patterns.

I find it very oriental, and surprisingly homogenous
with Chinese wedding practiced in Singapore today.
The Chinese believe that gold + red = prosperity, birds
in a pair = inseparable, and vines emphasise craftsman-
ship.

It goes well with Chinese wedding invitations too!
So, is he really not Chinese? :D

 

Photo montage and collage was prevalent during the time
of Dada.

My first encounter with photo montage was those i saw
on teenage magazine. (you feel me?)

Maybe i can produce a fashion montage with no sense of
'faSin' at all since that is what we do as Singaporeans
99% of the time. Yay to shorts and slippers!