In Guy Juliers book The Culture of Design, an evident issue addressed by the book is how design is tackled at a local level. The locality of design, in this regard, is reflective of the cultural context in which it exists. For instance, certain products are physically designed to convey a certain cultural connotation which somehow differentiates this design and product from the rest.
Julier discussed that the process of the culture of design includes the immediate contextual influences and contextual informed actions within the development of the design (2000, p. 4). The culture of design is therefore all about context, and in addition to the local context in which the design is influenced by, the process also takes into consideration the typical factors of consultations with clients, the social, cultural, economic and political aim of the design, and the manner in which the design is going to be realised.
Despite these, the idea of the culture of design may encounter challenges in a globalised world. In the context of culture of design, an immediate impression leads to design having a certain cultural identity. Although this is the case, the local context does not have to be about a particular culture per se but rather how culture is translated from everyday life. For example, the design culture of the Mexican communities in California does not necessarily reflect the design culture of the Mexicans in Mexico. In a sense, what comes to mind is that what qualifies as culture is not necessarily exclusive which is why, in going back to the Mexican and Californian identities, a good point of comparison is that even though Mexican food in Mexico is the supreme version of the cuisine, there is also such thing as Mexican food in California which varies in similarity with the food back home. Design, in this regard, picks up a particular culture in a certain locality because its context is different.
Visual Language Analysis Turning Design into Japanese
In looking at the evolution of Japanese design, never has a country made itself very distinctive in terms of indigenous design and design according to its assimilated culture. Japanese design notably embodies the simple Japanese aesthetics as can be seen in its Zen gardens and architecture, but as the country started to go through its version of Westernisation, Japanese design still managed to turn western ideas into something that is Japanese.
The image to the left is an example of a street fashion in Japan also known as Harajuku. In responding to this culture many fashion houses in Japan cater to such outrageous fashion demands of the youth who want to portray their interpretations of Western fashion. Amidst the sea of uniforms, some women still wearing the kimono and men and women in their office attires, the Harajuku had given way to fashion that is probably non-existent elsewhere.
An example is an above version of what is known as the Gothic Lolita. Even the concept of gothic and the fictional character Lolita are very much Western. This contrasts significantly with the Japanese elegance of design and the straightforwardness of its culture. The integration of the Goth with Lolita can be regarded as a Japanese experiment, thus, resulting to a street fashion that has become popular in some districts of Tokyo.
Another example is how Japan has interpreted the automobile and designed it according to the most efficient means by using the Japanese design philosophy and manufacturing processes. It is no secret that the Just-in-Time production system is based on the kanban system which ensures efficiency. Design-wise, Japanese automobile design has been one of the most innovative practices in the world.
One of the recent Japanese car designs that received prestigious recognition is the Toyota iQ. This model is the answer to one of the most notable compact cars that came out in the market in the recent years, Daimlers SmartForTwo. This micro-compact car can actually fit three adults and one child with a measurement of 117 x 65. Design-wise the model is very functional and can be said to respond to the growing trend in terms of automobile requirements in the country fuel efficiency and the decreasing size of the countrys nuclear units. What makes this car Japanese, moreover, is the sleekness and curves of the product itself reflect the global design sensibilities of its market, and this expands outside Japan.
Such is also reflected in Japanese design in its electronics. Sony, one of the leading consumer electronics producer in the world, does not fail to impress the global market with its products. It can be noted that Japanese appliance design from years ago, particularly in the 1980s, gave way to a consumer society driven by popular culture. Hence, appliances and consumer electronics from that era were very colourful these products could be found in pink and blue, in addition to the growing demand for kawaii or cute product and design (Sparke Antonelli, 2009). Today, design sensibilities in Japan, as previously mentioned, has become global yet through its branding strategies, its designed has maintained the Japanese trademark.
Despite the emergence of the global orientation of Japanese design, a number of Japanese products have maintained what it uniquely Japanese. An example is the emergence of robot products from the country such as ASIMO, the humanoid robot by Honda, AIBO, the Japanese robotic dog, and the bipedal robot Omnibot17mu i-SOBOT by Takara Tomy.
The Japanese aesthetic can be regarded to have significantly evolved from the traditional Japanese aesthetics to contemporary design that has reached its global sensibilities. However, it is important to note that product design in Japan also had its historical leanings, especially as to how Japanese designers have perceived design itself. Because of this historical elements, it can be gathered that in Japan there is indeed a strong culture of design.
Discourse Analysis
One of the issues addressed by Julier is the culture of design process as determined by the following factors (2000, p. 4)
Conception and negotiation with clients as to the design
The organisation of the studio or the place in which the design is going to be manifested
The means and processes involved in its output and realisation
These three elements evidently demonstrate that design, especially the commercial ones, are not isolated. This pretty much explains why design is both an artistic and commercial venture as Julier pointed out, design is highly entrepreneurial.
Such concept is actually present in Japan which is part of their design culture. Japanese artists from as early as the 19th century were already aware of the distinction between their art and the sangyo bijutsu or sangyo hogei which pertains to industrial and product designs. These sensibilities were evidently present among Japanese artists Weisenfeld explained (2000, p. 78)
Japanese design historians have identified a gradual conceptual shift around the turn of the century from the long-standing arsenal notion of design (isho) to one which implied more personal intentionality and professional standing on the part of the designer, expressed in the in the increasingly common terms zuan (design), derzain (design) and shogyo bijutsu.
In this regard, the context in which Japanese design had been subject to can be attributed to the rise of the consumer culture and the pressures that rose after the Second World War. Japanese design had taken the industrial form when the country needed to survive the destruction of the war, hence, opening itself up to the Western world. In this case, contemporary Japanese design sensibilities have integrated the Western style with Japanese design principles. What is interesting is that as Japan was catapulted to the growing realities of globalisation, and the countrys potential role in becoming of the most competitive countries in the world, Japans design aesthetics have mostly adopted to the demand without necessarily compromising a Japanese touch.
This thereby reflects the culture of design in Japan as Julier pointed out, the cultural aspect is all about the context. Interestingly, in Japan, the contexts have been dynamic this therefore shows that Japanese design, whether it is traditional or modern, have maintained its Japanese style. For instance, in the Japanese street fashion, this popular subculture conveys how this street fashion embraced and interpreted western fashion which would result to the formulation of a subculture. What is interesting is that the core of this specific fashion design culture is not originally Japanese, but the means in which it is interpreted have made the Harajuku rightfully a Japanese street fashion statement.
From this, it can be gathered that the culture of design context in Japan is an emphasis on form and function with the derivation of the concepts from West re-interpreted according to the local context both form and function, the manner of sangyo bijutsu, is driven by the strong influence of the consumer culture. There is also the case in which Japan has readily embraced the cultures that have been introduced in the society, and in true Japanese fashion and as can be seen in its design, such culture and design have been turned Japanese. Contemporary Japanese design, as can be seen in the range of examples, have indicated how Japan has designed according to a specific consumer era. From the pop culture-sque design of the 1980s where televisions and radios were pink and mint green, the emergence of the sleek and innovative designs in the past years reflect a sense of the post-corporate era. In this regard, Japanese design has indeed demonstrated a unique design culture that is indicative of its two polar ends the traditional Japanese design sensibilities that have driven modern Japanese design to be inspired to turn any design into Japanese, and the socio-cultural desire to keep up with the rest of the world as Japan has adopted and re-interpreted westernisation and globalisation.
Based on Juliers work, an important point raised in the culture of design is that it is driven by the material and immaterial aspects of daily life (2000, p. 7). The Japanese design culture has indeed demonstrated that these material and immaterial aspects are representative of the consumer culture in the country and the strong Japanese cultural and traditional sensibilities that are ingrained among the Japanese people. Japans consumer culture has been mostly driven by its economic success, and interestingly, Japans success can be attributed to its design culture.
The success of Japanese products can be therefore attributed to the intelligence of its design, and this intelligence can be attributed to the Japanese sensibilities of function and efficiency. It can be observed, therefore, that Japanese design has been directed to two consumers the global consumer who are fans of Japanese products, and the local consumers whose taste for design can be considered slightly different from the global consumer. This explains why even when Japanese appliances were successfully hitting the global market, the popularity of its pink television was contained in the country. The same is true with its Harajuku fashions which remain to be a strong market in the country and alienating to the rest of the world.
In this case, the culture of design in Japan has been determined by these consumption cultures and the countrys need to be globally relevant in terms of their designs. The advantage, however, is that whether Japan designs for its local or global consumers, Japanese designed maintains a strong sense of identity. Hence, an important aspect of the culture of design in Japan is the ability and art of the Japanese designers to be adaptable based on the design demand while at the same time it maintains a certain degree of style which strongly relates to its consumers.
Julier discussed that the process of the culture of design includes the immediate contextual influences and contextual informed actions within the development of the design (2000, p. 4). The culture of design is therefore all about context, and in addition to the local context in which the design is influenced by, the process also takes into consideration the typical factors of consultations with clients, the social, cultural, economic and political aim of the design, and the manner in which the design is going to be realised.
Despite these, the idea of the culture of design may encounter challenges in a globalised world. In the context of culture of design, an immediate impression leads to design having a certain cultural identity. Although this is the case, the local context does not have to be about a particular culture per se but rather how culture is translated from everyday life. For example, the design culture of the Mexican communities in California does not necessarily reflect the design culture of the Mexicans in Mexico. In a sense, what comes to mind is that what qualifies as culture is not necessarily exclusive which is why, in going back to the Mexican and Californian identities, a good point of comparison is that even though Mexican food in Mexico is the supreme version of the cuisine, there is also such thing as Mexican food in California which varies in similarity with the food back home. Design, in this regard, picks up a particular culture in a certain locality because its context is different.
Visual Language Analysis Turning Design into Japanese
In looking at the evolution of Japanese design, never has a country made itself very distinctive in terms of indigenous design and design according to its assimilated culture. Japanese design notably embodies the simple Japanese aesthetics as can be seen in its Zen gardens and architecture, but as the country started to go through its version of Westernisation, Japanese design still managed to turn western ideas into something that is Japanese.
The image to the left is an example of a street fashion in Japan also known as Harajuku. In responding to this culture many fashion houses in Japan cater to such outrageous fashion demands of the youth who want to portray their interpretations of Western fashion. Amidst the sea of uniforms, some women still wearing the kimono and men and women in their office attires, the Harajuku had given way to fashion that is probably non-existent elsewhere.
An example is an above version of what is known as the Gothic Lolita. Even the concept of gothic and the fictional character Lolita are very much Western. This contrasts significantly with the Japanese elegance of design and the straightforwardness of its culture. The integration of the Goth with Lolita can be regarded as a Japanese experiment, thus, resulting to a street fashion that has become popular in some districts of Tokyo.
Another example is how Japan has interpreted the automobile and designed it according to the most efficient means by using the Japanese design philosophy and manufacturing processes. It is no secret that the Just-in-Time production system is based on the kanban system which ensures efficiency. Design-wise, Japanese automobile design has been one of the most innovative practices in the world.
One of the recent Japanese car designs that received prestigious recognition is the Toyota iQ. This model is the answer to one of the most notable compact cars that came out in the market in the recent years, Daimlers SmartForTwo. This micro-compact car can actually fit three adults and one child with a measurement of 117 x 65. Design-wise the model is very functional and can be said to respond to the growing trend in terms of automobile requirements in the country fuel efficiency and the decreasing size of the countrys nuclear units. What makes this car Japanese, moreover, is the sleekness and curves of the product itself reflect the global design sensibilities of its market, and this expands outside Japan.
Such is also reflected in Japanese design in its electronics. Sony, one of the leading consumer electronics producer in the world, does not fail to impress the global market with its products. It can be noted that Japanese appliance design from years ago, particularly in the 1980s, gave way to a consumer society driven by popular culture. Hence, appliances and consumer electronics from that era were very colourful these products could be found in pink and blue, in addition to the growing demand for kawaii or cute product and design (Sparke Antonelli, 2009). Today, design sensibilities in Japan, as previously mentioned, has become global yet through its branding strategies, its designed has maintained the Japanese trademark.
Despite the emergence of the global orientation of Japanese design, a number of Japanese products have maintained what it uniquely Japanese. An example is the emergence of robot products from the country such as ASIMO, the humanoid robot by Honda, AIBO, the Japanese robotic dog, and the bipedal robot Omnibot17mu i-SOBOT by Takara Tomy.
The Japanese aesthetic can be regarded to have significantly evolved from the traditional Japanese aesthetics to contemporary design that has reached its global sensibilities. However, it is important to note that product design in Japan also had its historical leanings, especially as to how Japanese designers have perceived design itself. Because of this historical elements, it can be gathered that in Japan there is indeed a strong culture of design.
Discourse Analysis
One of the issues addressed by Julier is the culture of design process as determined by the following factors (2000, p. 4)
Conception and negotiation with clients as to the design
The organisation of the studio or the place in which the design is going to be manifested
The means and processes involved in its output and realisation
These three elements evidently demonstrate that design, especially the commercial ones, are not isolated. This pretty much explains why design is both an artistic and commercial venture as Julier pointed out, design is highly entrepreneurial.
Such concept is actually present in Japan which is part of their design culture. Japanese artists from as early as the 19th century were already aware of the distinction between their art and the sangyo bijutsu or sangyo hogei which pertains to industrial and product designs. These sensibilities were evidently present among Japanese artists Weisenfeld explained (2000, p. 78)
Japanese design historians have identified a gradual conceptual shift around the turn of the century from the long-standing arsenal notion of design (isho) to one which implied more personal intentionality and professional standing on the part of the designer, expressed in the in the increasingly common terms zuan (design), derzain (design) and shogyo bijutsu.
In this regard, the context in which Japanese design had been subject to can be attributed to the rise of the consumer culture and the pressures that rose after the Second World War. Japanese design had taken the industrial form when the country needed to survive the destruction of the war, hence, opening itself up to the Western world. In this case, contemporary Japanese design sensibilities have integrated the Western style with Japanese design principles. What is interesting is that as Japan was catapulted to the growing realities of globalisation, and the countrys potential role in becoming of the most competitive countries in the world, Japans design aesthetics have mostly adopted to the demand without necessarily compromising a Japanese touch.
This thereby reflects the culture of design in Japan as Julier pointed out, the cultural aspect is all about the context. Interestingly, in Japan, the contexts have been dynamic this therefore shows that Japanese design, whether it is traditional or modern, have maintained its Japanese style. For instance, in the Japanese street fashion, this popular subculture conveys how this street fashion embraced and interpreted western fashion which would result to the formulation of a subculture. What is interesting is that the core of this specific fashion design culture is not originally Japanese, but the means in which it is interpreted have made the Harajuku rightfully a Japanese street fashion statement.
From this, it can be gathered that the culture of design context in Japan is an emphasis on form and function with the derivation of the concepts from West re-interpreted according to the local context both form and function, the manner of sangyo bijutsu, is driven by the strong influence of the consumer culture. There is also the case in which Japan has readily embraced the cultures that have been introduced in the society, and in true Japanese fashion and as can be seen in its design, such culture and design have been turned Japanese. Contemporary Japanese design, as can be seen in the range of examples, have indicated how Japan has designed according to a specific consumer era. From the pop culture-sque design of the 1980s where televisions and radios were pink and mint green, the emergence of the sleek and innovative designs in the past years reflect a sense of the post-corporate era. In this regard, Japanese design has indeed demonstrated a unique design culture that is indicative of its two polar ends the traditional Japanese design sensibilities that have driven modern Japanese design to be inspired to turn any design into Japanese, and the socio-cultural desire to keep up with the rest of the world as Japan has adopted and re-interpreted westernisation and globalisation.
Based on Juliers work, an important point raised in the culture of design is that it is driven by the material and immaterial aspects of daily life (2000, p. 7). The Japanese design culture has indeed demonstrated that these material and immaterial aspects are representative of the consumer culture in the country and the strong Japanese cultural and traditional sensibilities that are ingrained among the Japanese people. Japans consumer culture has been mostly driven by its economic success, and interestingly, Japans success can be attributed to its design culture.
The success of Japanese products can be therefore attributed to the intelligence of its design, and this intelligence can be attributed to the Japanese sensibilities of function and efficiency. It can be observed, therefore, that Japanese design has been directed to two consumers the global consumer who are fans of Japanese products, and the local consumers whose taste for design can be considered slightly different from the global consumer. This explains why even when Japanese appliances were successfully hitting the global market, the popularity of its pink television was contained in the country. The same is true with its Harajuku fashions which remain to be a strong market in the country and alienating to the rest of the world.
In this case, the culture of design in Japan has been determined by these consumption cultures and the countrys need to be globally relevant in terms of their designs. The advantage, however, is that whether Japan designs for its local or global consumers, Japanese designed maintains a strong sense of identity. Hence, an important aspect of the culture of design in Japan is the ability and art of the Japanese designers to be adaptable based on the design demand while at the same time it maintains a certain degree of style which strongly relates to its consumers.
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