BDES1201: Design Culture and Theory — Final Essay Presentation
Intro/Thesis:
Kenji Ekuan was a creator of things. He genuinely believed in the existence of tangible things is critical and that great design leaves a mark on humanity that cannot be erased. As a result of his Japanese historical and cultural influences such as the overall visual design aspect of the bento box encompassing Japanese beauty and his iconic Kikkoman Soy Sauce design value both beauty and functionality to become a staple of restaurant condiments all around the world, the industrial designer has influenced in particular aspects of design culture and theory, where he focuses on the role of being a designer and the importance of aesthetics by valuing functionality and sustainability in designing for products. The following will further examine these main pillars through his works and philosophical concepts to acknowledge when designing.
- Brief Background of Kenji Ekuan (1929–2015)
- Importance of Role of a Designer: Aesthetics and Functionality
- Reference his “Bento Box” Philosophy concept to further examine the beauty and functional aspect of design.
- Throughout the passage, he reminds us repeatedly that you must allow your eyes to enjoy the beauty, the harmony, the seasons, the visual hierarchy, the space and frame of the food in the bento box. “The major asset of the bento box is its beauty.”
- Biologists also claim that visual sense occupies 80% of one’s sensibility. This is very important that people often desire to see something beautiful, especially Japanese. As Japanese tends to think more with their eyes than their heads, it is worth to design from the motivation of beauty.
- Connected to Dieter Rams claims, “every industrial product serves a specific purpose” same goes for Kenji’s philosophy of the Bento box on how it encompasses “Colors, aesthetic, sense of touch, harmony and taste.” Basically, the overall user experience explains how the Japanese lunchbox becomes functional.
- how using a chopstick to pick which food group in the bento box is like how we navigate and scroll down in our phones
- Then Reference: Kikkoman Soy Sauce to further examine the aesthetic aspect of design but also the process.
- First, I analyzed the look and feel. So like the form represents the beauty of the function. Traditionally soy sauce was always kept in the ceramic bottles which were opaque. Kikkoman’s soy sauce departed that and introduced glass bottle. So users can see the content of the soy sauce.
- Then I later explore how the consistency in the interactive behaviour comes from the usages of the actual product which ensures the endurance of the soy sauce.
- Connect to Eva Ziesel’s belief about beauty and how the intimate connection is important towards products. (Week 4 Readings).
2. Sustainability
- Kenji emphases the importance to understand and take notes on the environmental stewardship and the principles of sustainability to design because it will provide us with good visual qualities of existing materials and develop a new innovative product that will redefine our aesthetic expectation. (Basically within the aesthetics).
- He quotes, “What design can and must do is the proposal of new life image and lifestyle that is compatible with the environment in daily life, home life, global life, and life in the workplace.”
- Refer back to Kikkoman Soy Sauce, he went through over a hundred prototypes to perfect the teardrop shape design, where it has become a staple of sushi and other restaurant condiments all around the world.
- In addition, glass bottles are designed to be reusable, recyclable and superior in keeping the contents as they are chemically stable and able to shut off the external air completely. However, only disadvantages is it being breakable.
- According to Kenji, every designed object or environment is a manifestation of the spirit — a spirit that connects a particular design to the culture, ecology, and the environment that the design belongs to. He particular mentions, design zen looks for that connection, between the one and the many, between the particular and the system.
- Reference Victor Margolin (Week 10 Readings): He really stresses about how industrial designers have to rethink their practice to better our economically and globally and I agree with the author because, with high demands of resources, this will cause an environmental degradation with the lack of attention.
Conclusion:
As the role of being a designer, acknowledge the importance of aesthetics by valuing functionality and sustainability in designing for products. In the age of technological advances, we can go back to centuries-old cultural concepts and philosophies to find our footing. Shamans, Sufis, and Zen masters that can teach us designers how to tackle the bigger challenges of sustainability, equality, and diversity. There is no “one size that fits all” however, as the role of a designer, we have to also acknowledge the balance between the two. Whether it is beauty follows forms or functionality follows beauty. When Ekuan design hundreds of prototypes of the Kikkoman sauce, he quotes, “After fulfilling the functionality, which is a necessity, what more one could hope for in the design than to discover pleasure in the realm of beauty.
Discussion:
- Do you think good design requires functionalism or beauty in product design? Why?
