Anyone who appreciates simple design will most likely have seen or used one of Naoto Fukasawa's products. A legendary Japanese industrial designer, Fukasawa's minimalist touch has been seen on top Italian, French, German, Swiss, Scandinavian and Korean brands. Most famous of all his works would be his designs for Japanese no-brand brand Muji (it's full name, Mujirushi Ryohin, translates to "Brandless Quality Goods").
Two weeks ago, Fukasawa dropped by Bangkok on the occasion of opening Muji's first flagship store in Thailand at CentralWorld's Zen in addition to launching Central Embassy's "What Is Muji?" exhibition (ending on Oct 1) which delves into Muji's design philosophy and displays 14 of his most iconic designs.
From his wall-mounted CD player (part of the permanent collection in MoMA New York) to his right-angled socks, Fukasawa's no-frills designs are so refreshingly simple and practical due to his highly observant design process. His philosophy, to design products based on our subconscious behaviours, makes his products feel just right and just enough.
Speaking to a group of press before the opening, Fukasawa discussed, among other things, his philosophy of design and what Muji has planned for Thailand in the future. With the translator sometimes simplifying questions the press asked, in addition to translating Japanese into Thai, then (in our case) Thai into English, much of Fukasawa's answers seemed at times to be lost in translation. Nevertheless, his designs speak for themselves.
"The concept of Muji is mainly simplicity, reasonable prices and environmental friendliness," said Fukasawa through the translator. "All of it is the charm of Muji."
Acting as an adviser for the no-brand brand, Fukasawa applies his own philosophy of no-thought when he designs new products. He objectively observes human beings' natural and instinctive body movements and interactions with items like household appliances or furniture, then takes cues from those interactions to design his works. For example, if there's no umbrella stand available, people usually try to get an umbrella to stand upright by using grooves on the tile floor. So Fukasawa simply created a circular stand with grooves in it to plug umbrellas into.
"For the most part I use my instincts to design," he said. "When people use or buy products, they usually use their senses to judge. There's not much analysis needed. For example, the people in this room," he said, looking at the room full of press. "The place everyone chose to sit and the way they're sitting is all instinct. 'I like this place and it's suitable for me'. I myself use this method -- using my senses to design."
For Fukasawa, creating design and art is to make people feel good. Thus, he designs what he calls "products that are already in your mind" -- something familiar but that has never actually been made, by "noticing the unnoticeable".
"There are some things within each of us that are the same," he explains. "I try to find the core thing that is the same within me and other people when I create something. Everyone has that one thing in themselves, but we don't feel it, but we're able to feel it through design. So whenever a customer sees my work, they think, 'Oh, great! I've always wanted something like this!', even though they've never seen that product before. And this thing is called an archetype. Muji tries to find this archetype to touch everyone's heart."
With his penchant for noticing human behaviour, one thing that Fukasawa picked up from his recent travels to Thailand is the warm and gentle service, citing it as one of his inspirations.
"Every time I come here I feel at ease, because Thai people are so kind and gentle to me, and this is what Muji should learn from in creating future products ... We do have plans to create items specifically for Thai customers, but it's for the future. There are a lot of interesting things, but I'm still in the process of looking for them."
There are also some surprises that he couldn't help but mention.
"When I walk around the streets in Thailand, the electric poles have so many wires in disarray, bunched up into a ball," he said with a hearty laugh. "I would like to ask everyone, 'Why is that?'. I'm just wondering why there are so many wires. There are so many ways to solve it."
Nevertheless, Fukusawa will continue to create products for everyone around the world. Comparing Muji to the iPhone OS system, the brand doesn't target only specific customers or nationalities.
"Muji isn't a brand for the designers or the staff. It's a brand for everyone. The fact that Muji has opened in Thailand for the past 10 years -- I want to make Thais feel that the brand is their brand as well."
Muji Flagship Store 4th floor, Zen CentralWorld "What is Muji?" Exhibition Now until Oct 1 With limited-edition items M Floor, Central Embassy.
Muji wall-mounted CD player. Central Embassy
Muji right-angled socks.
Muji acrylic water cylinder.
Muji refill pens.
