“The future of Crafted Design”
art director
Shun Kawakami x Space Designer talks about design philosophy

A dialogue series [nomlog MEETS→] NOMURA GROUP employees meet with experts who are active in various fields and explore the possibilities of future "spaces" and "experiences."

The theme this time is "What is Crafted Design, which will carry the future?" A spatial designer from NOMURA GROUP who specializes in luxury residences and commercial spaces spoke with Shun Kawakami, representative of artless, who handles everything from comprehensive branding to art direction. We will discuss important perspectives for future design from each area.

nomlog MEETS→
Shun Kawakami (artless Inc. Representative/Artist | Center of photo)
Born in Tokyo in 1977. Studied design and art by himself and established artless in 2001. Centered on a fusion of global and local perspectives, we provide comprehensive branding and art direction, from vision and identity construction to design, architecture, and landscapes. Received numerous international awards including NY ADC, ONE SHOW, D&AD, RED DOT, IF Design Award, DFA: Design for Asia Awards. His activities are wide-ranging, including presenting works as a graphic artist.
http://www.artless.co.jp/

<Interlocutor>
NOMURA Co., Ltd. Yoshimura Mineto (photo left)
Creative Headquarters 1st Design Center Design Department 5th Room Chief
Joined the company in 2007, assigned to AND from 2010 to 2019, and belonged to the design department from 2020.
He designs a wide variety of residences, from general commercial businesses such as food and beverages and merchandise sales to private residences for wealthy individuals. He is involved in a wide range of lifestyle-related designs, from casual to high-quality and luxurious expressions.

NOMURA Co., Ltd. Naoto Ogawa (photo right)
Creative Headquarters 1st Design Center Design Department 5
Joined the company in 2019 and worked at Yoshimura Room, focusing on residences for wealthy people, wedding facilities, membership salons, and office projects. He is also actively engaged in sustainable activities, including "SCRAPTURE."

*Photo: Tomo Kawakami
*Facilitator/content planning/text: Satoko Yokota (nomlog Editorial Department)
*Content support: Mizuki Ogura (Business Production Division)

 

Yokota
This time, in the "nomlog MEETS→" series of articles, I wanted to create a conversation article with a design theme. The combination that came to mind was Shun Kawakami and NOMURA Co., Ltd. 's designers, Yoshimura and Ogawa. I think we can talk! I have this intuition. Actually, I had worked as a project manager for artless in my previous job, so I contacted Mr. Shun about wanting to have this conversation. I'm pleased to meet you, today.

Mr. Kawakami
I have been working with NOMURA Co., Ltd. in various places, but this is my first time working with Mr. Yoshimura. Recently, I've been in charge of the signage plan for Escon Field in Hokkaido, where NOMURA Co., Ltd. is also working, and we have many opportunities to work together on other ongoing projects.

Yoshimura
Mr. Kawakami, thank you for today. I've been looking forward to speaking with you. I thought "Parklet" on the first floor was a nice cafe and had been there before. I never expected Mr. Kawakami to be on top of it (lol)

Yokota
Your office was previously in Nakameguro, but what led you to move to Nihonbashi?

Mr. Kawakami
Generally speaking, I want to change my office space every two to three years. I thought this area and the renovated buildings were interesting.

Yoshimura
I heard that you currently live in Tokyo and Karuizawa, but what kind of ratio do you live in?

Mr. Kawakami
I spend three days a week in Tokyo and four days, including weekends, in Karuizawa.

Yokota
Have you experienced any physical or mental changes as a result of living in two locations?

Mr. Kawakami
A lot has changed. I was born and raised in Tokyo, and I never spent any time in the woods. I had always thought that I had been conscious of the idea of ``integrating city and nature,'' but experiencing life in the real nature of Karuizawa made me realize it even more.

Recently, work on place branding in local areas has been increasing. Even in rural areas, I have been involved in projects that position the company from a slightly more urban perspective.For example, the other day, I assisted in the branding of the winery "7c｜seven cedars winery" in Fujikawaguchiko-cho, Yamanashi Prefecture. I did. I deeply sympathize with the desire to cherish the history and climate of the land, to protect grape growers, the region, and farmland, and to pass on that value to future generations. I also feel alive. I also have a lot of work at high-end resort hotels and overseas locations such as Hawaii, London, and Prague now that the coronavirus has calmed down.

Our company has been based on creating a graphic design system from brand logos and developing it into communication such as the web, but from around 2018 we started to focus on sign design as well. Our stance is to make all designs as consistent as possible. Recently, we have been suggesting to clients architects and interior designers that we would like to work with, and we feel that we are now able to do work that suits us.

Also, we value global communication and don't just focus on Japanese people. I started my own business in 2001 at the age of 23, and ever since then I've always had the feeling that I only want to create designs that can be accepted overseas, and that hasn't really changed.

Relationship connected through recent work “R100 tokyo”

Yoshimura
Actually...it was a coincidence, but Mr. Kawakami was in charge of the interior design of the new series of rebranded R100 Tokyo, and the car was handed over yesterday. When I told everyone at Revita about today's interview, they were surprised and said, "Wow!"

Mr. Kawakami
Wow, such a connection!
``R100 Tokyo'' was a project that took a long time to develop its concept. After about half a year of discussions, we worked on the concept, created the logo, and developed the VI, and now things have finally settled down. I think this is a project that will continue to grow. Personally, however, I hope that it will be truly global in the sense of the word, and that it will resonate with native foreigners who don't speak Japanese.

Yoshimura
I have a somewhat unique position within NOMURA Co., Ltd....I have had many opportunities to work on private residences for wealthy people, and my work style is split between residential and commercial spaces. doing.

Mr. Kawakami
Admittedly, I had never heard of someone working at NOMURA Co., Ltd. designing residences.

Yoshimura
I've had many thoughts from my experience in managing about 10 residences, so in this edition of "R100 Tokyo," I would like to frankly share my opinions on the "richness of life" that Rivita advocates. I did.

This is because after completing the interior design, we often receive inquiries from customers about how to display the interior, and we are faced with the fact that we are not able to fully utilize the "white space" created by the designer. We aimed to create a small gimmick that would make it easier for customers to think, ``I want this color.'' While there is the richness of a ``relaxing home,'' we have also gradually incorporated the idea of a ``home that makes you feel upbeat.''

For example, we created stainless steel pillars that change their appearance depending on the light coming from the window. This was made by going to a hardware factory in Hiroshima and making many prototypes. I placed it in the center of the room so that it could be attached with a magnet and would be the center of family communication. The pillars also have the function of PS (pipe space).

stream
It has the image of being the breadwinner.

Yoshimura
Also, there are a lot of cute cosmetic bottles these days. I usually hide it in storage, but I think you might actually want to show it. From this point of view, if the bathroom display shelf itself is a beautiful color, it will make you want to display it here, so I tried to add a lot of little things to it. Twice I was asked about glasses to place on the sink, so I created a design that looks like a curved tray placed under the sink so that any glass can become a picture just by placing it gently. .

Try changing the material of the decorative shelves in the dining room or bedroom, with the front side made of leather and the back side made of wood, so that the shelves can be turned over. Does that change what you want to decorate? It's just a small thing. In order to make the kitchen tabletop look light but painless, we created a double design on the edges to express a sense of tension and softness.

Mr. Kawakami
It's amazing how they can solve problems with ideas and details without spending a lot of money.
The most difficult thing is to improve quality at low cost.

Yoshimura
When reselling a rebranded residence like this one, it is important to consider ``what should it look like?'' and the value of the home is something that will last forever and can be preserved. I was conscious of creating it with some room for editing. At that time, by reading the brand book created by Mr. Kawakami, it became a reassuring source for us as we reconsidered how we should define the richness of our lives. I wonder if I was able to do it. I particularly enjoyed Mr. Kawakami's study sketch of the logo. I really like this page.

Mr. Kawakami
Actually, on that page, I felt like the more I wrote down the concept, the cheaper it would become, so I sketched out my thoughts on the logo. Actually, there was an opinion that ``I wonder if that page is a two-page spread?'' (lol), but I was sure that it would reach the designers who saw it, and I'm glad that it reached Mr. Yoshimura.

Yoshimura
I felt that there was an important essence here.

*Click here for details on the “R100 tokyo” design that Yoshimura was in charge of.
Dear Homes Mita's new concept room designed by Minehito Yoshimura

What does “Crafted” mean in design?

Yoshimura
How do you read “Crafted” in the brand book? I've thought about it many times. In general, I feel that developer's residences for wealthy people often lack a play of colors, but this time we have adopted wine red coloring. Personally, I think that the play of colors is important, and for example, I think that a single colorful board can enhance your mood, but I think it would be better to use a little less color in luxury. There have been times when I have been hurt. The space has been completed and it's wonderful to see this brand express a truly new worldview. Although we received good reviews, we were faced with the dilemma of having to change from the idea that ``using color = becoming more casual.''

Mr. Kawakami
The keyword for this series is "luxury". Therefore, it must have been difficult to use colors.

Yoshimura
We repeat small design operations like this, but we created a mold for a glass sliding door handle in Yoshimura's original size for a customer who takes careful care of their nails. I only added 3mm to the depth and width, but that alone made a big difference in how easy it was to open. I think this is also a “Crafted” design.

Mr. Kawakami
I also have an artless envelope mold! (Laughs) It's hard to convey that just paying attention to one detail can make a difference.

stream
In addition, at Anniversaire Omotesando, which recently opened, we applied gradation paint to the stainless steel walls of the wedding hall, and we made samples about 50 times. When thinking about the details that are unique to a wedding venue, we thought about ways to increase the reflectivity in areas where we would be reflected in the venue to make it look more glamorous, and to reduce the reflectance in areas where the photographer would be reflected, to dull the luster. . There may be no end to his attention to detail.

Mr. Kawakami
It's rare to find people at NOMURA Co., Ltd. who design from this perspective. Mr. Yoshimura, are you a material geek? (Laughs) I feel something similar to the feelings of people who work in the fashion industry. He seems to be having fun, but Ogawa-san, who is accompanying him, seems to be having a hard time...

Yoshimura
I'm currently running a team of about eight people, and I feel like I'm asking young people to help me with various experiments. Of course I'm having fun (lol)

Mr. Kawakami
If you don't instill in your children such details when they are young, they will become more and more vague, so it is very important.

Comfort created by “scheduled disharmony”

Yoshimura
I love the uneven feel of tatami mats, and when I was designing my house, I created an original flooring that had a cross-grain pattern similar to the width of a tatami mat.When you walk barefoot on it, it really feels like tatami mats. I have been experimenting with various things to realize the importance of the texture of the material, which can be felt on the bare skin.

Mr. Kawakami
It's a story that is somewhat similar to my own. For example, a difference of less than 1 mm between lines. Architects use meters, interiors use centimeters or millimeters, products have sub-millimeter resolutions, and graphic designers use points. That's what's interesting about it, isn't it? The higher the resolution, the more important is the part that you can physically touch in the end.

Similar to what Mr. Yoshimura said about the sensation of the soles of their feet, I don't think there are many people who can physically feel the length and size of tatami mats (lol), but at tea parties, people sit along the edges. It's important to design with that kind of sensibility, and I feel that this is part of Mr. Yoshimura's individuality.

It seems that you are very particular about the materials, but do you narrow them down from the beginning? I think it's interesting that the way people choose materials differs from person to person.

Yoshimura
So, I started out with a relatively wide range of materials, and then I found this kind of material! I met a small factory that has this kind of technology! I found this way to dye wood, and I want to use it! There are many reasons like this.

stream
When you pull back, you may find that they look the same, but are actually using two colors, or that they look minimal at first glance, but when you get closer, they have a distinct texture.

Yoshimura
Certainly, I am conscious of what I just talked about in every project, and I want to create a sense of authenticity and to create a difference in texture and luster between the foreground and the distant view. I believe that this will make users want to see and experience it again.

stream
I think it would be more interesting to bring out the differences in texture, similar to what you experience in nature, like looking at a forest, looking at trees, looking at leaves, etc.

Yoshimura
Lately, I've been talking to Ogawa a lot about how we should handle ``Schedule Disharmony'' properly. We often have conversations like, ``When I receive this material, is the usual combination that crosses my mind really the correct answer?'' In other words, I think it means that I want to create a comfortable sense of discomfort.

Mr. Kawakami
I also custom-order printing paper for my own artwork from Hakuichi in Kanazawa, and I give instructions to make sure the ink doesn't get too clean, and that it doesn't get too faded. That is also a “scheduled incongruity”. It also means making something unique.

Especially from now on, things like this will become important. We aim to make each piece one-of-a-kind, as much as possible. I think that's what we mean by "Crafted" in design. Even if the method of making something is not a craft, things that are not ready-made items have value.

We are also very particular about the paper we choose, and sometimes we deliberately choose paper that soaks ink rather than one that will hold the photo beautifully. Some people ask for the same thing they saw on the monitor, and others ask, "Is this paper okay?", but I think you should be particular about the details.

I often work with fashion people, and Mr. Yoshimura's way of looking at fabrics and materials is very fashion-like. Fashion people always seem to have fun talking about fabrics, and I feel like we have that in common (lol)

Toward a new Crafted Design

Mr. Kawakami
Mr. Yoshimura and Mr. Ogawa, I would love to work with you in the future. We also receive requests for work related to interior design, so please feel free to contact us.

Yoshimura
If you have a chance, please contact us! thank you.