Born in 1958, Kenya Hara is a graphic designer; a professor at Musashino Art University; and, since 2002, the art director of MUJI. He is most interested in designing “circumstances” or “conditions” rather than “things.”
Hara has traveled the world widely in an attempt to investigate the meaning of “design.” These efforts have been crystallized in international touring exhibitions “RE-DESIGN,” “HAPTIC” and “SENSEWARE”, each title representing a keyword that embraces the ever-changing value of existence. In designing the opening and closing ceremonies of the Nagano Winter Olympics, as well as in the promotion of the Aichi EXPO, he incorporated traditional Japanese cultural features. Widely admired, Hara has designed commercial products for many companies, including AGF, JT, KENZO, and was involved in the renewal project of the Ginza branch of Matsuya Department Store, as well as signage for Mori Building VI and Umeda Hospital.
He has received numerous design awards, including the Japanese Cultural Design Award. His book, Design of Design (Iwanami Shoten, 2003) received the Suntory Arts and Science Award, whilst its revised and expanded English edition, DESIGNING DESIGN (Lars Müller Publishers, Switzerland, 2007), has reached readers all over the world.
Nippon Design Center(NDC) was established in 1959 by companies and creators who shared its objectives of enhancing the quality of design in Japan, and, through design, playing a role in Japan's industrial development. Since then, NDC has been an active corporate communication partner of businesses in sectors ranging from fashion to urban planning and from heavy industry to education. It has assisted in the design aspects of three Olympic Games (Tokyo, Sapporo, Nagano), and of nationally-sponsored events such as Expo '75 in Okinawa. Over the years, a substantial amount of business has come from government agencies. Recent work increasingly has taken on an international context. The originality and creativity of design based on a Japanese sense of beauty – characterized by elaboration, delicacy, care, and simplicity – is becoming established through use in the arena of global culture. In addition to signage design, NDC covers a wide range of design areas, including advertising, corporate identity, visual identity, package design, and web design. .
