Kenya Hara

Kenya Hara (原 研哉, Hara Ken'ya, born 1958) is a Japanese graphic designer, curator and writer. He is a graduate of Musashino Art University.[1]

Kenya Hara

原 研哉 (Hara Ken'ya)
at Nippon Design Center, 2012
Born
 Japan, Okayama Prefecture
EducationMaster's Degree Program(Design Course) of Musashino Art University
Known forCommunication Design / Identification Design
Websitehttps://www.ndc.co.jp/hara/

Hara is one of the leading designers in Japan[2] and his books Designing Design and White are recognized as essential for anyone studying design theory and aesthetics.[3][4]

Hara has been the art director of Muji since 2001, and designed the opening and closing ceremony programs of the Nagano Winter Olympic Games 1998.

In 2008, Hara partnered with fashion label Kenzo for the launch of its men's fragrance Kenzo Power.[5] He also designed the official posters for EXPO 2005 Aichi, created the signage system for the Umeda Hospital and the visual identification for the Nagasaki Prefectural Art Museum, worked on new design for the Matsuya department store in Ginza, among many other design projects.[1]

Exhibitions

In 2000, he organized the exhibition Re-Design: The Daily Products of the 21st Century.[5]

This exhibition was first held at Takeo Paper Show in Tokyo, and then traveled to the U.K. (Glasgow), Denmark (Copenhagen), Hong Kong, Canada (Toronto), and China (Shanghai, Shenzhen, Beijing).[6]

According to Hara, re-design is "a means by which to correct and renew our feelings about the essence of design, hidden within the fascinating environment of an object that is so overly familiar to us that we can no longer see it".[7]

He invited 32 leading Japanese creators from various fields such as architecture, graphic design, lighting, fashion, photography, to design anew some very mundane commodities, and each participant was in charge of one subject to re-design.[8] Shigeru Ban re-designed toilet paper, Masahiko Sato – exit/entry stamps for passports at international airports, Kengo Kuma – roach trap, Kaoru Mende – matches, Kosuke Tsumura – diapers, Naoto Fukasawa – tea bags.[8]

In 2004, Hara planned and produced an exhibition HAPTIC–Awakening the Senses, which focused on human sensory perception in design. For this exhibition, he invited various creators such as fashion designer Kosuke Tsumura, graphic designer Shin Sobue, product designers Jasper Morrison and Naoto Fukasawa, architects Kengo Kuma and Toyo Ito "to design an object not based on form or color, but motivated primarily by "haptic" considerations".[9] The term haptic means “relating to or pleasant to the sense of touch." [10]

His other exhibitions include The Architects' Macaroni Exhibition (Tokyo), Tokyo Fiber -- Senseware held in Paris, Milan and Tokyo, Japan Car (Paris and London).[11][12]

Books

In Designing Design, Hara explains his theories and philosophical approach to design. Hara writes about the essence of design: "There are an unlimited number of ways of thinking and perceiving. In my understanding, to design is to intentionally apply to ordinary objects, phenomena and communication the essence of these innumerable ways of thinking and perceiving".[13] "Producing something new from scratch is creative, but making known unknown is also an act of creation. Maybe the latter is more useful in nailing down just what design is".[7]

He also authored another book, White, which explores white as a design concept. He points out that "white is a color from which color has escaped, but its diversity is boundless." [14] In this book, Kenya Hara elaborates on the importance of "emptiness" in both the visual and philosophical traditions of Japan, and its application to design. Hara writes: "In some cases, white denotes "emptiness." White as noncolor transforms into a symbol of nonbeing. Yet emptiness doesn't mean "nothingness" or "energy-less"; rather, in many cases, it indicates a condition, or kizen, which will likely be filled with content in the future. On the basis of this assumption, the application of white is able to create a forceful energy for communication." [15]

In 2018, the English edition of Nihon no dezain: Biishiki ga tsukuru mirai was released as Designing Japan: A Future Built on Aesthetics. In this work, Hara explains his vision of how his industry can support Japan in crafting a future founded on a unique philosophy of beauty as well as crowd-sourced wisdom from around the world. The book is a foundation for understanding the essence of Japanese aesthetics, while maintaining a practical approach to Japan's circumstances and future possibilities.

Awards

Kenya Hara is the recipient of numerous awards:

2003: Tokyo Art Director's Club Award, Grand Prize for Muji's advertisement campaign "Horizon."

2001: The Mainichi Design Award 2000

1999: The Prime Minister's Award: Japan Calendar Exhibition, EXPO 2005 Calendar

1998: Signage Design Award, Grand Prize, Japan for Umeda Hospital Signage System.[16]

References
  1. Hara, Kenya (2011). Designing Design. Baden: Lars Muller. p. 467. ISBN 978-3-03778-501-0.
  2. "The Japan Times. Kenya Hara: the future of design". Retrieved 9 March 2019.
  3. "Special lecture by Kenya Hara". Retrieved 7 March 2019.
  4. "DesignBoom. Kenya Hara: Designing Design". Retrieved 9 March 2019.
  5. Designing Design, springer.com; accessed 20 June 2015.
  6. Hara, Kenya (2011). Designing Design. Baden: Lars Muller. pp. 48–51. ISBN 978-3-03778-501-0.
  7. Hara, Kenya (2011). Designing Design. Baden: Lars Muller. p. 22. ISBN 978-3-03778-501-0.
  8. Hara, Kenya (2011). Designing Design. Baden: Lars Muller. pp. 25–47. ISBN 978-3-03778-501-0.
  9. Hara, Kenya (2011). Designing Design. Baden: Lars Muller. p. 69. ISBN 978-3-03778-501-0.
  10. "Exhibitions | TAKEO PAPER SHOW 2004 - HAPTIC". Retrieved 7 March 2019.
  11. "About: Hara Design Institute". Retrieved 7 March 2019.
  12. Hara, Kenya (2011). Designing Design. Baden: Lars Muller. p. 52. ISBN 978-3-03778-501-0.
  13. Hara, Kenya (2011). Designing Design. Baden: Lars Muller. p. 19. ISBN 978-3-03778-501-0.
  14. Hara, Kenya (2011). Designing Design. Baden: Lars Muller. p. 213. ISBN 978-3-03778-501-0.
  15. Hara, Kenya (2010). White. Zurich: Lars Muller. p. 36. ISBN 978-3037781838.
  16. Hara, Kenya (2011). Designing Design. Baden: Lars Muller. p. 465. ISBN 978-3-03778-105-0.
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