Tagawa Kinya, a design engineer with extensive experience in design, technology, and business, currently serves as the principal of Takram, a firm involved in numerous innovation and branding projects.
In 2015, Tagawa was appointed a visiting professor at the Royal College of Art, and in 2018, he was honoured as an Honorary Fellow. Additionally, he is a member of several design-related committees of the Japanese Government. Notably, he played a pivotal role as a core member of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry and Japan Patent Office committee, contributing to the development of their 2018 Design Management Declaration.
His work is included in the permanent collection at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York.
Design means creating a state in which everything works.
Tagawa Kinya
As part of the Design Discoveries exhibition, Tagawa was invited to consider what to include in a collection of Japanese design treasures. He researched and presented the design process of Yanagi Sōri, one of Japan’s most revered product designers, at the Yanagi Sōri Design Memorial in Kanazawa Prefecture.
A gallery of 1 item.
Yanagi (1915–2011) rose to fame during the postwar period and has since been renowned for his diverse range of designs, spanning from everyday items to large public structures. He participated in the 1960 World Design Conference and also contributed designs for the 1964 Tokyo Olympics. Yanagi’s designs, characterised by a combination of functional beauty and practicality, continue to be admired globally to this day.
Tagawa’s research focused on examining the design process behind Yanagi’s cutlery collection.
Each piece of cutlery is made from single strands of metal or other materials. Even the slightest curve on these pieces can subtly influence the palate during use, underscoring the significance of touch as one of our most influential senses, even in the act of eating.
Yanagi’s creations are intimately linked to the human body, designed for comfort and ease of use. This paramount consideration of the end user is a principle that also resonates with Tagawa:
“My approach to digital design aligns closely with this philosophy. Design involves continuous crafting and testing until reaching a satisfactory outcome. The designer must engage with users, observing their reactions while interacting with an object and incorporating these insights into the design process,” explains Tagawa.
The production process for Yanagi’s cutlery typically begins with crafting paper models, followed by creating a three-dimensional model with polystyrene foam. Finally, wooden models are crafted to assess comfort and functionality.
Interacting with the spoon prototypes, Tagawa learned that Yanagi would manipulate paper and observe what happened to it when he touched it in different ways.
“Sharing the pre-finished phase creates an expanse for fresh interpretations and a link for future generations,” Tagawa remarks.
Learn more about Tagawa Kinya and the design process of Yanagi Sōri in our exhibition Design Discoveries: Towards a DESIGN MUSEUM JAPAN, on display at Japan House London from 15 May to 8 September 2024.