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Interview with Midori Yamazaki |
Home > Designer Interviews > Midori Yamazaki |
Editor Frank Scott (FS) from DesignPRWire has interviewed designer Midori Yamazaki (MY) for A’ Design Award and Competition. You can access the full profile of Midori Yamazaki by clicking here.
FS: Could you please tell us more about your art and design background? What made you become an artist/designer? Have you always wanted to be a designer?
MY: Creative Director / Artist / Researcher. Graduated From London Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design / MA Communication Design and worked at DLX Design Lab, the Institute of Industrial Science, The University of Tokyo. Specialized in art and design with multimedia. As for a career background, took the role of Creative Director at adidas, NIKE, former Facebook, Condé Nast, and representative of Out of Blue Inc. Won multiple awards including Design Space Associate Award, Art Directors Club Award, NY Art Directors Club Award, and Type Directors Club Award.
FS: Can you tell us more about your company / design studio?
MY: Out of Blue is a creative lab that maximizes the power of art and design with research to give you unexpected views. Out of Blue is active in major aesthetic fields, such as communication design Including digital, graphic, and space design, branding, and experimental one-off artwork. It distinguishes itself by a unique methodology drawn from a wide range of experiences.
FS: What is "design" for you?
MY: I am interested in Aesthetics in design. Since I have been designing for mass media, I would like to be able to create beauty as the greatest common denominator, in other words, beauty that everyone finds beautiful and that is universal. In order to do so, I became interested in what makes people feel beautiful. To be more specific, I am interested in the Golden Rule, fractals, fluid dynamics, etc., which formalize the laws of nature. For example, as a surfer, there is a physical reason for the shape of the waves that I am interested in, and it can be expressed in mathematical formulas. This is the main reason why I am studying programming. The ability to program = the ability to understand and apply. I believe that this opens up new possibilities. I feel that there are relatively many digital creators with engineering backgrounds, but I am interested in what can be done if designers, who have the methodology to create beautiful things in the first place, can interpret programs.
FS: What kinds of works do you like designing most?
MY: My work ranges from graphics to space and installation and is said to be innovative, but the source of this image is various things that I consider "aesthetically pleasing". I believe that human beings are very simple in theory, and I think it is important to express what I simply feel is "aesthetically pleasing", and to integrate that into communication.
FS: What was the first thing you designed for a company?
MY: In fact, the very beginning of my career was in fashion. My first memorable experience was creating the pattern for a Burberry coat from scratch, which had over 100 parts.
FS: What is your favorite material / platform / technology?
MY: What I am trying to do these days is to combine elements of design and science. I am challenging myself to use the latest technology to create designs that have never been seen before.
FS: When do you feel the most creative?
MY: I feel creative when inspiration strikes me suddenly.
FS: Which aspects of a design do you focus more during designing?
MY: Does it create new value? Is it universal? Is it unique? And does the audience feel the aesthetics?
FS: What kind of emotions do you feel when you design?
MY: Creating good design feels similar to meditating.
FS: What kind of emotions do you feel when your designs are realized?
MY: I feel embarrassed and happy at the same time.
FS: What makes a design successful?
MY: I believe that design with a creative process is the key to success.
FS: When judging a design as good or bad, which aspects do you consider first?
MY: When I judge a design, I focus on two things: whether it is memorable and whether it can make people feel good.
FS: From your point of view, what are the responsibilities of a designer for society and environment?
MY: I believe that the role of a designer to society is to be a visionary. I believe that by visualizing and sharing a positive vision for the future, we can make it a reality.
FS: When was your last exhibition and where was it? And when do you want to hold your next exhibition?
MY: I had a digital exhibition and presentation at SIGGRAPH 2024, the world's largest academic conference on computer graphics and interactive technologies lately.
FS: Where does the design inspiration for your works come from? How do you feed your creativity? What are your sources of inspirations?
MY: I am interested in Aesthetics in design. To be more specific, I am interested in the Golden Rule, fractals, fluid dynamics, etc., which formalize the laws of nature. This is the main reason why I am studying programming.
FS: How would you describe your design style? What made you explore more this style and what are the main characteristics of your style? What's your approach to design?
MY: I want to be able to create universal beauty that anyone can find beautiful, and for that reason, I started to become interested in what makes people aesthetically pleasing.
FS: Where do you live? Do you feel the cultural heritage of your country affects your designs? What are the pros and cons during designing as a result of living in your country?
MY: I live in Tokyo, Japan. Japan has four seasons, and I think Japanese people are very sensitive to the beauty of nature, and I feel that my design is influenced by that.
FS: How do you work with companies?
MY: I choose the appropriate way depending on the job, but I try to maintain good relationships.
FS: Can you talk a little about your design process?
MY: I try to allow the imagination to flow freely and allow for a more creative process.
FS: What are 5 of your favorite design items at home?
MY: A pencil that I sharpened to your desired shape. A scrapbook of myfavorite designs. Design-related books that I have bought in various countries. A desk and chair that I designed and customized myself. A perfume that changes my mood.
FS: Could you please share some pearls of wisdom for young designers? What are your suggestions to young, up and coming designers?
MY: Being able to judge the quality of the designs you have created, in other words, learning standards for judging design, is an effective way to improve your design skills.
FS: From your perspective, what would you say are some positives and negatives of being a designer?
MY: Being a designer has really broadened my world. There aren't many negative aspects to it. If I had to say one thing negative, it would be that it keeps me busy.
FS: What is your "golden rule" in design?
MY: Logically Attention to the aesthetics.
FS: What skills are most important for a designer?
MY: I think the most important thing is to become skilled in the coordination of imagination and action. I believe that good design can be achieved when the brain and hands are smoothly connected.
FS: Which tools do you use during design? What is inside your toolbox? Such as software, application, hardware, books, sources of inspiration etc.?
MY: I collect things that catch my eye every day, so I don't have anything in particular in mind.
FS: Designing can sometimes be a really time consuming task, how do you manage your time?
MY: I accept that design can be a very time-consuming task at times, and I don't try to control it too much because it becomes stressful.
FS: How long does it take to design an object from beginning to end?
MY: It really depends on the work situation. I've created an award-winning design in three hours, and I've also had projects where I spent 10 years creating the production environment.
FS: What type of design work do you enjoy the most and why?
MY: I enjoy doing design work that I have never experienced before. This is because there is so much potential to create new designs.
FS: What are your future plans? What is next for you?
MY: I am currently creating an art installation using the laws of nature, which I am currently researching, and I would like to actually exhibit it.
FS: Do you work as a team, or do you develop your designs yourself?
MY: Sometimes I work in a team and other times I develop designs myself. Each has its advantages.
FS: How can people contact you?
MY: If you have any inquiries to me, please send me an email (ymidorimidori@gmail.com).
FS: Thank you for providing us with this opportunity to interview you.
A’ Design Award and Competitions grants rights to press members and bloggers to use parts of this interview. This interview is provided as it is; DesignPRWire and A' Design Award and Competitions cannot be held responsible for the answers given by participating designers.
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