Many designers have played a crucial role in shaping Japanese design history. The “Platform for Architectural Thinking (PLAT)” has taken on the mission of documenting and preserving their thoughts and works through the “Japan Design Archive Survey.” This initiative is centered on conducting interviews with leading designers from pre-war to the present day, aiming to establish and promote a design archive. In this interview, we spoke with Yasuko Seki, a director at PLAT and the organizer of the “Japan Design Archive Survey” project, about PLAT’s founding, its ongoing activities, and the significance and future potential of design archives.

dnThe Japan Design Organizations As One (DOO) is a collaborative body composed of seven major design groups that have played a crucial role in the development of Japan’s design culture. These organizations, specializing in areas ranging from spatial design to jewelry design, work together to connect design with society through various activities. In recent years, they have been particularly focused on researching and analyzing the relationship between post-war Japanese society and design, sharing their findings through exhibitions and other means. In this interview, we spoke with Tsuneo Ko from DOO, and Takemi Kuresawa, a design historian and supervisor for the organization, about DOO’s initiatives and the significance and potential of a design museum in Japan.

Design-related technologies, such as 3D scanning, have been rapidly penetrating the market in recent years. As the use of these technologies changes, related laws and systems are being reexamined on a daily basis. At the same time, however, not many people seem to have an accurate grasp of the content of these laws and systems. For the past 10 years or so, attorney Yu Mizuno has been at the forefront of open source licensing and its application to design and manufacturing. In this interview, we asked him about the legal position of “design resources” in the “DESIGN design” project and the current status of design rights protection.

Connecting the efforts of great designers to new creations. In this age of content and communication using 3D data, how will 3D scanned archives of past designs be constructed and passed on? And what kind of culture and economy will be formed with the archive as a hub? We interviewed Mr. Hiroyasu Kimura, who is involved in various open data websites including “DESIGN デザイン design JAPAN Design Resource Database (hereinafter referred to as DESIGN デザイン design).”

A project aimed at fostering economic development, national pride, and creative confidences with Japan’s design archives as a starting point has been launched in 2024. The project aims to develop Japan’s design archives as a starting point for economic development and the fostering of national pride and creative confidence. With this in mind, how have the activities to connect design resources that exist in various parts of Japan been carried out? Seiichi Saito, who has extensive experience in pioneering design work and collaboration with government agencies as the leader of Panoramatics, and Kyoko Kuramori, who also produces design-themed programs and serves as the president of Design-DESIGN MUSEUM, a general incorporated association, reviewed the discussions to date.