Interview with Masaru Eguchi

I thought if I understood design, I could improve the performance of the designers who were around me. Then I started designing. I had fun and I was good at it. Now I’m even better at it.

It's about observing, thinking, doing, and improving. I want to make something that I haven't seen yet. And don't cling to past success patterns. If you want to create something new, you have to do something new.

It's fun at first, but it's a long period of hard, painful trials because the constraints increase as the design progresses. I'm happy when it's finished, but that happiness doesn't last. Mass production produces a range of good and bad products, so it's not the best. So, the happy part is the first and the moment I get my reward.

Believe in myself, even if all the people in the world don't believe in my abilities. Especially when you live in Japan, individuality is suppressed. People who do design and art are considered to be dim-witted or high-handed. In order to continue being a creator in such a country, you need to have the ability to believe in yourself.

I want to design for people overseas. I'm tired of being in Japan now. Being a designer or creator in Japan is a lot of hard work. I'd love to go to a country that believes in the power of design. I want to feel that my work is contributing to people's happiness.

If you want to be successful, you'd better read the classics, study history, and observe nature. I've talked to a lot of people, but the future is anybody's guess. That is, no one knows what their own future career will be. So, experiencing what has remained for hundreds or thousands of years is a sure step to success.

You don't want to take the easy way out. Always looking for the best will lead to success. The reason there are so many similar designs around the world is because designers around the world are choosing to do things the cheap way. That may be more true of countries with lower labor productivity. It's just that Japanese design sucks these days. We don't have the time or money to design. So there is no motivation to create new designs. If you want to create a new design without losing motivation, you have to look to history and find your people in historical figures. So, I'd recommend the classics. If you want to try a new design, read the classics.

My day is so mundane that people might be surprised. You may be surprised to learn that I don't do much work. Wake up in the morning, have breakfast, study English, work, eat lunch, go for a walk, take a nap, work, go for a walk, eat dinner, take a bath, go to bed. For the most part, I live by a set routine. Now I've noticed something. Maybe it's the lack of harshness that allows me to try difficult designs. Making peace with your routine is the best advice for staying creative.

You can chase design trends, but don't let them dominate you. If someone can do the job, someone else can do it. But it's dangerous to not know the trends. If you don't know the trends, you won't be able to predict what kind of people will be happy with the products and services you're going to design, or who will buy them. No, you're not designing something that will be purchased by people a thousand years from now, are you? There's another dangerous reason not to know the trends. That is the danger of designing something that is already in the world. If you want to do a new design, you have to know the old one. Because trends are old the moment they become a trend. I don't want to make something like that.

Every design must solve a problem. For example, a chair should have the ability to sit. However, there is one more important thing. It's a beauty to look at. Surrounded by beautifully designed things, one's mind becomes peaceful and enriched. If you lived in a wasteland or a ruin, your heart would be in a bad. Also, if you were living in a harsh environment, you would be a harsh person. Society is made up of design. So, when you live in a society that is poorly designed, its people get rough heart. Design is a way of developing human beings intellectually and enriching their minds. That's why good design is both functional and beautiful.

It's up to the deadline. By the deadline, the design had to be functional and figurative. And sold. Then, as the design can be improved, it will be improved. In that sense, there is no end to the design. The design goes on as society goes on. It never ends.

This question is a tough one. I like every piece of design work, and I can say that it can be improved. The Yonex badminton racket, the branding design for the Satoyama Marugoto Hotel, The Japanese Forest, and all the other pieces are still in the process of being improved. That's partly because of my own growth and partly because of the changes in society.

Artists of the Renaissance. Especially Leonardo da Vinci. I like it a lot. The reason for this is that I can't imagine him. Maybe he was really there, maybe he was alone, maybe it was the name of the organization. I like people who are able to influence people even after they're dead.
There were a lot of good artists and designers in Japan. Yusaku Kamekura, Makoto Wada, Jakuchu Ito, Korin Ogata, etc. Also, I was influenced by Helmut Schmid, Emil Ruder and William Morris. If you're a living person, I like Hedi Slimane.

I was born and grew up in Japan and I still live in Japan. I'm very influenced by Japanese culture. It's all about bringing in natural elements. Japanese people have a very sensitive image, don't they? But it's pretty decent. I've learned the art of tea ceremony and I've learned it. It' s too important to cherish the form, and the meaning of the form is not fixed. So people have their own interpretations of it. This is a country where it's allowed.

Having a work ethic. What I design has to be a benefit to the client and to the user. This is very important, because if left alone, humans will only work for their own benefit. If a client is only talking about his or her own benefit, I'm scolding him or her. Also, when deciding on a design, there is no majority vote. There are times when I take advice, but it's up to me to decide whether or not to adopt that advice. And I also decide on the design. Without this, I know from experience that client-driven work will turn out to be a terrible design. So, what I design is my own decision.

We have a mission to pass on our history, to improve it, and to pass it on to the next generation. I see this as our mission as a human being. That's why I've been so generous with my knowledge and skills, and I'm trying to develop a younger generation of designers. In addition, I try to talk about the idea of design when I have conversations with people who are not designers. Because the idea of design is useful to society.

Participating in a design award is a good thing. First, it allows me to test my abilities. It's important that what you design impresses people and makes a profit, but if you get the hang of it, anyone can do it. But in order to find out where you stand among designers and creators around the world, you need to put your work in a place where the world's designs are gathered. The second good thing is that I get to experience a world that I don't know about. We have better insight into the future than others, but the vision of the future that we see is different from the vision that other designers see. To figure out and learn about this difference, it's better to participate in a design award. Finally, there are other people around the world who are just like me. All creators, including designers, are lonely. They are often perceived by the public as high-handed and stubborn. But when you look at designs from all over the world, you realize that there are others who are struggling as lonely as you are.This is a great encouragement.

I thought if I understood design, I could improve the performance of the designers who were around me.

I can't say either way. If I had met some very talented designers, I wouldn't have become a designer. It's that kind of environment that compelled me to become a designer.

I design social design, product design, branding design, graphic design, websites, applications, all sorts of things. These days, I'm also training designers.

Trying new things while learning from history.

A good designer should be able to solve the problem and bring benefits to the client.
In addition to this, a great designer has to create new values and change the conventions of the past.

Be beautiful for hundreds of years. So, it takes time for the design to have real value.

That's the difference between an ape and a human. If you want to be a monkey, you don't have to invest in design.

In April 2020, we are facing a crisis like we have never experienced before. Everyone has to stay home. You have to be happy to stay at home. So, I've started distributing content for that on Youtube.

That's a difficult question to answer. I want to design something that moves me in a way that humans haven't experienced yet, but I don't know what it is. It's working for the time being, though.

Move! Trying new things. Don't stick to the must-win patterns of the past.

There are just too many to answer. Renaissance artists, William Morris, Arts and Crafts, Bauhaus, Helmut Schmidt, Emil Ruder, I'm influenced by a lot of people. In Japan, I am also influenced by Korin Ogata, Hokusai Katsushika, Yusaku Kamekura and Kenya Hara. Sorry, I can't even begin to describe it.

My latest favorite is the Swedish brand Jonas. The kitchen tools are amazingly good.

Nature. I can't think of anything so functional and beautifully shaped in a man-made object that wasn't designed for it.

I have studied history, observed nature and people, thought about it, executed and improved. It's especially important to learn the classics.

Psychologist.

It's planning and execution. What is not designed does not exist in this society. However, all things are divided into "good design" and "bad design". A good design is one in which planning and execution are working effectively, and a bad design is one in which they are not working effectively. A good designer is good at planning and execution.

The greats of the past and ancient writings.

My talent, my hard work, my luck, and my clients.

Kidney Disease. Because if I had died, I wouldn't have become a designer.

It's all about winning awards, using social media, and advertising.

It's a secret. It's something to be excited about.

There is always something new to discover.

To sell the client's products through design.

It gives wisdom and inspiration.

Youtube and VLOG.

There is none. Because as time goes on, I'm discovering the bad points.

Raise the budget. And just because an app is convenient, there's too much for designers to do, too many bad designers.

To be able to deliver value even when it's far away. This is especially necessary in the tourism industry, where designs need to be created that allow tourists to experience tourism without having to go there. The destruction of nature in the tourism industry is horrible.

It is up to the deadline.

Site visits and observations.

Take history, improve it, and pass it on to the next generation. It is because of the greats of the past that we are able to design today, and as a member of history, we have to leave good design for the next generation.

Design sets the trend. A trend is a trend of the people. If something designed first (a product, an idea, a politics, a culture, etc.) doesn't influence people, then a trend won't be born.

It's about making production easy and making new discoveries.

Adobe CC, Apple, iPhone, Camera.

They work on the human senses and prompt action. A product or ad designed to say "I'm good," speaks to the user.

Nothing. If there's anything to be said for it, it's that the design isn't working.

Let ’s use! I'm just curious.

It's a person with whom we can influence each other and work comfortably. I believe in co-design, but so far, I haven't been able to.

Katsuya Kawata. He's my mentor. There are so many people I've never met...Renaissance, William Morris, Emil Ruder, Helmut Schmidt, Yusaku Kamekura, Kenya Hara, Korin Ogata, Hokusai Katsushika. There's more.

“Dictionary of aesthetician’s” written by Kenichi Sasaki.
“The Hojyoki” written by Kamo no Chomei.

Observe, think, do, and improve. It's important to move anyway.

Leonardo da Vinci. He's the only one I can't imagine. He may have been stern, he may have been mischievous, he may have been one person, he may have been a collective. Maybe he didn't even exist, I don't know. Anyway, I'm very interested.

I consider myself fortunate.

Black, nature, water yokan (Japanese sweets), autumn.

I've never had a good time. Creating a great design is just a little bit of pleasure beyond the suffering, sacrifice and trials.

There is nothing but a sense of mission. We are striving to use our God-given talents. If you have to motivate yourself on purpose, you should quit being a designer.

I didn't imagine it, but I guess it was a no-brainer. I think I got lucky.

I think it's better than it is now. That's what we're designing for.

If you want great design, be kind to people, eat good food, take a warm bath, and get a good night's sleep.

I'm a freelance designer and photographer, but the name of my office is Sunpono. The word "Sunpo" literally means "walking" in Japanese. His work includes branding design, artwork creation, and photography. In addition to this, I also train young designers.

It's planning and execution. What is not designed does not exist in this society. However, all things are divided into "good design" and "bad design". A good design is one in which planning and execution are working effectively, and a bad design is one in which they are not working effectively. A good designer is good at planning and execution.

Something less flashy.

In terms of my work, it's the latest. I'm always improving.
In terms of designs from other companies, my latest favorite is the measuring cup from the Swedish brand Jonas. This is great.

Sales promotion tools.

I love everything about it. I like the cutting edge, and I like the old, outdated stuff.

Making a new discovery.

The balance between design that gives wisdom and design that sells.

The excitement of creating something new and the stress of having to meet deadlines. The other thing is the desire to raise the budget.

There's nothing. It's something I've planned and executed. "I was right, wasn't I?" The only thing I can think.

Knowledge, insight, execution, and a budget.

I ask me. "Do I want this?"

For the environment, it should be completed with fewer materials and resources.
For society, designers have to give wisdom and inspiration.

If I talk about the near future, the knowledge is increasing and the act of creating a design is getting easier. However, the bad design is only increasing.There will be a similar phenomenon with the rise of stale photos as everyone is able to take them.

I've forgotten about it and I don't have any plans for the next exhibition.

I try to look back at history. Also, I try to put myself in nature. Then I make it a point to take a warm bath, eat good food, and get a good night's sleep.

It's all about observation, insight, execution, and improvement. We don't just repeat patterns that have worked in the past. I'm always trying new things.

I was born and raised in Japan and still live in Japan, so I'm very influenced culturally. The advantage is that we can create the details. I guess the downside is that there is a lot of tuning pressure. Individuality will be killed. Japan is a difficult country for designers to live in.

It's very good. Companies have money, after all.

It's all about trusting the designer's suggestions. To meet with a good designer, you have to be lucky. It's the same thing as meeting your lifelong companion. The only secret is luck.

First, a hearing. Next, observations and insights. And iterate on execution and improvement.

Paper and pen. Tableware and knives. The chairs and desks are nice. I like the primitive tools.

Wake up in the morning, eat breakfast, go for a walk, work, eat lunch, work, go for a walk, have a snack, work, go for a walk, work, go for a walk, eat dinner, take a bath, go to sleep. It's important to take a walk.

You have to try everything. There is no set pattern.

The positives are that I'm good at making improvements, I'm good at finding problems, and I'm easy to fantasize about. But there are a lot of negatives. Being detail-oriented, overthinking, complaining a lot, doing everything... designers are bad people.

There is nothing. From the moment you have the Golden Rule, the design rots and dies.

Don't be afraid. It's having the stupidity to try new things.

Paper, pen, smartphone, Adobe CC, and public library.

Start with the first thing that comes to mind. Too many people make inexperienced plans. Move!

It's up to the deadline.

Is it profitable?

All works.

Good people.

There is no such thing as a fun job. Every work is a trial and a challenge. All it needs courage.

I'm doing some creative and design work.

I work by myself.

Please email me.
info@eguchimasaru.com