Design for the World '99 Tokyo Symposium REPORT
Session C
Action Plan of World Design
Panelist: Robert Blaich / Antonio Puig / Akira Tamura
Coordinator: Noriji Sato
Noriji Sato : We heard many discussions and proposals from many angles. I wonder if this symposium is really a meeting of designers. In this session, I would like to have three presentations.
Design for the World needs many sponsors
Antonio Puig: Many companies have developed and established their values. One of the fundamental values is perpetuity. In the long term, the continuity of a company will depend on how its contribution is judged, whether or not it adds value to the society and the environment in which it operates and to which it is responsible. If a company does not have a clear understanding of this contribution, it may run the risk of losing sight of its major objectives. The society and environment around us demand that companies contribute economic progress to the country and well-being to the population. They must carry out research in order to achieve maximum quality and safety in the products and services provided, with regard to the environment, nature and ecology. At the same time, they must make substantial economic contributions to the public expenditure and social security. If a company is to endure, it is essential for society to be aware that the company is contributing something to it, and for this reason, the image of the company needs to reflect this contribution.
Patronage also helps boost this image: the Medicis in Florence in the 16th century and Alfred Nobel in Sweden in the 19th century are clear examples of patronage which has become part of the history of humankind. Patronage is Mecenat in French, Mecenazgo in Spanish, Mecenatge in Catalan, Mecenatismo in Italian, all of which are derived from Mecenas, a Roman patrician whose memory has become part of the vocabulary of Latin languages. Design is a major problem in many countries. Design for the World (DW) enjoys the support of the three world organizations from three branches of design: they include thousands of industrial, graphic and interior design professionals. The Barcelona Center of Design has played a catalytic role in linking the Ministry of Industry of Spain, Catalan provincial government, Barcelona municipality, and the Chamber of Commerce of Barcelona and to get their financial and logistic support. We have received $500,000. With this as a basic fund for the projects, DW needs to receive continuous financial support from a number of patrons. We will contribute to solving specific problems, and help and support the work in the teaching and dissemination of design in countries where it is needed. Companies which have a worldwide presence must be interested in patronage on a worldwide scale. I would like to invite you to act as patrons. Mr. Ekuan is in charge of this matter in Tokyo. Please contact him for information on this matter.
Stepping into the background of human society
Akira Tamura: Listening to the presentations, I realized anew that the range covered by design is so wide.When I changed my job from the private sector to enter Yokohama City civil service 30 years ago, I intended to specialize in urban design. Then, the word "city design" was used but without any concrete plan. I wanted to help more people understand urban design, and I set up an organization inviting people from different backgrounds to discuss how we could improve our living environment. In those days, general government workers had a suspicious feeling about "design" or "designers." But the word "design" had strong impact. There was, naturally, an ill feeling, or opposition against it. But when there is opposition, things go forward. When a project begins in defiance of initial opposition, it often goes well. From this experience, I see "design" to have some magical power.
So far, designers have worked passively when they receive orders from clients. But the direction Design for the World is going to take is different. Designers go into a problem area when they find involvement necessary. Now, the world is seeking solutions to various problems which are hardly solved. Ms. Kamoshida showed examples of universal design. The products she made give a strong impact, and people can see the strength of design. But the range of design is not limited here. The mask against smog, of course, presents a typical product design. When we consider why fires occurred at many locations, why so much smoke spread around, and how we could prevent them from occurring, it will be through social design, or social system design. Although abstract and invisible, the mechanism of the present-day society may have to be questioned. We may have to step into this question in the future. While working to design concrete objects, we should look into the civilization we created but which is causing problems such as environmental issues now. The Action Plan of Design for the World, I hope, will address social issues or global issues. It will be a good beginning for designers to step into the background of society.
Design for the World is project-oriented.
Robert Blaich: Designers in the service of corporations, governments and society as a whole are often leaders who provide visual maps that help us realize our dreams and our goals via products, communications and architecture. Design for the World is a dream to be realized for the betterment of society and designers will play a significant role in attaining this vision. We are pathfinders. Finding a way is what architects, designers, planners have done through their entire lives. Designers cannot accomplish the goals of Design for the World alone. We need the partnership of individuals, of corporations, of foundations and of government to bring these ideas to fruition. The projects introduced here cost much money. In order to distribute 2.5 million of reusable masks free of charge for the first 8 months, we need 2 million dollars. It will require 70 million masks in the long run. The syringe project requires 2 million dollars, and with this fund, 62 million people can be covered.
Design for the World will work on a project basis. We need sponsors to implement our projects who share our goals. We will plan, coordinate and implement the projects, but there are many things that we cannot do. To succeed we need you as partners, partners in the generation of new worthwhile projects, partners in communicating the goals of Design for the World to a broader audience, partners in funding the organizations of worthwhile programs. We invite you to join us on this journey set out by Mr. Ekuan's imaginative initiative.
Discussion: Man cannot live by bread alone
Sato: Mr. Tamura spoke about the magical power of design. Is there any room for design to step into the causes of problems in this age of reform? If there is any role that design can play, what role will it be?
Tamura: Design has magical power as well as integrating power. If design which is now branched out in different specialties can be integrated, design will have significant strength, or magical power. The term "design" has a connotation which covers all design genres. Design for the World also has the same connotation. It can bring in such concepts as humanism and humanity, relations between technology and human hearts, tenderness, beauty, historic problems and so on into a world in which, until recently, only shapes and functions were valued.
Sato: Mr. Blaich referred to designers as pathfinders. How then can the problems of environment, population, medical care and refugees that had been discussed for the two days be fed back to the work of designers in the hall? Blaich: I feel that my everyday life is just the same as the activity of Design for the World. We say that man cannot live by bread alone. The companies I referred to may consider whether they give contributions from a moral point of view or for their own survival. After all, social conscience is needed for the survival of a company. The most important thing for me is to realize Design for the World, and I am working toward it.
Sato: Mr. Hatano, former Japanese representative at the U.N., said the United States is puzzled about what to do to solve environmental and population issues because the perception of issues is different among people from different countries and religions.
Puig: We cannot change the world only by Design for the World. But we can send messages. I believe that corporations need to have designers who have strategic, and innovative ideas. The United Nations is such a huge organization, and has great difficulty in taking prompt action. Design for the World is a small, flexible organization that can move promptly. We can contribute to the world with our professional specialties.
Augusto Morello: We are a small organization, therefore, we need support from others. There are two types of support. One is to donate money, and the other is to be a participant. In either case, the important thing is to have conscience. Major companies can become partners or sponsors for our projects.
Fritz Frenkler: Corporations in the West are advised that they should allocate a certain percentage of their budget to humanitarian purposes.
Identifying Issues and Proposing Solutions
Ren Suzuki(from the floor) : I do not differentiate architects and designers. The term "designer" is used with an ambiguous definition.Osamu Ishiyama: I became a member of the Japan Institute of Design because I thought that I can feel more freedom being a designer than being an architect. An architect builds something, or plans something. I talked about a redevelopment project in Sao Paulo. This project involves many wider ranges of responsibilities beyond planning or building. So, I prefer being a designer than an architect, as it allows wider interpretation.
Blaich: I think that design is a plan to incite changes, and a designer is an agent to bring about such changes. I mean simply a designer, regardless of whether one is in architecture, graphic design or industrial design.
David Grossman: One important thing that Design for the World is going to do is to establish the recognition that we are planners. We decide and create an environment to live in. Such an environment embraces everything, the visible, the tangible and spatial environments. All people who are creating such environments are designers in my view. Objects are not important, rather, systems, in other words, decision-making processes are important. Designers of all branches, be it environment, product or interior, are working to improve the quality of our life.A notable thing about Design for the World is that international design organizations made a decision that we should not wait until problems come to us, and that we should go out to find problems and offer solutions.
Kenji Ekuan: To make the invisible visible, we need to train our sensitivity. We impose on ourselves a feasible project. But such a project cannot be achieved by oneself. So we look for collaborators. We consider how we can cooperate in realizing a project. We are now at a time when the term "cooperation" finds a place to really occur.
At the end of the session, all the panelists went up on the stage, and had lively discussions with Mr. Suzuki, Hiroshi Sano, Masaya Hashimoto, Kawamura. (Summarized/ Kunio Sano)
Robert Blaich: Vice President of DW / U.S.A
Principal Consultant of Blaich Associates.former Vice President of Design and Corporate Communications for the Herman Miller Inc., former Senior Director of Corporate Design for Philips Electronics, Senator of ICSID. Advisory Board Member of the International Design Conference in Aspen, Fellow of the IDSA and the royal society of the Arts, U.K.. Doctor of Fine Arts Honorary Degree by Syracuse University (1990).
Antonio Puig: Treasurer of DW / Spain
Phd. of Engineering. Found Antonio Puig SA (1962), found Paco Rabanne Perfumes (1968), President of the Executive Board of BCD Foundation, founder of Puig Foundation for the Endowment of Arts.
Akira Tamura: Auditor of Japan Institute of Design, Regional Policy Planner.
Worked for the Ministry of Transportation, Japan Life Insurance, Environmental Development Center and appointed to Director of Planning Administration of Yokohama City. Planning and implementing infrastructure projects of Yokohama City and founded an urban design team.
Noriji Sato: Active Board Member of Japan Institute of Design, Prof. of School of Business Administration, Environmental Design Institute.
Practicing design management and cultural management after joined to Press and Magazine Dept, Marketing Dept, and Center for Cost Performance of Software of Dentsu Inc.
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