Continuously Expanding Design: The Design Philosophy and Practice of Japan's GK Group

Author: Hiroshi Nagao / Ruri Nozaki / Igarashi Masato et al. / Yang Xiangdong et al.
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-10-01
Features: This book is written by senior designers from GK Group and translated by Yang Xiangdong, a professor, dean, and master's supervisor at the School of Art and Design, Guangdong University of Technology. GK Design Group is one of Japan's major design institutions, founded in 1957. It has evolved alongside the history of post-war modern industrial design in Japan. The rich and successful experience accumulated through long-term design practice and theoretical research by GK Design Group holds significant reference value for the design industry and education sector in China. The future-oriented thoughts on industrial design proposed by the group are particularly relevant to China as it enters the era of globalization, addressing both current and impending challenges. The book is divided into three parts. The first part, "The Conceptional Power of Form," discusses design as an intellectual resource of the industry, reviewing the past of Japanese industrial design, observing its present, and envisioning its future from this perspective. It also introduces the "Tool Studies" concept long advocated by GK Design Group. The second part, "Product and Design," explores the relationship between products and design through analyses of products, product trends, and product development, along with numerous case studies of product development. The third part, "The Industry of Design," argues that design, as a "medium of creation," is an indispensable industrial resource, focusing on the current state of the design industry in Japan, the role of design institutions in regional economies, and the management of design departments.