Visualization of the connection between design and society

──What would be the impact if everyone had access to a design archive with ample data, such as DESIGN デザイン design?

To begin with a specific point, I would like to talk about a change in the way we search for designs. In the past, it was common to search for designs by narrowing down the search based on information such as genre, creator, and manufacturer. With a design archive consisting of a wealth of digital data, it is now possible to find designs based on the characteristics of the object itself, such as color, dimensions, and volume.

Through the design archive, which spans different eras and generations, we will be able to understand the relationship more clearly between design resources and society, a relationship that has not been well recognized in the past. For example, we can delve into the historical background of designs that triggered changes in people’s lives and values during the period of rapid economic growth, such as Sony’s Walkman and Apple’s iPhone. We can refer to the context that emerges when combined with various open data.

──From a single design, our perspective expands to the lifestyle and economic trends of that era.

As a symbolic example, 3D data of the “Butterfly Stool” (Tendo Mokko) designed by Sori Yanagi will be shown at “DESIGN design” this time. This product, for example, can be reinterpreted in the context of the surrounding environment of the 1950s, including home appliances and furniture such as CRT televisions and black telephones, as well as the general family structure of the time.

The design industry itself continues to change with the times. The archive will give us a bird’s eye view of how design is connected to various industries, including not only fashion and product design, but also intangible design such as software and services.

Creativity Fostered by Open Data Communities

──What about its use in the creative industries? For professionals involved in manufacturing and expression, the archive will likely prove valuable as a new stimulus and tool.

It is unprecedented for 3D scan data of a product such as the Butterfly Stool, which has been praised as a masterpiece, to be made public in the form of open source. By utilizing open data and 3D printers, it may become possible to create prototypes of new butterfly stools with shapes and functions that have never existed before. Or perhaps we can expect to see a variety of ideas for secondary creations – a kind of “wrong use” – that we have never even imagined.

──Rhizomatiks and Flowplateaux have worked on many websites and communities related to open data. Are there any examples that you have been involved in that could be used as references for this “DESIGN デザイン design” project?

FIND/47, a photo archive website for rediscovering the beauty of Japan, is a platform that encourages secondary creation. It curates landscape photos of the 47 prefectures taken by amateur photographers from all over Japan and makes them available as open data. A number of calendars and e-books of photographs were created based on these photos. The website has also served as the starting point for a TV program on a key station featuring Japan’s most spectacular landscapes.

It is also interesting to note that a positive cycle of creativity was also generated. Some of the creators who saw the derivative works created here visited “FIND/47” by following the Creative Commons license.

──It is a system that allows both parties and third parties to trace the motifs and sources of their creations. It seems to lead to a virtuous circle for both culture and the economy.

The forms depicted in stories and fantasy are sometimes the very products sold in the real world, and sometimes they are derivative works inspired by reality. In such a situation, “DESIGN デザイン design” could create a trend where accurate information and rights of motifs are properly opened to creators through open data. In other words, creators will not be able to cite existing designs and products “secretly” or “casually,” and rights holders will not be able to unilaterally regulate citation relationships.

Media and Interface Evolution

──It seems that the environment for handling 3D data, including hardware and networks, has been steadily improving in recent years. What are some of the new aspects of modern formats, interfaces, and experiences that emerge from them?

First, the higher the resolution of the scanned 3D data, the more parts and scales that can be accessed that cannot be captured by the naked eye. 3D scan data is useful in that objects that are heavy or large in reality can be moved or turned inside out. Design of three-dimensional objects is also required in the virtual space and game worlds known as the metaverse. As new industries such as fashion design for virtual humans and the design of posters displayed in a three-dimensional space are emerging, there is great potential for the use of 3D scan data.

──In the world of augmented reality, where the virtual and physical coexist, 3D scan data could be the bridge between the two.

Marketing techniques such as “product placement,” in which advertised products are placed in fictional works such as movies, dramas, and animations to appeal to consumers, have been practiced in various ways. In the future, as augmented reality becomes more prevalent in society, marketing communications that place existing designs and products in virtual spaces will accelerate. For example, there will be situations where high-definition 3D scan data will be used to virtually reproduce the reality of flat posters as objects, such as the thickness of paper and ink, and the printing conditions.

In addition, I would like to talk about a new format for 3D data. The OBJ format scan data we are currently handling can be called a “three-dimensional still image.” In the future, archives may take the form of “three-dimensional moving images” that include movement and a time axis, such as the FBX format. Even static products always have some kind of human interaction. We are discussing the format to record the interaction with the design that appears in the experience, such as “pressing a button,” while keeping in mind the trend of VR hardware such as the Apple Vision Pro.

──It seems to me that the area of on-screen design, such as websites, in which you specialize, is also in the midst of undergoing change.

To begin with, it is difficult to permanently preserve a website due to the maintenance of servers and domains, changes in development languages, and other reasons. As a person who is usually in contact with websites, an area that is difficult to preserve, I always find it rewarding to build websites for archiving, such as the “DESIGN デザイン design” project.

──Please tell us about the particular innovations you made this time.

The visual elements of the site, including the top page, are designed to reflect examples added to the database one after another. As a website that encompasses a vast and ever-expanding design resource, the design specifications are such that the expressions repeatedly change in accordance with the contents of the archive.

For text display, the font size is set to a larger size. The coding is such that the larger the screen, the larger the font size, and there is no upper limit on font size. Screen media is evolving at a dizzying pace. We do not want to apply our current standards of uniformity and aesthetics to the unpredictable future of screen media. Like archives, websites must also search for strength and universality that are not influenced by temporary values.

Community Expanding from the Archive

──What are your future plans for the development of the “DESIGN デザイン design” archive?

The first priority is to create a database with an overwhelming amount of data. We must look beyond technical issues, as there are many rights situations that must be cleared for a design to be considered a masterpiece.

We would like to share many ideas for utilizing 3D scan data through case studies on the site. We believe that the community will expand with the archive as a hub, as creators, including ourselves, communicate with each other about our desire to create. In the future, we would be happy if a culture grows up in which people are proud to have their own work featured in the archive.

──I hope it will lead to a community that goes beyond design and creative industries. Will you gradually expand your efforts from an academic and industrial perspective?

Regarding the “correlation between design resources and society” mentioned at the beginning of this report, “DESIGN デザイン design” has a section called “STUDY.” It is intended to be a comprehensive database that includes not only classification axes such as time periods, people, regions/facilities, but also social environment and economic trends such as GDP, exchange rates, and happiness levels as indicators. By looking at the various indicators and designs together, we hope to explore the sustainability and potential utilization of the design resource archive itself with people from various perspectives, and hope that this will lead to new discoveries.