Kazuo Tanaka
Kazuo Tanaka graduated from Tokyo University of the Arts in 1983, where he majored in industrial design. Today, he is the president and CEO of the GK Design Group, a multidisciplinary design firm in Japan that was founded in 1952 by Kenji Ekuan. Kazuo Tanaka is also executive advisor to the Japan Industrial Design Association (JIDA).
In 2007, he was elected to the board of directors of the World Design Organization (WDO, formerly Icsid) and has since acted as a regional advisor for various international projects. He chaired the executive committee of the World Design Assembly Tokyo 2023. Kazuo Tanaka is also a Good Design Fellow of the Japan Institute of Design Promotion (JDP).
He has been a juror at international design competitions and has received many awards for his own work, including the Good Design Award Prime Minister Prize and the SDA Grand Prize.
Red Dot in an interview with Kazuo Tanaka
Red Dot: What characterises Japanese design?
Kazuo Tanaka: From a formative viewpoint, Japanese designs are simple and exquisitely worked. From a wider aspect of value, innovation is emphasised to improve society.
How do products become real classics?
The revival of hardware designs is noticeable in Japan today. Lives will be enriched in a real sense with high quality hardware designs, not only through solutions to problems and new services. The value of a classic approach enhances design. For this, however, a highdimensional integration of tangible and intangible things into a design is required.
What is the significance of design quality for a company’s economic success?
We need to satisfy consumers with innovative systems and services and products with a high design quality. In recent years, the value of innovation has become more enhanced, but economic success for business corporations cannot be achieved with this alone. A comprehensive point of view and an uncompromising and severe eye for design quality are indicative of business success.