Next Results for articles with tag 'japan' (8 total)
01/13/2009 09:46:01 PM 
(1) 
(1) Japan from Eric Testroete on Vimeo.
Posted by Ed Cotton
07/19/2008 10:10:32 AM
It became clear that the brand is increasingly looking to Japan as a source of inspiration for the future direction of the Starbucks brand.
Tokyo's coffee houses and cafes are at the forefront of using recycled and natural materials for their interiors and being highly creative in the overall experience.
One example is the Otemachi Cafe which Metropolis Magazine reviewed a few years back.
"The café is almost entirely constructed from recycled materials. Wood and marble from the old Shin-Marunouchi Building were used to build the bar, old whisky barrels and scrap wood were transformed into chairs, and mobile-phones and plastic bags melted down to make the table tops. The space is eclectic, but never jumbled, and pervaded by an indoor garden..."
I think it's safe to predict that we will see Starbucks experiment with its store designed in the next year or so, perhaps rolling out some radical new pilot designs.
The brand is going to need to evolve to stay fresh and given that according to Jean-Marie Shields, the number 1 customer request on My Starbucks Idea, is for "Conversations", it would be good to have environment that's more conducive to that.
Posted by Ed Cotton
02/05/2008 07:23:22 AM
Here's an interview I did with her recently where we talked about PingMag, it's unique ownership, design and Japanese design.
1. Can you briefly describe your background and explain how you ended up at PingMag?
I've been working as a journalist for ten years now, the recent years I was freelancing in Berlin. Apart from that I have been doing production for short films for a while, briefly Lingo programming in the 90s, and eventually started giving lectures about VJ culture at design schools and festivals and organized a VJ festival with two friends there in 2006.
At one point, I got bored a bit of myself being in the city and decided to work abroad for a couple of months. I liked Ping, sent these lovely people an e-mail - and came to Japan to work as editor of PingMag in November 2006. Originally I wanted to stay for three months only, but they provided me with a contract and a working visa. Tempting! And I stayed...
2. Tell us a little about PingMag (its ownership, editorial policy, etc)?
In terms of our structure, we are 3 editors in total: My 2 lovely Japanese colleagues
care about the Japanese homepage, and I run the English site alone.
Each of us contributes with our own topics, and I handle most of the freelancers and possible pieces.
Regarding these: Anything can be interesting depending on the approach. I'd say our trait is being hysterically fond of anything that is special to us. There really are no limits, be it from the field of art, design, technology, architecture, fashion, crafts, etc. It doesn't even have to be Japan related, but it has to be done with a great love for detail.
Of course, each piece is decorated in the cheerful PingMag style since translation usually requires adaptation.
In terms of ownership, PingMag is part of Yes Communications!, our parent and run by our producer Tom Vincent. Financially we are in this very lucky and even rarer position that at the moment we are sponsored by a Japanese investment bank called RISA Partners. I know that this makes us kind of unique, as content wise we
are totally independent and far from being a corporate blog.
Also, we just got a little sister one month ago: PingMag MAKE is done by another colleague, a Japanese editor that reports once a week from regional Japan about traditional craftsmen, and small businesses.
3. What do you think is happening with the world of design? Are developed nations over-designed?
Over-designed? If the natural development of a civilization is its aesthetic refinement,
cutting back would be a step backwards or a possible indication of decay. There is no end to this refinement, as you can surely see in Japan... Provided that environmental factors are included.
4. How would you describe the current state of Japanese design and where do you believe it is heading?
Huh, I can maybe enlighten you with some aspects of its structure that might help you
understand its output: On one side, there are the star designers that design practically
everything from mobiles to furniture to any other gadget you can imagine with utmost
perfectionism.
Think of Naoto Fukasawa or Iwai Toshio (who just developed the Tenori-on.) As Sensei, they have an army of designers working for them - and this system is strictly hierarchical and as solid as the tough structure within the mainstream design establishment.
On the other side, design events like the annual DesignTide try since a couple of years to promote the young upcoming ones.
Then I have the feeling that some designers aren't interested at all in a wider exposure outside of Japan, others would like to but they don't speak any English.
Where it might all be heading could also depend on how far people keep perceiving the country as an isolated island and themselves as a closed community in the future.
5. What developments are important and interesting to look at in Japan- is tradition and history now more important that the thrill of the future?
I'm interested in Japanese society and its rapid (or not) changes.
So in this very special case, tradition is the overall tie that firmly grips everything quite rigidly.
Compared to Western countries this is a by far stronger driving force that keeps
preventing changes - of the attitude, of the approach to design, or work methods. And
since this applies to any nation with a long tradition, of course, everything is
connected with the past and will surely affect the future.
Every part of Japanese society is based on the collective and this hasn't changed a bit.
Combined with the way the corporations still work, their internal octopus-like structure that provides everything for their workers, this seems to be a kind of capitalism done the communist way.
And it works because of the concept of the collective. It's interesting to see what will happen in the next years, like how far will this be softened, and on the other side how far tradition could loosen its tight grip a bit.
6. Where do you find your inspiration?
I'm an info junkie thanks to rss feeds. The rest is journalistic handcraft:observing.
Posted by Ed Cotton
10/11/2007 07:12:24 AM
Those were the days when art and commerce were kind of separate, in the last few years we’ve seen much more of coming together of the two worlds and perhaps the best example is the partnership between Japanese uber-artist Takasji Murakami and Louis Vuitton.
Murakami’s designs turned the Louis Vuitton brand into a pop sensation.
In 2006, he was interviewed by CNN and asked about the collaboration.
"TS: How did your collaboration with Louis Vuitton come about?
TM: If you look at Louis Vuitton's history, they've always been influenced by Japanese designs, such as the flowers on the kimono, ever since the 19th century. In a very natural way Louis Vuitton is in touch with Japanese culture. It's a very big turning point for me. Now I understand the fashion world a little bit. It's important because the European creative situation is very influenced by fashion and art and fashion are very closely linked."
The partnership between the two continues today and is celebrated at the artist’s upcoming exhibition at the LA MOCA.
For the event, Vuitton has created a “fleeting” store for the where luxury lovers will be able to get purchase and of course, just state at, the range of products from the Vuitton/Murakami collaboration.
It’s a very different kind of museum store and not without controversy.
Via Dezeen
Posted by Ed Cotton
09/19/2007 03:48:40 PM
1. Sigur Ros
A new documentary from Sigur Ros about the band returning from a world tour to Iceland and seeking out small venues, so they could re-connect with their home country and people.
2. ANA
Ad for Japanese airline ANA that appeared in September's Monocle magazine highlighting the localness of the airline's cuisine, even down to the prefecture.
Posted by Ed Cotton
05/27/2007 02:30:46 PM
Students want their cellphones, MP3 players, stereo systems and cars to be Japanese and their computers, clothing and chocolate to be American. They would also like their watches to be Swiss.
The problem is that they appear to have no idea the country of origin for the world’s leading brands:
58% thought Samsung was Japanese, not Korean
53% thought Nokia was Japanese, not Finnish
49% thought Adidas was American, not German
Clearly, for certain brands, it pays to stay quiet, but perhaps now is the time for the Japanese brands to come out of their shell and to take pride in their nationality.
That was BBDO's plan when it won the Mitsubishi account in 2005.
"The advertising recognizes the influence of Japanese pop culture on American popular culture. It embraces Mitsubishi's hip, cool Japanese roots, which is reflected in the music, design, structure and animation of the campaign. From the syncopated beat of Kodo drums to the distinctly current spin of the Mitsubishi logo, the advertising boldly speaks to consumers, asking 'why satisfy when you can thrill?'"
Dave Lubars-BBDO
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Articles for tag japan (8 total).