Name: Brainstorm Design 2019: Selling Simplicity
Uploaded: 2019-03-21
Duration: 20 min 33 s
Description: MUJI sets itself apart by delivering “rational satisfaction” to customers and a “simple, pleasant life for people around the world.”

So, [ UNKNOWN ] actually speaks very affluent English. [ LAUGH ] But just to make him a little more comfortable, we've invited him to respond to my questions in Japanese this morning. But I'm really thrilled. To have someone from [ UNKNOWN ] here. And what's fascinating to me, I'm a big fan or [ UNKNOWN ]. We have many [ UNKNOWN ] shops in Hong Kong where I live. New one just opened up in our shopping mall in Pacific place. Very popular, very busy. And what's fascinating to me about Moji is that their approach to design is anti design. And I wonder if you could talk a little bit about your unique design philosophy at the Moji. [ BLANK_AUDIO ] Yes, first of all, [ UNKNOWN ] other [ UNKNOWN ] in 1980, we made a rand debut in Japan before the ante design, before we [ UNKNOWN ] Focusing on the anti consumer [ INAUDIBLE ] So, there are so many goods where produce from a mass production and they were disposed. So, that's where the origin of our philosophy. [ INAUDIBLE ] In Japanese in a way, we have been talking a lot here about How designers worry sometimes that they are working to encourage shoppers and consumers to over consume, buy too much. But, you take a very firm stance that you only want people to buy what's minimally necessary [ BLANK_AUDIO ] Yes about the products. They are they're a necessary function which is dedicated to a particular product. So removed sheet music. We just object to provide the functionality aspect of the product and the use and the needs not only depend into the customers. So we weren't we actually tried to eliminate all the unnecessary aspect of the product. Notion. We were chatting a little bit earlier about the popularity in the United States these days of Kondo Marie- ko, right? This woman who encourages you to you know, enjoy the magic of cleaning up and tidying up your house. It's sort of a backlash against over- consumption I think. But your aspiration is to be more than just a Japanese company that serves Japanese consumers, you wanna be a global company. Why has [ INAUDIBLE ] been so successful globally? So, now I personally don't consider that movie is a global cooperation because we think in our company we try to be a global company. So be to become a global company due to that level. We act here because structures so many aspects of our organization and policy and processes as. And you read active positive partner success over. Ceased. So let me tell you why we have made little success in overseas as well. And if possible, I think it is that they are coming from our basic concept about a production that seems to be restricted by overseas and in many other countries in the world as well. So when we look at the essence of their life, and we had to focus on what should be created to respect the essence of life that is basic of our music. But by looking at the other countries In the word they were actually respecting the similar aspect. So the products are not only for Japan or we [ UNKNOWN ] products to oversee other countries as well. You've kind of narrowed the list of products that you think are commonly essential across cultures to about 7, 000 Products, is that right. Yeah, they are the basic of life. Those are our products. The essence on the basics of life has to be changed depending on the history and from so now so As produced, some products with travel and as they say travel took off. At the beginning we didn't create that kind of product or travel because back then, travel was not common in Japan is was a not a such or the basic elements of the life but nowadays where we see many. People are travelling so often and trouble is a part of our life life. So that's the reason why we are now trying to expand our business into the hotel business as well. Because hotel and accommodation is the essence and this is our people's life now. But we all fall in the same simple core. Over the last couple of days about values about ethics. And I know this idea of values as a central to your management philosophy. I wonder if you could talk a little bit about how values contribute to the success of merging. [ BLANK_AUDIO ] [ FOREIGN ] So this is actually our ethics on food of the production, and these are the products which went in to production in 1980. They were only 40 items. Now, we have 7000 products. So going back to the value, so [ INAUDIBLE ] we have a corporate policy as [ INAUDIBLE ]. But great policy is not only Not one element to be successful the company. We have to respect their corporate culture and corporate atmosphere, otherwise the company will not be able to exist in the current word. [ BLANK_AUDIO ] So the corporate culture is not the DNA of the company. Incorporate character is based on the sophistication of the employees, people who worked for the company. And our region has to have a perfect harmony with the employees. And that will create our great corporate culture, and that also create the organization's brand for the society. And on the base, we have our thoughts and philosophy. Diffuse the culture through the entire Organization. I wonder if you could talk a little bit about the product development process. How do you take those values and, your insights about how consumers live and, then corporate that into your products. First of all we have some basic principles as food. As we do, we are ensuring the freedom or the consumer freedom of the people. So Mushilushin is ensuring the freedom of our customers of people. So let me tell you the details about this contest. So consumers are the ones who decide what career they want to pursue depending on the for example occupations, supposed players. And if you want we don't Take a look at the occupation or their background because the sense of value is depending on each person so we respect that point. That's the reason why we are only proof Binding a minimally necessary product. So by doing so we are actually creating some additional legal room for customer to be able to think and understand About their life and think about what they need. So we indicate only the simple essence with our [ INAUDIBLE ] for example, we actually have the same level as the level for wine, so we deliver where those bottles are coming from and so on, and While others are all up to the customers, consumers. So, we often prepare the room for customers to add value on our products. That is our base. I'm not sure how well this came through on the translation but one thing you said there really interests me the Phrase that you're [ FOREIGN ]. You're trying to protect and liberate the consumer, and grant them freedom. I think that's often not the approach that many western companies take. That they're trying to catch, and snare the consumer, and trick them. Persuade them to do something they might not otherwise do, but your approach Is, you wanna free them to be their true selves and make their own choices, that's really amazing. [ BLANK_AUDIO ] [ FOREIGN ] Yeah. [ INAUDIBLE ] The [ UNKNOWN ] and also to not be the person. And of course that the customer is oriented so that we are cherished. That the customer will be the center until the site. And so we tend to thinking and not to make the customer to buy. Can we talk about your hotels a little bit cuz I'm very interested in you have three new hotels, is that right? Two that are just opened and one that's about to open. [ BLANK_AUDIO ] Hey, I notice that [ FOREIGN ] Where we open as I mentioned earlier and so So that the trouble began at the center of the light, and that what we are trying to do as a business, to [ UNKNOWN ] is to generate, or the task that we have to do. So I think it's very important to why we do it too, to make any rose in this hotel business. Right now the definition and the hotel It's a kind of it's a definition to the pursue that person but now is a fifth tallest, sixth tallest and such a thigh a label a hotel or completely that this counter they had on bags are contrary to this and the counter boot and resmore price and those are the home of French and the hotel is a very rare so that we day light to make euros in this a polythene. You have two of these hotels in China where often the impulse of the consumer is to go bigger and brighter and make things more complicated and look more lavish. And there is almost a kind of preference for I dont' know, things that seem and feel like they're very rich but your philosophy is the exact opposite, you want to protect your guests from the kind of sensory overload of an over designed hotel, how Are guests reacting to that? Do they enjoy that? [ BLANK_AUDIO ] So as I mentioned earlier that [ UNKNOWN ] hotel is roughly the [ UNKNOWN ] So we like to make that room that a customer can enjoy the home, [ INAUDIBLE ] surrounded by [ INAUDIBLE ] said at home, And then the, instead of the moderate role, the hotel [ UNKNOWN ] so I think it would be the most comfortable at the most We are the [ INAUDIBLE ] for the customers so we like to create that atmosphere to [ INAUDIBLE ] our company. is [ INAUDIBLE ] so this is the [ INAUDIBLE ] that we have .>> [ INAUDIBLE ] this is an idea that really appeals to me as an editor the hardest thing about being a good editor, is taking things out. Removing distractions, making sure that what you're giving a reader is absolutely just the most essential stuff. And that's the philosophy that you, you bring to a hotel so that in the hotel, you can rest you have a chance to be free of all these other distractions. Certainly, Beijing, Schengen filled with lots of distractions. That's really remarkable. You're also Applying this philosophy to new areas like public transport, I wonder if you could talk about that as well. Yes and Helsinki in Finland In 2020 [ UNKNOWN ] public transportation will be available and then we provide the design of the bus Our company. Soon I'll show the prototype, the test we conducted and it is due to be publicized. It was soon to be conducted. So here in the Finlands and then in 2020 we are aiming to be the realization and the design on the parts we provided. Prototypes of this design that we can see somewhere on the on the internet or is it still a secret? [ BLANK_AUDIO ]. Yeah, no, it's already it has already been published once and then as for the published one and concrete and the design and so on the Prototype of the design and such a type of the bus will be the publicize that the Prototype. Yesterday we had Alice showed us some pictures of Thomas Heatherwicks double decker bus in London and which was very progressive in many ways but didn't ultimately work. and in some ways was over designed So I'll be very interesting to compare the Magee bus with the Boris bus in London. I want to take questions from the audience We've got a few minutes here. I see any hands out. This is a really interesting different approach to how to think about the responsibilities of designers, yes? You know, me too, great. [ BLANK_AUDIO ] Thank you for your very interesting talk I was actually, to be honest, quite surprised to hear that the number of your objects has gone up to 7, 000- [ LAUGH ] Yeah. Essential to life. Yes. [ LAUGH ] [ LAUGH ] I'm wondering, there are so many changes in industries like the auto industry where completely new entrance Are coming out. I'm wondering if there are certain areas that you've been tempted to enter that you decided [ UNKNOWN ] will not go there, and why. [ FOREIGN ] Okay, so back to our first, from the first point, you mentioned about 7000 kind of products are closer to be a little too much, but as I mentioned before, we're focusing for On the essence of the life it say this wound ball point pen it will item so but just look at one pen there should be so many kinds because of the colors and so on so 7000 kind of products are not much were we use actually JMS products there should be. Even more alot more so we are respecting to protect the basic of our people's life first and by looking at the Japanese society now we've received so many agent populations and People are more moving into their avoid areas so public transportation rule would, would come more important and people probably would be away from driving carts so by thinking about that kind of change in the society we trying to. We participate in the batts folder automatic can settle bus automatic cars that's the reason why we decided to re- enter the desire of automated car and there are some areas which we are not take care but we enter for example the area which are not necessary for people's life, life obviously and even for. Even for about seven [ UNKNOWN ] kind of product we were always doing investigation and validation about depending on the needs of people so we always come back to the basic point what other needs of the people what other needs in essence of their life for example back to the beginning of the time we said our business All my therapy related products were a necessary, so we only have to see today's world without the essence and needs of people .>> We're not gonna make things that aren't essential. I mean, I happen to be in an America supermarket the other day with a friend from Asia and one of the things that just freaked him out is. You're going to big supermarket in America, and there's like the wall of cheese. There's like zillions of different varieties of cream cheese, and hard cheese, and slice cheese. And it comes in eight different flavors for category, [ UNKNOWN ] all that variety, do we really need it? It's kind of overwhelming. And this is an approach to design that says, no, Let's limit only to the stuff that's essential. It's a very different way of thinking about how to run a business. We got time for maybe one more. No? Yeah. Thank you very much for your talk, it's been really inspiring. I have a question about decision- making in terms of populations where I'm guessing that what you consider is essential is from a majority population, I'm curious if you've considered what is essential for the marginalized or minority populations that might also use your products? A great question for Southeast Asia that's so diverse and ethnically rich. [ BLANK_AUDIO ] [ FOREIGN ] Yes, I understand that point but as I mentioned before, the basics and fundamental aspects and essence of a life should be [ BLANK_AUDIO ] The same or there are many change this depending on the race or the poor people. Well for Musi we are focusing for no age and no sex, no gender, so everyone can use our products. We touched a little part about the product in Hong Kong. The products we're selling in Hong Kong are not targeting either male or women so you might say this is pretty much Asian things but we have the protocol one more and there's only one side to. So it's not only about the, of The perfect size for a particular person, anyone can try that clothe, anyone can enjoy the clothe, that is the basics of out thoughts of the design. That also expectation to the diversity Inspiring conversation and we hope to continue it. Please thank Matsusaki- san for joining us. [ APPLAUSE ] [ BLANK_AUDIO ]

Brainstorm Design 2019: Selling Simplicity

Design

MUJI sets itself apart by delivering “rational satisfaction” to customers and a “simple, pleasant life for people around the world.”