We, as the Designer Interviews ("DI") had the distinct pleasure and opportunity to interview award-winning, most creative and innovative Midori Yamazaki ("MY").
Creative Director / Artist / Researcher. Graduated From London Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design / MA Communication Design and worked at the Institute of Industrial Science, The University of Tokyo. Specialized in Communication Design Including Digital, Graphic, Fashion and Space Design. As for a career background, took the role of Creative Director at adidas, NIKE, Facebook, Condé Nast, and Won multiple awards including Design Space Associate Award, Art Directors Club Award, NY Art Directors Club Award, and Type Directors Club Award.
Midori Yamazaki Designs
We are pleased to share with you original and innovative design work by Midori Yamazaki.
Midori Yamazaki Design - Sound of Magma Digital Artworks
Midori Yamazaki Design - List of Innovation Seeds Digital Interactive Platform
Designer Interview of Midori Yamazaki:
DI: Could you please tell us more about your art and design background? What made you become an artist/designer? Have you always wanted to be a designer?
MY : As Creative Director / Artist / Researcher. Graduated From London Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design / MA Communication Design and worked at DLX Design Lab, the Institute of Industrial Science, The University of Tokyo. Specialized in Communication Design Including Digital, Graphic, and Space Design. As for a career background, took the role of Creative Director at adidas, NIKE, Facebook, Condé Nast, and Won multiple awards including Design Space Associate Award, Art Directors Club Award, NY Art Directors Club Award, and Type Directors Club Award.
DI: What is "design" for you?
MY : I am interested in Aesthetics in design. Since I have been designing for mass media, I would like to be able to create beauty as the greatest common denominator, in other words, beauty that everyone finds beautiful and that is universal. In order to do so, I became interested in what makes people feel beautiful. To be more specific, I am interested in the Golden Rule, fractals, fluid dynamics, etc., which formalize the laws of nature. For example, as a surfer, there is a physical reason for the shape of the waves that I am interested in, and it can be expressed in mathematical formulas. This is the main reason why I am studying programming. The ability to program = the ability to understand and apply. I believe that this opens up new possibilities. I feel that there are relatively many digital creators with engineering backgrounds, but I am interested in what can be done if designers, who have the methodology to create beautiful things in the first place, can interpret programs.
DI: What kinds of works do you like designing most?
MY : My work ranges from graphics to space and installation and is said to be innovative, but the source of this image is various things that I consider "aesthetically pleasing". I believe that human beings are very simple in theory, and I think it is important to express what I simply feel is "aesthetically pleasing", and to integrate that into communication.
DI: What was the first thing you designed for a company?
MY : In fact, the very beginning of my career was in fashion. My first memorable experience was creating the pattern for a Burberry coat from scratch, which had over 100 parts.
DI: What is your favorite material / platform / technology?
MY : What I am trying to do these days is to combine elements of design and science. I am challenging myself to use the latest technology to create designs that have never been seen before.
DI: When judging a design as good or bad, which aspects do you consider first?
MY : When I judge a design, I focus on two things: whether it is memorable and whether it can make people feel good.
DI: From your point of view, what are the responsibilities of a designer for society and environment?
MY : I believe that the role of a designer to society is to be a visionary. I believe that by visualizing and sharing a positive vision for the future, we can make it a reality.
DI: Where does the design inspiration for your works come from? How do you feed your creativity? What are your sources of inspirations?
MY : I am interested in Aesthetics in design. In other words, I want to be able to create universal beauty that anyone can find beautiful, and for that reason, I started to become interested in what makes people aesthetically pleasing. To be more specific, I am interested in the Golden Rule, fractals, fluid dynamics, etc., which formalize the laws of nature. This is the main reason why I am studying programming.
DI: Where do you live? Do you feel the cultural heritage of your country affects your designs? What are the pros and cons during designing as a result of living in your country?
MY : I live in Tokyo, Japan. Japan has four seasons, and I think Japanese people are very sensitive to the beauty of nature, and I feel that my design is influenced by that.
DI: What skills are most important for a designer?
MY : I think the most important thing is to become skilled in the coordination of imagination and action. I believe that good design can be achieved when the brain and hands are smoothly connected.
DI: What type of design work do you enjoy the most and why?
MY : I enjoy doing design work that I have never experienced before. This is because there is so much potential to create new designs.
DI: What are your future plans? What is next for you?
MY : I am currently creating an art installation using the laws of nature, which I am currently researching, and I would like to actually exhibit it.
DI: How can people contact you?
MY : If you have any inquiries to me, please send me an email (ymidorimidori@gmail.com).