zero = abundance
  • Zero Home
  • Zen minimalism
  • Minimalist
  • The “Less is more” Economy
  • Design and Architecture
  • Search
  • Menu Menu

Simple or empty? Japanese minimalist design according to Kenya Hara

Simple or minimalist design is often linked with Japanese Zen-influenced design. Are they similar, or are there any differences between the two? What is simple design anyway?

Conceptually, simple design must be an attempt to re-adjust the relationship between functionalities and additional design elements. More design frills make products fancier and luxurious to lure consumers, but too much of them can become noise that blurs the purpose of a product which can also compromises aesthetics. Simple design renews the focus on functionalities, and by doing so, let users re-discover the beauty of minimum essentials that represent the fundamental identity of a product.

Today many products boast excess frills that make them fancier and more decorative. But they don’t add any extra functionalities.

Great simple product design attempts to move the x-axis leftward as much as possible in the above figure, but never sacrifices fundamental functionalities and beauty. That draws a line against plain or streamlined design, which focuses on cost efficiency above anything else.

Then what is a difference between simple design and its Japanese version? They both share the same philosophy to find beauty in essential elements. But are there any elements that make Zen-influenced minimalist design stick out from the crowd?

Kenya Hara, a renowned Japanese graphic designer, has an idea. He’s been advising Japanese brand MUJI for years, which is often dubbed commercial-Zen as it offers simple, versatile and functional products. According to Hara, traditional Japanese minimalism is not just simple, but also “empty.” But what is an empty design? Easiest way is to picture an empty glass. No one buys a glass – empty when bought – just to keep it empty. You buy it because you want to fill it with liquid: water, juice or beer. The notion of empty product is coupled with an expectation that YOU take action, fetch water and fill an empty glass. Emptiness is a vacuum/room intentionally made in a product so that you can use your own abilities, whether it’s physical or cognitive, to fill it.

Hara often uses cooking knives as an example to explain empty design. According to him, Zwilling J.A. Henckles is one of the culmination of simple design, whereas traditional Japanese knives are often focused on empty design. Henckles hails from Solingen, Germany, a city that has been producing knives for centuries. Both are highly rated as quality knives.

On the other hand, Hara points out that some traditional Japanese knives are not so user-friendly. For example, yanagiba bocho, which are designed to make sashimi (that is made by slicing out meat from raw fish), have long, straight blade and also straight handles. The grip is not sculpted to fit your palm, and the blade doesn’t have human-friendly curves that help smooth the action of cutting. Why is that? It’s because traditional Japanese knives are designed to maximize the result for a variety of fish and/or other ingredients that can have different firmness, texture and grains. Blades need to be angled and used differently depending on which ingredient you cut. If a handle or blade came with certain shapes, they could limit the flexibility and versatility. 

Both types of knives delivers the fundamental functionalities exceptionally well, but in a different way. And the difference is where functionalities reside. In simple design, products themselves take care of them: easy, accessible grip and delicately curved blade. On the other hand, empty design expects YOU to master the skills of using the products – the combination of the potential both in design and user achieve the best performance, and none of them can be missing. It’s a little bit like musical instruments for professionals, which would sound beautiful if, and ONLY IF, played with appropriate skills. The gist of “empty” is “you do your part.”

With simple design, you can be the master and product could be your aide. But with empty design, you and the product are partners that work together to achieve the goal. Empty products won’t let you do the job easy, because they want you to achieve higher goals.

Zero = abundance is your online resource to re-define “happiness” by exploring the potential of “less is more” by leveraging Japanese Zen aesthetics.

JOIN NEWSLETTER

Receive updates on new contents, services and events.

Followon Twitter

Popular posts

  • MUJI House “Yo no i...
  • JP Home
  • Zen minimalism
  • Tadao Ando: The Row House...
  • MUJI House: design your o...
  • Church of the Light by Ta...
  • Kenya Hara and the aesthe...
  • Horyuji: World’s ol...
  • MUJI House: 15 years, 4 m...
  • Tadao Ando: A wild beast...

Recent posts

  • Kashiwa Sato Exhibition at the National Art Center, Tokyo: UNIQLO
  • Kashiwa Sato Exhibition at the National Art Center, Tokyo
  • Kashiwa Sato Exhibition at the National Art Center, Tokyo: Nissin Cup Noodles
  • Kashiwa Sato Exhibition at the National Art Center, Tokyo: Brand Logo
  • Japandi ideas from Japanese perspectives
  • The origin of kare-sansui: Zuisenji Zen garden designed by Muso Soseki
  • Hiroshi Yoshida: Commemorating the 70th anniversary of the death of the master of shin-hanga (modern ukiyo-e)
  • Six Tadao Ando buildings on one street? Finding “Ando Street” in the Tokyo suburbs
  • Can buildings metabolize? The Nakagin Capsule Tower by Kisyo Kurokawa
  • Lee Ufan at the STARS Exhibition
  • The STARS Exhibition at Mori Art Museum – Takashi Murakami, Yayoi Kusama, Yoshitomo Nara and more
  • Yoshitomo Nara at the STARS Exhibition
  • Yayoi Kusama at STARS Exhibition
  • Works of Takashi Murakami at STARS exhibition
  • 21_21 DESIGN SIGHT designed by Tadao Ando
April 2021
M T W T F S S
 1234
567891011
12131415161718
19202122232425
2627282930  
« Mar    

Cart

Number of items in cart: 0

  • Your cart is empty.
  • Total: $0.00
  • Checkout








About Us





Terms of Use





Follow us on Twitter
© Copyright - InterAction Green - Enfold Theme by Kriesi
Scroll to top