Japanese Design Is More Than Minimalism

Minimalism is just one variation of Japanese culture and design, but it seems as if minimalism ended up representing what the world perceives as the Japanese aesthetic. In this video, let's explore what Japanese design is, and appreciate the everyday, organised chaos of their maximalistic designs that you might have missed.

📖 References
Design Huddle Podcast — Design News: Japanese design and the difference between international Vs. local presentation
Getting to Noh: Myths of Japanese Minimalism
“How Japan Made Me a Minimalist”
The Japanese Minimalist Lifestyle with TOOTHPIC NATIONS
The Origin of Minimalism
THE SECRET OF ZEN DESIGN: TRACING THE HISTORY OF MINIMALISM
The Commercial Zen of Muji
How to Not Be Befuddled by Japanese Design

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🎵 Music we used
"Jiminell" by 895studio
"Senerity by Prod. Riddiman"
"Candy Moon by Dayz Musiq
"One Wish" by ROA

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⏱️ Timestamps
00:00 - I'm inspired by their organised chaos
01:18 - A quick history lesson
3:26 - They need a lot of reassurance
5:19 - They need value for money
6:30 - Minimalism is marketable
8:37 - There's so much to talk about!!

#japanesedesign #minimalism #maximalism

[dstoryco]

What comes to mind when you think about Japanese design? Do you think of minimalism? Share with us some of your favourite Japanese designs!!

[sakurachristineito]

As a person who has been visiting Japan since the 90's I think Tokyo was NOWHERE near minimalistic like the west thinks. I was completely drawn into the glitzy, sparkly, loud, happening, vibrant & energetic space that is like Ginza at night, Pachinko parlors, game centers & early 90's anime like Ranma, Dragonball z & Sailormoon. I guess that what makes modern Japan attractive

[ulwqkvp]

This video reminded me of my roommate in Japan who is Japanese. Our rooms were the same exact size but even with the most simple things his room looked unique and twice as much more spacious.
He is a designer himself, so there's that.

[janjavate]

that google search for Japanese Design was so relatable. I always liked how they design their graphics but can't find that right reference.

[jacobharvey]

It does feel like Japan has a split personality when it comes to design. Personally I experienced a lot of minimalism in school (I even had a professor who wrote a book on Japanese graphic design) so that’s what I usually think of first. And now with the Internet, and Japan’s info-rich, and sometimes chaotic looking design (to us westerners), it feels like that side is all that’s discussed.

[micchiki]

I love this! I'm slowly building my design portfolio and I wanted to focus on the aspects of Japanese design. Right now, when they say "Japanese-style", it's always narrowed down to minimalism but after intensively researching, I can say that Japanese architecture is actually so much more diverse than it is perceived.

[foodie]

that espresso experience is exactly what happened to me the first time i ordered one. got a tiny paper cup with an even tiny amount of liquid. had to pretend that i liked it.

[alexanderholland]

Sad to see this is 2 years old with no updates. Would love to see more of this!

[narutokunn]

That transition at 3:26 is smooth. Felt like the camera dropped due to the earthquake buttt.. not

[Chester-yy]

I lived in Japan for a few years in the early 1970s and my experience was that Japanese design (store layouts, magazines) was anything but minimalist. I would call it "exquisitely organised overload". Quite good when you got used to it, I thought. Today, walk into any Bic Camera and check out the way products are shelved. A lot of stuff in a small space.

[MattiasPilhede]

Oh this was a really great video! One of the things that shocked me about going to Japan was the maximalist design everywhere and overwhelming amounts of information. My exposure to Japanese graphic design was minimalism, and so I assumed that would be the case everywhere. Instead I was surprised whenever I did see the minimalist design.
Recently I've been more interested in maximalist design and how to actually do it. I wonder in some ways if maybe maximalism and minimalism are actually very similar in a way, and that the core idea that unites them might be about organizing things. So I really hope you still intend to do a video on Japanese maximalist design some day!

[acurara]

I'm japanese and I only watch English YouTube Channels only because ours are nowhere close to the minimalism and I hate it. English ones are less crowded for me. everytime I hear that insane amount of SFX in japanese youtube video it drives me insane.

[johnoestmannmusic]

I'm sorry, that scene transition from the falling camera during the earthquake at 3:26 was **chefs kiss**

[LeoHaviaras]

Amazing, this video blew my mind, as a Brazilian, i can feel the drastically cultural difference between us westerns from the Japan approach

[AustrianLinuxMemer]

I was born for minimalist designs

Low space, high functionality is their philosophy

[ネメシス-hz]

I wouldnt say that japanese design is minimal. Its refined.

[humanthetooth]

This idea really intrigued me. Its something ive brushed against often but never quite put into words. I hope you pick the series back up!!

[minihali]

Aww man, I was so ready to watch the whole two year backlog of videos covering this niche topic in depth. Well, at least we got one that got me hooked into learning more about this topic myself!

[plixplop]

3:13 I'm dying at the censor blur disappearing after the inappropriate figurine was knocked off the toilet 😂

I think the comparison of the Japan vs US Marie Kondo thumbnails really sums up the whole video! Very interesting.

[Nesterou]

Oh my. You're talking about how you're so impressed about Japanese design, but you nailed it in your very video. It was so wholesome to watch!