Home Resources News archive Japan Industrial Design Promotion Organisation rebrands and shifts strategic focus

Japan Industrial Design Promotion Organisation rebrands and shifts strategic focus

05.06.2011 News

Tokyo (Japan) - The Japan Industrial Design Promotion Organization (JIDPO), known globally as the organiser of the Good Design Award has restructured as a public interest incorporated foundation and rebranded as the . The shift in strategic focus was approved by the Prime Minister and became effective 1 June 2011, marking JDP's fresh start as the sole comprehensive design promotion center in Japan.

Mr. Kazumasa Nagai, one of the most influential designers in Japan, has been inaugurated as JDP's first chairman.

JDP will execute global design promotion through projects such as the Good Design Award. It will launch new activities to create new designs from public service point of view. Furthermore, recognising that supporting revival from the unprecedented disaster is the main role, JDP has established the "Reconstruction Support Design Center," to wrestle with this difficult problem in alliance with the ministry, other design organisations and companies.

Outline

New Denomination: Japan Institute of Design Promotion (JDP)
Previous Denomination: Japan Industrial Design Promotion Organization (JIDPO)
Address: 5th Floor, Midtown Tower, 9-7-1 Akasaka, Minato-ku Tokyo, 107-6205
Chairman : Kazumasa Nagai

Objective: Contribution to the further promotion of industrial activities, cultural improvement of the daily life and wholesome development of society through the encouragement of the design.

Councillors and Directors

Councillors

Shintaro Ishijima - President, Advanced Institute of Industrial Technology
Tsugio Ide - Professor, Nihon University Graduate School of Business
Yoshie Inaba - Dress Designer
Hiroshi Naito - President, Naito Architect & Associates
Shuji Miyazaki - Executive (taking charge of management research), TOHO
GAS Ltd.
Keiichi Matsuo - President, Hakusan Porcelain Co., Ltd

Executive Directors

Toyoyuki Uematsu - Professor, Tohoku University of Art and Design
Leimei Julia Chiu - Professor, Musashino Art University
Maki Kunohe - Executive Director, Aomori Prefectural Tourism Federation
Kazuo Tanaka - President, GK Design Group
Fumikazu Masuda - Professor, Tokyo Zokei University
Shuichi Misono - President, Tecno Art Research Co., Ltd.
Akiko Moriyama - Professor, Musashino Art University

Auditor

Yukimitsu Watabe - President, Watabe Accountant Office
Hiromichi Hirano - President, Hiromichi Hirano Tax Accountant Office

President

Kazunori Iizuka - Japan Institute of Design Promotion

Executive Director and Chief Operating Officer

Shiro Aoki - Japan Institute of Design Promotion
Masayoshi Abe - Japan Institute of Design Promotion

New visual identity

Logo designed by: Masaaki Hiromura
Original mark designed by: Yusaku Kamekura

The original mark was designed based on the poster created by Yusaku Kamekura in commemoration of the World Industrial Design Conference held in Kyoto in 1973. The logo symbolises the pattern of waves and it is inherited from its predecessor, JIDPO.

Profile of Mr. Kazumasa Nagai, Chairman

Born in 1929 in Osaka. Left Tokyo University of the Arts, department of sculpture. Joined to establish Japan Design Center in 1960 and is currently supreme counsel. Symbol of Winter Olympic game held in Sapporo in 1972 and International Ocean Exposition held in Okinawa in 1975 is masterpiece.

Good Design Award

Good Design Award is a comprehensive program for the evaluation and encouragement of design. This award system was originally established in 1957 and, since 1998, has been executed by Japan Industrial Design Promotion Organization (JIDPO) as organizer and given to approximately 37 000
outstanding designs all over the world.

Design News

Launched on 1 June 2011, "Design News" is a new media to promote information regarding design from inside and outside Japan and to play a role as the archive of Japanese design.

Tokyo Midtown Design Hub

The design networking stronghold to connect people, business, knowledge, etc. thorough design. It was established in April 2007 and functions as a space for exhibition, seminars and workshop.

Reconstruction Support Design Center

As of 1 June 1 2011, the Center will focus on projects supporting the reconstruction of the Great Eastern Japan Earthquake disaster area that:

build up the design with a changed sense of value through the earthquake disaster and research to develop social awareness through the design;
provide the opportunity for the output of the designers in disaster area; and
support activities for designers in the disaster area by the designers in non-disaster area.

For more information, please contact:

Japan Institute of Design Promotion
T: +81 3 6743 3777
E: info-e@g-mark.org

About Japan Institute of Design Promotion (JDP)

Founded in 1969 as the Japan Industrial Design Promotion Organization, the Japan Institute of Design Promotion (JDP) is the sole comprehensive design promotion center in Japan. JDP plays a key role in formulation and implementation of promotional and developmental measures for growth of the creative industries in Japan, partnering with industry, government and the creative community. JDP also works closely with the Japanese government to formulate national design policy. JDP is a multi-disciplinary institution with a vast network of design-related organisations from the private as well as public sectors and over 15 000 companies, including SMEs, across the Asian region. JDP is a promotional member of Icograda.