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Chiaki Murata has designed and produced a variety
of products that have somewhat humorous functions along with
simple yet eye-catching design styles. His electric candle, for
example, lights up when struck with a match-like stick and goes
off when someone blows the "flame" out. A cordless
cyclone vacuum cleaner stands up neatly in the corner of the
room as if it were a fashionable piece of home decor. A humidifier
takes the shape of a kettle and spouts out steam like a real
kettle with boiling water. For his own brand, "METAPHYS," Murata
skillfully designs his products so that each of them makes its
presence clearly known. What is unique about METAPHYS is that
its products are not produced by a single manufacturer; with
collaboration from a number of supporting businesses, Murata
designs, produces, and sells his products on his own, taking
a new approach in product distribution. |
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| The origin of the brand's name is metaphysics,
a philosophic term for scholarship that studies basic principles
to explain every existence. "I feel like my job as a designer
is more like a profession for serving people," laughs Murata. "You've
done your job right only when you have made your public pleased." Murata's
ideal, "rosy" scenario is that he first creates a good
design, which is then merchandised and marketed, and consumers
happily buy and use the product, which eventually makes the manufacturer
happy as well. In the past 20 years of his career, however, Murata
has found that such an ideal as a designer is often unrealistic.
He has experienced a number of cases into which he put time and
effort to yield the best possible design that in turn never made
it to an actual product. Why can't a good design be a good product?
It had puzzled Murata for a long time until he came to think whether
the existing distribution system might be the cause of the problem.
Murata realized that a good product design never reaches consumers
unless there is a good distribution system design. He believed
if manufacturers and distributors are not able to create a good
distribution system, then designers should be the ones who do the
job. Based on this idea, Murata established METAPHYS, for which
he, as the brand designer, leads the entire process of production
from design to manufacturing and distribution. He began with several
designs of prospective products, selected a target market for each,
and held forums and orientations to recruit manufacturers who might
be interested in making these new products. Soon he started receiving
offers from manufacturers and distributors throughout the nation,
which reversed his position as a designer from the one being chosen
to the one who chooses. Since then, METAPHYS has successfully expanded
its business nationwide, including its showroom and direct shop
in Tokyo. |
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While based in Osaka, Chiaki Murata
and his brand, METAPHYS, are far better recognized in the design
industry both in Tokyo as well as in the rest of the world. To
inspire his creative ideas, Murata again employs a unique method
of his own. "For METAPHYS, I use my own designing approach
that I call "design by action, which is obviously different
from conventional design styles," says Murata. "Generally
speaking, visual elements such as shapes and colors are considered
as a top priority in the process of designing. Instead, I take
a solution-business style approach: my design is defined by how
we solve a target issue. The most important thing here is to
determine problems, or "bugs," and this requires careful
observations. When I make observations and am able to detect
a bug, I have finished 80 percent of my work. The rest is for
colors and shapes and other visual matters."
Let's think about the case of designing a hanger, for example. When you take
off your business suit, would you take off the jacket first or the pants? Most
people would answer that they would take off the jacket first. When Murata asked
for a reason to those who answered the opposite, they said they would take the
pants off first because it is hard to put them on a hanger if the jacket is already
on it. This, in turn, indicates that most people who said they would take off
the jacket first must be finding it difficult as well to hang the pants after
the jacket. Here Murata finds a bug – a daily inconvenience to which nobody has
really given thought to a possible solution. For METAPHYS, "design by action" in
this case means to create a hanger on which the jacket can be hung first then
the pants without difficulty. "My goal is to turn my small discoveries in
everyday life to the products that inspire consumers' empathy, by adding a touch
of humor," says Murata. |
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Murata is also known for his activities that concern the protection
of the global environment. In addition to his eco-friendly designs,
he serves as a director for an NPO called Eco Design Network. "We
are using limited natural resources to make and consume things
for our daily lives. As a creator and a producer of material
things, I am keenly aware that my ethical views and responsibilities
are under scrutiny," says Murata. As a future project that
promotes environmental protection from Osaka, Murata has been
drawing a plan for the "Floating Lantern Project." The
project aims to encourage the revival of a tradition of floating
lanterns, which has been discontinued and become rather rare
nationwide because of environmental reasons. By making lanterns
with water-soluble materials that won't harm the quality of water,
Murata believes it is possible to preserve a long-cherished custom
while protecting the natural environment. He hopes that the beautiful
presentation of floating lanterns in the waterfront area will
inspire more interest in environmental issues among the people
of Osaka and that it also will attract businesses who wish to
showcase their environmental concerns. Murata passionately tells
us that the project can make a great event for the city's Water
Capital campaign scheduled next year. "I believe this is
a great way for Osaka city to show the world both the beauty
of Japanese culture and our concerns for the global environment," says
Murata, as he prepares for a presentation of the project to the
city sometime soon.
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February 13, 2008
Kana Yoshimi |
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With his motto "one design a day," Murata continues his own designing projects while working with sponsor companies to establish "Creator's Village," which provides presentation opportunities for young creators in Osaka.
Chiaki Murata is president and executive designer of hers
experimental design laboratory inc. and METAPHYS.
Born in 1959, Murata worked for SANYO Electric Design Center
and established hers experimental design laboratory in
1986. Murata has been actively and widely involved in the
design industry, including graphic design and interface
design in addition to his expertise area in product design.
Murata has received the Good Design Award Golden Prize
for the "3-direction shock recorder" (2001) and
the Small and Medium Enterprises Prizes for an unmanned
kite plane "Rescue System" (2005) and a round
partition system "FALCE (by METAPHYS)" (2005).
He has worked for international projects as well, including
designing a console for Microsoft's Xbox 360 (2005). Murata
has been appointed as a part-time instructor at Tama Art
University, director of Osaka Sogo College of Design Laboratory,
director of Japan Design Consultants Association, member
of Japan Industrial Designers Association, and director
of Eco Design Network. |
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Author Profile
Kana Yoshimi
Yoshimi works as a copywriter and interviewer and runs her own
office, Canariya Company. In collaboration with a talent agency,
Yellow Cab WEST, Yoshimi just launched a new project, "Bunkajin," to
support cultural figures in the Kansai region with their activities,
mainly in casting and producing.
Bunkajin http://www.bunkajin.jp/
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