New Delhi: From the 4th to the 6th of March, Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) will hold an exhibition titled Japanese Good Design Exhibition in India. This event will be the first of its kind to be held in India. It aims to promote the idea that “Good Design is Good Business,” and will highlight 95 products from Japan including appliances, cars, motorcycles, lifestyle items and even machinery. The exhibition will be held in association with Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI), the India Design Council and the Japan Industrial Design Promotion Organization (JIDPO) at the Federation House.

Background

In recent years industry has become increasingly aware of the importance of product design. In response to this growing awareness, India’s government announced their National Design Policy in support of fostering innovative design. Further to the announcement of the National Design Policy, India Design Council was set up and one of the key mandates of the Council was to establish a mechanism for recognizing and awarding industry achievers in creating a brand image for Indian designs through the award of an India Design Mark or I-Mark. To help establish India’s own award system, the India Design Council contacted the Japanese government to learn from their experiences in creating Japan’s Good Design Award. The Japan Industrial Design Promotion Organization (JIDPO) and India Design Council signed a memorandum of understanding in April 2010.

Objective of the exhibition

The Good Design Award is a comprehensive program for the evaluation and encouragement of design organized by the Japan Industrial Design Promotion Organization (JIDPO), which was established in 1957 by the then Ministry of International Trade and Industry (the current METI). JIDPO receives approximately 3,000 submissions from more than 1,000 companies and designers every year. These designs are screened by about 70 design experts, who select and recommend those designs worthy of the Good Design Award. However, the Good Design Award is not a beauty contest, nor is it an award that assesses the design’s outcome in economic terms. Rather, the Good Design Award is a system that aims to channel the eminent powers of design to build prosperous lives and encourage sound industrial development. Ultimately, it is a campaign to brighten and enrich society through design.

METI, through collaborative efforts, will offer support to establish an Indian design award alongside the Indian Design Council to create a mutually beneficial relationship between Japan and India. Additionally, a key aim of the event will be to further understanding of how design in Japan has contributed to industrial, economic and social development, and apply that knowledge in India.
The producer of the exhibition Kazuo Tanaka, President of the GK Design Group Inc. and board member of the International Council of Societies of Industrial Design (ICSID) says “What is design? It is not a job merely deciding a color or a form of an object. It can be rather defined as the “creation of being” of a thing and a matter. Through these conduct, design has become a driving force of developing rich societies. Design is capable to create a brief of matters and things. Design makes people’s daily lives comfortable and affluent by resolving today’s many kinds of problems. A beautiful and easy to use design might innovate our lives, society, and economy.”
Prof. Pradyumna Vyas (Member Secretary – India Design Council and Director – National Institute of Design) says, “Design is integral to the process of creating an effective system for the development of long term advantage and we need to foster the culture of good design practice and recognition of good design in the country. In this regard, IDC is committed to encourage the development of a Design led economy that is productive both ecologically and economically. The introduction of the India Design Mark is one significant step in this direction.”