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Friday, 9 December 2005 | senay
Yamaha's Design Studio London Opens Its Doors
On 1 December, 2005, Yamaha Corporation opened the Design Studio London in the United Kingdom to both gather information on product design and pursue design itself.
The Yamaha Product Design Laboratory (Yasuhiro Kira: General Manager) oversees the majority of the product design for Yamaha's musical instruments and audio-visual products. Design Studio London houses a permanent team of designers who work in conjunction with the company's design studios in Hamamatsu Japan, and the recently opened Design Studio Tokyo. The new London facility focuses on advanced design for products for release in the near future and for products set for launch in several years.
The Product Design Laboratory has been actively hiring non-Japanese designers since 2003 to further embrace the growing trend toward globalization in design and provide Japanese designers with a stronger international perspective while further enhancing their skills. Now with three non-Japanese designers, from the United Kingdom, Italy, and Germany, the laboratory designs products from the early concept stages through to completion and are helping revolutionize the design process by making it more cross-cultural and pluralistic in nature.
London, the site of the new design studio, is steeped in tradition built around a long history as a major urban centre. Nonetheless, it has also repeatedly been the scene of avant garde and cutting-edge creativity in many fields. Today, London is recognized as one of the most vibrant and creative cities in the world. For designers, London features top-quality and educational institutions and design / architectural studios that graduate many promising young designers. The city is a gathering point for creative minds to collaborate and exchange ideas in many different genres and disciplines.
Design Studio London was established for three key reasons: The first aim is to stimulate collaboration between personnel from different cultures in Hamamatsu, Tokyo, and London with an eye on advanced product design for both the near future and several years down the road. The second goal is to build networks between creative personnel from many different walks of life and foster mutual cooperation and creative initiatives between them. In turn, we hope we will develop innovative and uniquely new designs for Yamaha through these collaborations. Third, the London studio will be a center for gathering the latest data in product design, art, interiors, architecture, fashion, and other fields that are crucial for the design of musical instruments and other Yamaha products.
Mr. Kira, the executive officer who oversees design laboratory at Yamaha, discussed the opening of Design Studio London. "The new London studio will complement the Tokyo site in affording new design from a broader perspective. We hope the London studio will help Yamaha reappraise its identity from a multidimensional standpoint and foster advanced designs attuned to our near-term needs. In addition, we have great expectations for linking our in-house units involved in design with design activities across a broader spectrum in London." Yoshihiro Katsumata, who has been appointed manager of Design Studio London, discussed his aspirations for the studio. "Creative people with rich talents in the design, architecture, fashion, interior design, and a range of other genres gather in London. It is our hope that they will use their skills to build upon Yamaha's unique designs and overcome established preconceptions to propose advanced designs with their own innovative features."
Design Studio London at a Glance
Name :Design Studio London
Location : 37 Stukeley Street, London WC2B 5LT, UK
Telephone : +44 (0) 207 404 6900
Manager : Yoshihiro Katsumata
E-mail : yoshihiro_katsumatagmx  yamaha.com
For a profile of Mr. Katsumata, see the Designer's Message at the Yamaha Design English Website: http://www.global.yamaha.com/design/
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