KOKUYO DESIGN AWARD 2023
Final Judging Report
Embrace diversity.
Works full of positive potential were recognized with the awards.
On March 18, 2023 the final judging for KOKUYO DESIGN AWARD 2023 was held, and one Grand Prix and two Merit Award winners were decided. We received 1,023 applications from all over the world—515 from Japan and 508 from overseas. “Sahara,” by university student Hitoshi Ohbi, was awarded the Grand Prix.
KOKUYO DESIGN AWARD 2023 is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year. The theme “embrace” means “include” or “hold” in Japanese, but especially in the West, it means to “cultivate open-mindedness” about various differences, inequalities, and diversity. Although it is not a very familiar word in Japan, we’ve decided to spread a new sense of value through the design award and selected this term to make a social statement that we should tackle major issues both in societies and the global environment.
The work chosen for the Grand Prix was created by a university student
In the final judging on March 18, all the finalists gave presentations at the venue for the first time in three years since the global pandemic. The presentations and question-and-answer session were streamed online, and the winners were voted on by the judges following private deliberations. As a result, “Sahara” by Hitoshi Ohbi, a university student, won the Grand Prix.
“Sahara” is a painting palette without partitions, and a work full of fun and surprise as the colors of the paints mix through the rolling contours like those in a desert. “It’s a tool that’s not meant to bring you closer to completing the image in your head, but to expand your ideas as you make your way there. The idea of making the palette look like a vast desert was inspired by Saint-Exupéry’s The Little Prince,” Hitoshi explained. The presentation featured a poetic view of the world through animation and actual pictures made by children using the palette. The judges also had the chance to use the prototype and see for themselves the joy of mixing colors to create unexpected new ones.
The video in his presentation in the final judging. It conveyed a world view of discovering new colors through animation.
The work was highly praised during deliberations with comments such as “The idea and prototype are very high level,” “It has a poetic story that makes you want to use it,” and “The way the world is colored is sure to change. It’s foreshadowing a positive future.” Hitoshi said with a smile, “I’m honored. I’m glad I could win the Grand Prix even though I don’t have much experience with design. I’d like to actively continue manufacturing in the future.”
Hitoshi Ohbi expresses his joy in receiving the award. “I just put on a bear hoodie (thinking I wouldn’t win),” he said, making the audience laugh.
Two works were presented the Merit Award
“Fall Leaf Colored Pencils” by Shunsei Yoshida and “EMBRACE NOTE” by Guo Chenkai were chosen to receive the two Merit Awards. Normally three works are selected, but as a result of deliberations, it was decided that a third work did not qualify this time.
“Fall Leaf Colored Pencils”, as the title suggests, is an art material that solidifies colors in the shape of fallen leaves. The creator, Shunsei Yoshida, pondered the state of things around us that are “untidy” and came up with the idea, “If fallen leaves scattered on the ground are considered ‘beautiful,’ let’s make a product that looks similar even when it’s not being used.” The work was recognized for its fresh perspective on modest daily life and its visual beauty. In the deliberations, the gap between the prototype presented in the final judging and the proposal made in the initial judging became the main focus. Although there were some issues raised such as the thin parts breaking easily, after repeated discussions, there was an increasing number of voices who appreciated the feeling when holding it in their hands, ultimately leading to the award.
Shunsei Yoshida. The judges were moved by his sincere responses in the question-and-answer session at the final presentation.
“EMBRACE NOTE” is a notebook by Guo Chenkai from China. By gradually erasing the borders of the pages and transitioning to a solid white color, a “new way of writing” was proposed that gently fuses the writer’s logical thinking and intuition.
Guo said, “The lines and the solid color are like the edge of the waves between the ocean and the sandy beach,” which caught the attention of the judges. During the deliberation, expectations were high for the new value that this notebook could provide, such as “gradation’s influence on our way of thinking” and the “potential to develop a series of notebooks.”
Guo Chenkai. The judges commented that the minimalist and tranquil concept had a “Japanese sensibility.”
In addition, although it did not win an award, “Stationery Cosmetics” by Shingo Iwasa and Atsushi Tanaka was highly evaluated as a work embodying this year’s theme of “embrace” for its perspective on making makeup familiar regardless of gender. The proposal of “Marine Plastic Crayons” by yururaka, consisting of Koro Yagi and Nana Fukazawa, was also highly evaluated for its excellent concept of using marine plastic waste as colors to create art materials of the future, but there were heated discussions about its feasibility as a product amongst the judges.
“Know more,” made by Aditya Dilip Kulkarni, Pohit Bisht, and Vishnu Raj Azhikodan of Quolt Design from India, was selected for the Audience Award, which is chosen by the audience. Their goal was to develop content on global issues, such as endangered species and environmental destruction, as product packaging designs and attract the interest of consumers. KOKUYO President Hidekuni Kuroda said, “We’re also working on product packaging with an awareness of these issues. I’m happy that they presented this from a global perspective.”
The members of Quolt Design said, “We’re glad we could present our ideas in Japan. We’d like to think about the next step to make this a reality.”
The 20th anniversary milestone of the award
After the judges’ announcement and the award ceremony, a talk show was held by the six judges and moderated by Ryuko Kida (brand director of ELLE DECOR magazine). In the talk show, they chatted about their thoughts on the theme “embrace” and the finalists. “I had the chance to see the power of embracing and accepting various things from a positive perspective.” (Kawamura), “How do we consider the whole Earth and not just people? This was an opportunity to rediscover the potential and roles of design.” (Tane), “I think that the KOKUYO DESIGN AWARD’s unique form of ‘embrace’ was created by focusing on the small changes in daily life and inspiration.” (Tamura), “It was fun to judge from a variety of perspectives as the works were improved from the initial to the final judging.” (Yanagihara), “I’m glad a work that ‘moves people’s hearts with the power of things’ was selected for a design award for the 20th anniversary.” (Yoshiizumi).
Lastly, KOKUYO President Kuroda, who has overseen the process over the past year as an organizer, concluded KOKUYO DESIGN AWARD 2023 with the following comments. “I’m relieved we were able to successfully conclude the 20th design award. Over the past 20 years, as a manufacturer, we’ve been experimenting to see how design can be beneficial to the world while hosting this award. In recent years, the number of applications from overseas has increased, and the field of design has been expanded. We’ll continue to our efforts to make the world a better place through the power of design in the 21st award next year and onward.”
