Interview with So Koizumi

So Koizumi ("SK") interviewed on Tuesday, 20 June.

Could you please tell us about your experience as a designer, artist, architect or creator?

SK : After attending art colleges in Tokyo and Finland, I worked as a designer's assistant in Tokyo for seven years.

How did you become a designer?

SK : When I was 17, I went with my father to work in Germany and visited Bruder Klaus Kapelle (designed by Peter Zumthor). I still remember the impact it had on me, and looking back, I think it was then that I decided to become a designer.

What are your priorities, technique and style when designing?

SK : Themes from everyday life are considered in depth and a concept is developed through research and experimentation. At the same time, the output method is examined using both digital tools and manual work, leading to a final expression.

Which emotions do you feel when designing?

SK : When an idea is born, it is also the most exciting moment. When I am considering a design, I am in a state of selflessness in order to realise the idea.

What is your day to day look like?

SK : It is the accumulation of setting small goals to achieve a big goal and completing these small tasks on a daily basis.

How do you keep up with latest design trends? To what extent do design trends matter?

SK : I do not follow trends. Instead, I focus on emotions and events that I experience in my daily life.

How do you know if a product or project is well designed? How do you define good design?

SK : I think it's about having an appropriate sense of the times. This is because no matter how elaborate a design is, if it is out of step with the times and society, it cannot be called good design.

How do you decide if your design is ready?

SK : One by one, the small problems and gaps from the image that I discovered with my own eyes during the study are solved, and at a certain stage it becomes clear to me, and that is the moment of completion.

What is your biggest design work?

SK : The wind chime 'Seven', which received the A'Design Award this year, is one of the most important pieces of work.

Would you tell us a bit about your lifestyle and culture?

SK : I visited Berlin last year and was inspired by the city's attitude of respecting the past and trying to merge it with the future. Based on this experience, I am currently creating a new work.

What positive experiences you had when you attend the A’ Design Award?

SK : I was most interested in how my work would be evaluated by people abroad. I also hoped that this evaluation would motivate not only the designers themselves, but also the craftspeople who worked with them.

So Koizumi Profile