Okayama Prefectural University was established in 1993 as Japan’s first university with a Faculty of Design. At that time, the Faculty of Design started with two departments: Visual Design, Craft and Industrial Design. With the changes of the times, two reorganizations have occurred, and currently, there are two departments: Design and Technology and Aesthetic Design.  However, in recent years, in response to the strong requests from the community, the current field of Architecture and Urban Design in the Department of Design and Technology will become independent as a department. Also, since the times have significantly changed, we want to promote education in fields that include planning, sharing, and distribution, which […]

Sapporo City University is a new university in Japan that opened in 2006. It is characterized by a unique initiative in which only two faculties, the Faculty of Design and the Faculty of Nursing, and the undergraduate education of the faculties are linked. The collaboration between the two faculties extends not only to education but also to research and university management. We have fostered interdisciplinary relationships for more than 13 years and termed it as D x N. The question “What is the significance of the academic collaboration of design and nursing?” is one of the questions often asked by many university officials. To us, the close collaboration on education […]

The results have finally been announced (click here for the previous part). After the presentation, Professor Yasuyuki Hirai of Kyushu University, Faculty of Design, gave a comment on each work and a general comment on this award. In addition, the comments of the three groups who were interviewed at the venue on that day will also be posted. Grand Prize: Extended Island Zhejiang A&F University Tang Zhongyu, Zheng Qingqing, Xu Mengting, Zhang Qing and Miao Wenqi Review The floating mass system, which uses seaweed cultivation, creates a sea forest in the intertidal zone and the coast to restore the ecosystem, is convincing and highly evaluated. It is also wonderful that […]

The “SDGs Design International Awards 2019” was held in 2019 by the Kyushu University, Faculty of Design’s SDGs Design Unit and Center for Designed Futures, inviting students from around the world to submit innovative ideas and designs addressing SDGs. On March 14th, 2020 (Saturday), the “SDGs Design International Awards 2019 Final Presentation and Award Ceremony” was held in the multi-purpose building at Kyushu University’s Ohashi Campus. The theme for this competition was “Changing the World through Design.” Students from around the world with interest in design were invited to submit their ideas on how to solve various issues. This competition served as an opportunity for the youth, the leaders of […]

Click here to read the 1st Association of Design Departments and Schools in Japanese Public Universities Conference report article (first part) Second part (latter half) Discussion After the case study, it was followed by a discussion on several topics of interest surrounding university design studies, the challenges faced by the universities, the example of success, discussions on what to expect in the future, and the possible themes for the conference in the future. Below are some of the topics. Creating a new organization Future University Hakodate   Looking at the case studies, the direction of reorganization at all universities is similar. When I look at the universities overseas, I feel that […]

The 1st Association of Design Departments and Schools in Japanese Public Universities Conference was held on Saturday, October 5, 2019, at the International Design Liaison Center in Tokyo Midtown Design Hub.Under the organizer of the Kyushu University Faculty of Design, the Center for Designed Futures of Kyushu University, and the Japan Institute of Design Promotion, a total of 18 universities attended the conference. Before the program commenced, Mr Akira Tamagami, Deputy Director-General of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, Mr Takuya Kikuchi, Assistant Manager of the Cool Japan Policy Division and Design Policy Office, Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry / Service Group, gave short speeches. The […]

Kyushu University School of Design was formed in 2003 when Kyushu Institute of Design merged with Kyushu University. The institute was established in 1968 with four departments, namely Environmental Design, Industrial Design, Visual Communication Design, and Acoustic Design. In 1997, the department of Art and Information Design was established as the fifth department. Since the establishment, there have been numerous social issues involving a change in values, such as declining birth rate and aging population, global environmental problems, and the sustainability of economic activities. As such, it is necessary to reexamine design education, given that the design field is expanding due to the present issues. Currently, the field of design […]

Novomber 27, 2017 FY 2017 The 1st Association of Design Departments and Schools in Japanese Universities Conference 7 participating universities▼ Sapporo City University, Chiba University, University of Tsukuba, Tokyo University of the Arts, Shizuoka University of Art and Culture, Kyoto Institute of Technology, Kyushu University   June 9, 2018 FY 2018 The 1st Association of Design Departments and Schools in Japanese Universities Conference 8 participating universities▼ Sapporo City University, Iwate University, Chiba University, University of Tsukuba, Tokyo University of the Arts, Shizuoka University of Art and Culture, Kyoto Institute of Technology, Kyushu University   May 18, 2019 FY 2019 The 1st Association of Design Departments and Schools in Japanese Universities […]

In March 2020, Association of Design Departments and Schools in Japanese Public Universities released Design Academia, its 2019 yearbook summarizing the activities of the universities which participate in the association. The first half of Design Academia covers innovative initiatives and educational curricula of member universities, as well as the composition of the organization. It also includes a report on the 1st Association of Design Departments and Schools in Japanese Public Universities Conference held in October 2019. From the discussions on the day of the conference, one can get a sense of the current trends among design schools, and the vision toward which design education is striving.   Both students and […]