Kenji Takahashi has worked on spatial concept design in a wide range of fields, from corporate showrooms to cultural facilities. Takahashi has always been committed to capturing the essence of displays and creating moving experiences from his own unique perspective and approach. He will talk about the secrets of spatial design he has cultivated over his 20-year career, and the thoughts he holds dear as a designer.
Takahashi is the room chief of the Creative Headquarters concept design Department 7, 2nd concept design Center, and leads a team of 9 members. He is working on a variety of projects that transcend market domains.
Takahashi: "concept design team at our Osaka office is divided into three major fields: commercial, corporate, and cultural, but we work on a wide range of spaces across fields, from corporate showrooms and museums to displays spaces at cultural facilities.
Currently, I am working on multiple projects at the same time, but the process of grasping the essence of the facility and thinking about how to communicate it is the same in each field. Recently, I have been involved from the concept stage of the project, and I have had more opportunities to be involved not only in displays space but also in proposing architectural concept design."
Takahashi has been involved in a wide range of projects to date, and the project he is currently working on can be considered the culmination of his career.
Takahashi: "The project I'm currently working on is a complex consisting of a product displays floor, an experience displays floor, workshops, a cafe, and shops. I'm mobilizing all of the technology and knowledge I've cultivated so far, while also taking advantage of my experience in aquariums, museums, restaurants, retail stores, theme park attractions, and architectural concept design."
Takahashi has always tried to take on a wide range of work without being picky. As a designer, he has a set of beliefs he will not compromise on.
Takahashi: "Through repeated dialogue with our customers, we identify the message they most want to convey, and pursue how to express it in a way that will resonate deeply with our visitors. Each facility handles different products and content. We are always conscious of coming up with fresh and unique approaches, and aim to propose ideas that will excite our customers.
We believe it is difficult for visitors to empathize with and be moved by something that does not move us as creators. Rather than just thinking that we understand something by looking at photos and documents, it is important to see the actual site and the actual items."
▲ Hiyoriyama Coast Museum
Since joining the company, Takahashi has mainly worked in the field of corporate displays, but at the same time, his active involvement in competitions has given him the opportunity to broaden the scope of his career.
Takahashi: "The first time I participated in a competition was because the head of the concept design department asked me to. After trying a few times, I had more opportunities to be involved in competitions as well as displays, and I became familiar with the sales staff within the company.
A competition is a race against other companies, so high creativity and the ability to respond quickly are essential. It's tough, but the challenge is worth it, and I feel that this experience has become the foundation of my career as a designer."
Takahashi was promoted to room chief in 2014. The following year, he was put in charge of the Hiyoriyama Kaigan Museum project, which marked a turning point for him.
Takahashi: "The Hiyoriyama Coast Museum is a facility within Kinosaki Marine World, and is a museum with the theme of "life" that tells a story. The entire space has been concept design based on the concept that the keepers working at the facility themselves will talk about the knowledge and discoveries they have gained through their breeding activities.
After meeting the zookeepers face-to-face and hearing about how they deal with the animals and the struggles they have faced, I suggested incorporating the words that moved me directly into displays, and I incorporated these into concept design.
I faced concept design I wanted to express head on, and as a result it resonated with the customer and I think it was a project that came together successfully."
For this project, Takahashi was involved in everything from the architectural concept design to schematic design and logo concept design of the facility, in addition to displays. Behind this was the relationship of trust he had built up with the client over the years.
Takahashi: "Usually, architecture and displays are often carried out separately, but in this project, we sat down with the client and asked them, 'Is this really the right thing to do?' We discussed the architectural concept design and the interior concept together over a period of about three years, and created them together.
I am the third generation of designers to have inherited a relationship that dates back 40 years, and I believe that the reason we have been able to work together as partners from the early planning stages is because our predecessors built relationships of trust with clients and created an environment in which we could demonstrate our creativity."
Since its opening in 2019, the Hiyoriyama Kaigan Museum has won various concept design awards both in Japan and abroad, giving Takahashi a solid sense of accomplishment as a designer.
Takahashi: "For displays, we treated the 30-metre-wide wall as a single large canvas, and arranged the visuals and displays simply, starting with a copy with a strong message. Museums tend to have a lot of text, but perhaps the fact that we kept it to a minimum led to the award.
After a career spanning almost 20 years, I feel that I have finally reached a point where I can relax and focus on expression and concept design with trusted colleagues."
▲ Kinosaki Marine World Fish displays Area "SeaZoo"
As a follow-up project to the Hiyoriyama Coast Museum, Takahashi will also be in charge of renovating the SeaZoo, a fish displays area also located within Kinosaki Marine World, in 2024.
Takahashi: "I was involved from the planning stage of displays concept, and together with the same people in charge and keepers as last time, we worked out the overall concept design of the space, the walls around the aquarium tanks, and the communication concept design to convey information about the creatures.
The concept of the new displays "CUBE" in the SeaZoo is "Towards an aquarium with more conversation". We aimed for an displays style that would encourage new surprises and discoveries by utilizing 20 cube-shaped aquariums, conversations with the keepers, illustrations, and graphic boards.
At "SeaZoo," the white space has been meticulously concept design to make the aquarium, the main attraction, look like a museum piece. The communication-oriented displays create a new experience.
Takahashi: "When you think of an aquarium, it's not uncommon for visitors to simply walk past a row of tanks along the wall. So we set up communication boards next to the tanks and wrote short texts in the keepers' own words about things they found interesting or impressed while observing the creatures, or things they wanted visitors to pay attention to, without using standardized expressions.
This created a flow where visitors would look at the aquarium tanks after reading the communication board and sharing the zookeepers' perspectives and thoughts, and then look at the aquarium tanks again. If the boards were just lined with academic explanations, visitors would move on without even looking at them, but now more visitors stop to look at the zookeepers' raw words and illustrations.
Additionally, we installed monitors throughout the facility where life-sized zookeepers would appear and talk to the animals, which proved effective in significantly increasing the length of time visitors stayed at the zoo."
Meanwhile, Takahashi also took on a bold concept design challenge in the competition for the "Waste Processing Tour Route" for the "Kikuchi Environmental Factory Clean Forest Koshi," which he took on with our client in 2021. This was also a project that culminated in the spirit of challenge that he has always cherished as a designer.
Takahashi: "Normally, in this type of facility, the theory is that information is provided on the walls, but we designed an information space in the style of a 'sugoroku' game, eliminating the boundary between the wall and the floor, and connecting explanatory graphics, displays content, and concept design graphics with a single line.
Along the tour route, information is scattered on the walls and floors like a board game, allowing children to learn about the waste treatment process in a fun way by reading explanations of the waste treatment facilities visible through the viewing windows and taking part in quizzes. To keep children entertained until the very end, we aimed for a design that allows them to progress to the next process like turning the pages of a picture book.
I believe that the key to success is to find an element of enjoyment in any job and create concept design that satisfy me. Rather than deciding whether or not to take on a project based on the genre, I have always sought ways to make the project itself appealing and to please the customer."
▲ Mori Goshi of Kikuchi Environmental Factory Clean "Guided by a single line, we explore the story. A tour route of waste processing"
Takahashi says he feels rewarded when he discovers a concept design approach that brings unique value and experience to a space, or a clue that creates emotion. He has an aspirational goal as both a room chief and a designer.
Takahashi: "There is no need to follow existing theories. Different people have different perspectives. Each member of our team will honestly and unashamedly share what has moved them and their strong feelings, and we want to be a professional group that can create concept design that ultimately lead to customer satisfaction.
Personally, I want to be a designer who is always pursuing new expressions. Currently, I am in charge of not only displays spaces but also commercial facilities, but the importance of identifying the essence and how to convey it remains the same. I would like to continue challenging myself in various genres in the future.
People around me often say, "You look like you're having fun at work," but I feel that I'm at my most myself when I'm enjoying my work and working on concept design that I think are really good. I question common sense, dig deep into things that I find strange, find a point of view, and incorporate that into concept design. I intend to continue to face concept design that I want to express head-on."
Finally, speaking from the perspective of someone who has been at the forefront of design for over 20 years, Takahashi has this to say to his future colleagues:
Takahashi: "NOMURA is a company where you can get involved in anything you want, from spatial design to graphics, video, and even architecture, as long as you have the motivation. I hope you will find your own enjoyment in this ideal environment."
Even with a career spanning more than 20 years, Takahashi's desire to explore new forms of expression is inexhaustible. His challenge to identify the essence and give form to emotions continues to expand into unknown territory.
*The information provided is current as of November 2024.
He studied industrial concept design at university and joined NOMURA in 2000. Since then, he has always considered "how people and information should communicate" in any job, and has taken on the challenge of working in a variety of business formats, regardless of genre, including corporate museums, events, amusement facilities, and cultural facilities.
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