Call for papers: Design in contemporary Japan

The Design Journal  ('Dezain no genjo: Design in contemporary Japan')

CALL FOR PAPERS - Deadline: 29 August 2012

Few nations have seen the public image of their design and manufacturing sector change so quickly and drastically as Japan since 2000. 

Postwar Japan's manufacturing-intensive economy and promotion of private consumption fostered the development of design industries - product, fashion, graphic, vehicle, textile, furniture, etc. - as integral to product development and promotion. 

After 1990, these now-established design industries faced new conditions such as decreasing domestic spending, offshore manufacturing, domestic disasters and the influx of digital technology.

Today, as 'minimalist good design' and 'kawaii' continue to dominate perceptions of the nation's products and aesthetic worldwide, general and industry media alike regularly report on Japan's decline vis-a-vis the rise of Korea and China as emerging leaders in electronics and other key industries. 

The manufacturing sector's troubles - related also to the 3.11 disaster, subsequent power disruptions, the high yen, lowered domestic consumption and a somber mood nationally - 

have only added to the challenges facing designers, both independent firms and in-house design divisions.

Against this difficult terrain for some established design areas, however, Japanese fashion retains its global cachet amongst consumers of high-end and street fashion alike. And newer design industries such as game, service and interaction design continue to take advantage of digitisation, the global popularity of anime and manga and design's increased draw for business and policy to shape digital and physical experience in new ways.

This special issue of The Design Journal will explore the current state of key design disciplines and industries in Japan today, and investigate potential next steps and directions that they might take. It invites proposals that identify and critically analyse the present and future of particular industries or issues, both established and emerging. Submissions that map the impact of recent change on design industries and identify strategies developed by actors for adapting, even thriving, in new circumstances, are particularly welcome.