I realized that my curiosity lies in the fact that I can relate my own conceptions to some of the Japanese ideology. I believe this is because I grew up in Finland, where nature, quietness and simplicity are shared in both of the countries’ design philosophy. There is otherwise a huge contrast in the lifestyles and the differences in the worldviews between the West and Japan. Simplicity in Japan seems to be comparable to Western design principles of ‘less is more’; especially Scandinavian and Nordic design. The major difference is, though, that simplicity has existed far longer in Japan and is implemented into nearly every aspect of their society and culture.
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Instead of constantly searching for new perfection through focusing on technology and erasing a country’s traditions and culture, we can also aim for sustainable design solutions. Simplicity can present benefits for our society and way of living, yet we neglect it and keep striving for the most complicated and excessive. In today’s technology-saturated world, could we enhance our visual communication by examining the ancient Japanese aesthetic principles? ‘Greatness’ could exist in the inconspicuous and overlooked details. Sometimes answers can be found in the most unexpected forms.