It’s a mistake to believe that the primary goal of design is beauty. Aesthetic satisfaction is, and should be, a byproduct. MUJI, the successful Japanese product design company, has confidently accepted this idea: Rather than relying on visual enticements to capture customers’ attention, MUJI produces what it calls “quality goods” that it feels are better characterized by terms like “simplicity” and “emptiness” than by “beauty.” The company’s three-word motto, “This will do, ” underlies its approach to aesthetic considerations. It is up This story is from Kinfolk Issue Forty-Nine Buy Now Related Stories Design Issue 51 John Pawson From the king of minimalism: “I find the essential and get the design down to a point where you can’t add or subtract from it.” Design Interiors Issue 51 Axel Vervoordt Inside the world of Axel Vervoordt. Design Issue 51 Inga Sempé “Minimalism is boring as hell, and on top of that, it’s preachy.” Design Issue 51 Halleroed Meet the giants of Swedish retail design. Design Issue 51 Andrew Trotter The architect and designer on renewing traditional architecture. Design Issue 51 Kim Lenschow The architect who wants to show you how your house works.
Design Issue 51 John Pawson From the king of minimalism: “I find the essential and get the design down to a point where you can’t add or subtract from it.”
