Naoto Fukasawa

Industrial is the new contemporary. Today, the world of electronics has taken on a distinct, minimalist look and feel. Cell phones, PDA’s, and desktop computers have become more industrialized with design functionality. Very few people have any idea of the mind behind such sleek, spareness. The next time you dial up a song on your iPod, or make a call on your iPhone, you may want to thank Naoto Fukasawa.

Fukasawa is a Japanese industrial designer born in Yamanashi, Japan in 1956. He graduated from Tama Art University in 1980. He lacks the fame of Jonathan Ive of Apple, but many believe Naoto Fukasawa to be the real influence behind those ubiquitous Apple products. In today’s world, modern product design is as much of a business strategy as any other, in fact it has become more important than most. Fukasawa, based in Tokyo, is credited by A-list designers of Intel, Hewlett-Packard, and Apple for the inspiration for sleek elegance. Linar Design’s Principal Ken Wood admits that Fukasawa inspired the Apple Powerbook design that in many ways began the notebook revolution.

A Fukasawa design creates dialogue. One of his famed creations is a humidifier that resembles a Krispy Kreme donut, without the cream. His philosophy is to create “without thought.” He explained this concept in an interview with Business Week in 2007, "When we walk and take steps on the ground, we sense and choose the surface for each step. But this is more about our subconscious response," he continues. "However, being subconscious does not mean to be without thinking. It means that our brain may not be conscious about something, but parts of our body such as hands and legs recognize the environments and react to the situations or to things." read more