Gen Suzuki

Product Designer

Profile

Born in 1975. Graduated from Kanazawa College of Art. Graduated from the Design Products Course at the Royal College of Art. In 2014, after having worked for Panasonic and for IDEO at both their London and Boston offices, he established GEN SUZUKI STUDIO. The studio adjoins his home; with his approach, where design is integrated into life, he has designed for companies both domestically and abroad, including Herman Millar, Casper, Omron and E&Y. He has received many awards, including the GERMAN DESIGN AWARD Gold Prize, IDEA Gold Prize, and his work is in the permanent collection of the Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum. He is also a part-time lecturer at Tama Art University and Musashino Art University. He is July President for the Product Design at D&AD Awards, 2021.

GEN SUZUKI STUDIO

Thoughts on Design

Since products are things that are used in our ordinary, everyday lives, I view design as something inseparable from life. Though the field of design is widespread, when you regard it as being a part of life, design starts to merge into a single entity. My studio adjoins my home, and the prototypes I create are tested over and over in real-life situations. Designs for every day are quiet and unassuming; designs that don’t interrupt the surrounding atmosphere are good designs. Things that make you feel as though they have always been around are good.