Design History and Culture Laboratory
Creating designs for the future by learning from the past and understanding the present
The history and culture of design are deeply reflected in the product values of today. It is important to understand how the appearance of design has changed, how backgrounds and processes lead to certain designs, and how these are used and accepted by society. Designs that embody the development of science and technology and today’s affluent livelihoods have facilitated the inroads of technology into our lifestyles and materialized the forms desired by people. We will examine the relationship between technology, our livelihood and society from historical perspectives by examining historical documents, surveying artifacts, and interviewing the people concerned.

Affiliation | Engineering and Design (Manufacturing Systems and Product Design Course) |
Faculty Name | MASUNARI, Kazutoshi |
Academic Society | Society for Design and Art Fusing with Science and Technology Japanese Society for the Science of Design Japan Society of Liflogy Sangyo Gijutsu Shigaku-Kai |
Keyword | Product design, Product development, Ways of generating ideas, Interface design, Affective value creation, Service design, Information-intensive society, Molding, Man-machine interface |
Study Fields
- Engineering and design
- Product design
- History of design
- Culture of design
- Methods of generating ideas
For Society
In developing the digital devices and home appliances we use on an everyday basis, it is necessary to design products so that they can generate attractive value. Companies nowadays are seeking designers well-versed in advanced technology and engineers well-versed in design.Research Themes
- Research on the relationship between the number of ideas generated by drawing sketches and the attractiveness of these ideas
- Proposals on new styles of effectors for electric guitar
- Proposals on compact cars for young people in regional cities