Jisuke Matsuda

LEGENDARY INTERVIEW

Design Legends ("DL") had the distinct honour to interview legendary designer Jisuke Matsuda ("JM") for their original perspective and innovative approach to design as well as their creative lifestyle, we are very pleased to share our interview with our distinguished readers.

DL: Could you please tell us a bit about your design background and education?

JM : After leaving art school, I was self-taught.

DL: What motivates you to design in general, why did you become a designer?

JM : I tried various things, but I only had design abilities.

DL: Did you choose to become a designer, or you were forced to become one?

JM : I chose it myself.

DL: What do you design, what type of designs do you wish to design more of?

JM : Religion and fashion.

DL: What should young designers do to become a design legend like you?

JM : I'm not a legend, but I want to convey that people shouldn't imitate others.

DL: What is the value of good design? Why should everyone invest in good design?

JM : Passion seeks passion, generating even more passion.

DL: What would you design and who would you design for if you had the time?

JM : For the children of Syria, I want to think of ways they can avoid being shelled.

DL: What is the dream project you haven’t yet had time to realize?

JM : To express in posters something that encourages and guides children suffering from war, man-made and natural disasters.

DL: What is your secret recipe of success in design, what is your secret ingredient?

JM : I'm not successful so I don't know, but I value being conservative while also defying it.

DL: Who are some other design masters and legends you get inspired from?

JM : Stefan Sagmeister

DL: What are your favorite designs by other designers, why do you like them?

JM : Ikko Tanaka's posters, "Japan" (1986). The softness and gentleness of color and form.

DL: What is your greatest design, which aspects of that design makes you think it is great?

JM : "Finger Prints"

DL: How could people improve themselves to be better designers, what did you do?

JM : Loving people, expecting from people, being heartbroken by people. But still loving people without learning my lesson.

DL: If you hadn’t become a designer, what would you have done?

JM : Politician

DL: How do you define design, what is design for you?

JM : The shape of living and the shape of having lived.

DL: Who helped you to reach these heights, who was your biggest supporter?

JM : Help came from myself, my peers, and the biggest supporter was my mother who gave birth to me and luck.

DL: What helped you to become a great designer?

JM : I haven't become a great designer yet, but the desire to become one has been helpful.

DL: What were the obstacles you faced before becoming a design master?

JM : I haven't become a design master yet, but ideas and originality.

DL: How do you think designers should present their work?

JM : Responding to what is presented, rather than presenting something.

DL: What’s your next design project, what should we expect from you in future?

JM : Publishing that can promote and sell works of renowned Japanese figures across various genres, such as Akira Kurosawa, Haruki Murakami, and Shigeru Ban.

DL: What’s your ultimate goal as a designer?

JM : Creating works that can move people's hearts.

DL: What people expect from an esteemed designer such as yourself?

JM : I shouldn't be esteemed by anyone, but if I am, I think it's because I'm expected to break down the identity of Asians and Japanese people.

DL: How does design help create a better society?

JM : Designs that can be understood at a glance, such as pictograms, serve as symbols that can be understood without words.

DL: What are you currently working on that you are especially excited about?

JM : Even aside from what I'm working on, I'm always excited in my daily life.

DL: Which design projects gave you the most satisfaction, why?

JM : "Create Theatre Poster" Series

DL: What would you like to see changed in design industry in the coming years?

JM : In contrast to AI-generated designs, can we do the opposite using human hands?

DL: Where do you think the design field is headed next?

JM : With the increasing use of AI to create designs through programming, animation will become part of the design process, but there will also come a time when 2D, analogue and ukiyo-e prints such as those by Hokusai and Hiroshige will also be needed.

DL: When you have a new design project, where do you start?

JM : First, I write down words at random, then group the written word groups as if they were a mind map, and lay them out with emotions as the priority. The form of the words is then transformed into a form that is in line with the emotion.

DL: What is your life motto as a designer?

JM : My motto is to discover something in ordinary, everyday life.

DL: Do you think design sets the trends or trends set the designs?

JM : Trends set the designs.

DL: What is the role of technology when you design?

JM : The role of a marathon pacer, assisting in design.

DL: What kind of design software and equipment do you use in your work?

JM : My software is Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop and my equipment is Mac Studio.

DL: What is the role of the color, materials and ambient in design?

JM : What breathes life into design.

DL: What do you wish people to ask about your design?

JM : Why did you create that design?

DL: When you see a new great design or product what comes into your mind?

JM : Rather than something coming to mind, the mind is uplifted and bouncy.

DL: Who is your ideal design partner? Do you believe in co-design?

JM : I don't believe it.

DL: Which people you interacted had the most influence on your design?

JM : Takashi Akiyama

DL: Which books you read had the most effect on your design?

JM : Yukio Mishima

DL: How did you develop your skills as a master designer?

JM : I am not yet a master designer, but I'm on that path. I continue to absorb what resonates with me from literature, film, and music in my pursuit of mastery.

DL: Irrelative of time and space, who you would want to meet, talk and discuss with?

JM : Mark Elliot Zuckerberg

DL: How do you feel about all the awards and recognition you had, is it hard to be famous?

JM : It's because of competition that I am who I am today. The existence of rankings has enabled someone like me, who once had nothing, to create designs.

DL: What is your favorite color, place, food, season, thing and brand?

JM : My favorite color is Gray, Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and Black. My favorite place is Mitsukoshi and Isetan Department Store. My favorite food is banana. My favorite season is autumn. My favorite brand is COMME des GARCONS, Maison Martin Margiela, Engineered Garments and Needles.

DL: Please tell us a little memoir, a funny thing you had experienced as a designer?

JM : Humans deceive and insult each other, but design makes people gentler.

DL: What makes your day great as a designer, how do you motivate yourself?

JM : The power of feeling, that is the power of creating works.

DL: What do you think about future; what do you see will happen in thousand years from now?

JM : I'm not a prophet, so I can't say for certain, but I hope for a society free from conflict. In these times of declining population, I don't believe we're in a state of human prosperity. However, I hope that even 1000 years from now, humans will use their wisdom to avoid extinction like the dinosaurs and continue to maintain a rich and thriving world.

DL: Please tell us anything you wish your fans to know about you, your design and anything else?

JM : Jisuke Matsuda is still creating posters, and will undoubtedly continue to do so.