Function → Price → Design → Context → ? The era of selling through "standard offerings" is upon us.

This time, we introduce "Misunderstandings of Design" by Manabu Mizuno, Atsushi Nakagawa, Keita Suzuki, and Yusuke Yonezu (Shodensha).
This isn't a design book; I believe it's a marketing textbook. Wouldn't "Misunderstandings of Manufacturing" have been a better title? It's so full of insights into business in this country that you can't help but think so.

What troubles manufacturers more than a lack of hits is the problem of "missing staples."

First, just think about it for a moment.
It doesn't matter what product category you think of—TVs, washing machines, cars, ballpoint pens, snacks, bags, anything. Is there anything in that category you would call a "standard"?

...Not many people could answer that immediately, right?
And this directly connects to the struggle many Japanese manufacturers face. The book shares this insight:

I once heard this from someone at an appliance manufacturer:
"Every year, we release new products with minor tweaks, but this market is saturated, and they don't sell particularly well. Honestly, we want to stop this product development cycle. (...) It would be great if we could keep selling the same thing for a long time." (P.28)

Japanese manufacturers' struggles often make headlines. We tend to focus on familiar issues like "no hit products" or "failing to capture overseas markets." But isn't the real, major problem actually the decline in products that sell well over the long term?

I've also heard similar concerns in the publishing industry: "There's a sharp polarization between explosive bestsellers and books that don't sell at all. Titles that sell steadily year after year as long-sellers are rapidly disappearing." Once this happens, it becomes increasingly difficult to take the time to truly engage with the market.
This book tackles this very lack of staples.

How to differentiate? Looking back at the changing times

During the era of high economic growth, demand was astronomically huge. You could probably make something and it would sell immediately. But now it's different. Most people already have enough stuff. Companies are desperately trying to differentiate themselves and create demand.
This article's title summarizes the evolution of their primary tactics.

The 1970s were the "Function Era," where companies competed through technological advancements.

By the 1980s, the "Lifestyle Proposal Era" emerged, where companies focused on enriching their product lineups rather than competing solely on individual items, exemplified by the birth of Muji.

The 1990s, following the bubble economy collapse, were above all the "Age of Price." Simultaneously, environmental issues increasingly became a focus, leading to the rise of eco-friendly products designed with recycling in mind.

The 2000s saw companies begin full-fledged collaborations with designers. Even those previously unconcerned with design began releasing stylish products, ushering in the "Age of Design." In today's era, where social media is ubiquitous and anyone can freely share information, corporate values and the intentions of creators reach the public more easily.

The 2010s have become the "context era," where products loved by people through word-of-mouth—those with social good value or compelling development stories—sell well.

The author predicts that classic products will become what people truly desire going forward. And this very argument is what makes this book unique.

Classic ≠ ordinary. Classic = standard.

The subtitle of this book is "The Mechanism for Creating the 'Standard' That Is Sought After Today."
So how do the authors define "classic"? Most people probably think of items that have been used for a long time, like Levi's 501 jeans. But the authors offer a unique perspective. The authors are a team that has consistently produced iconic products: Manabu Mizuno, Creative Director and head of good design company who oversees various projects; and Jun Nakagawa, President of Nakagawa Masashichi Shoten, renowned for products that blend traditional Japanese techniques with modern design.

Every time we try to buy something, we're overwhelmed by too many choices, often too similar, leaving us confused. That's modern life. Things are abundant, but it's hard to find the benchmark in that field. (P.38)

Driven by this awareness, they arrived at a solution: creating products that can be declared "THE [product name]". In other words, they concluded that a true staple is a product that can serve as the benchmark when choosing items.

Yes, a staple isn't just something ordinary, simple, or long-established.

The Five Elements Hidden Within a Classic

If a staple is a standard, then design is decoration, so the appearance should be simple... we tend to think this way. This very assumption that design equals decoration is the misconception about design referenced in the title. Design absolutely does not refer solely to decoration.

Considering the history of differentiation strategies mentioned earlier, features like "superior functionality" or "affordable pricing matching quality" have moved beyond being mere requirements—they're now expected.
Therefore, in manufacturing, focusing solely on "function" or "form" will never lead to designing a true classic. Mizuno identifies five conditions for a classic:

① Shape... A form that properly fulfills the elements demanded of the object
② History... Belongs to a category of objects that many people have loved for a long time
③ Material... High quality, with clear origins and responsible producers
④ Function... Possesses performance and capability that genuinely makes life convenient
⑤ Price... An "appropriate price" that doesn't compromise quality and isn't excessively high

If even one of these elements is missing, it cannot become a staple.

What thought process creates a new staple?

Meeting these five conditions and actually creating a staple product are two separate matters.
How do you conceive ideas and bring them to life?
Several approaches are introduced, but the most intriguing was the concept of "deriving essence from social consensus. "

Social Consensus is a term coined by Mr. Mizuno, with a nuance akin to latent shared understanding. It refers to the common recognition everyone already holds in their minds – like "sky is blue," "sports cars are red," or "rice bowls have this shape." Exploring this "authenticity" leads to new discoveries.

The "essence" of a genre often originates from the standard of its era. By following this pattern—"standard → essence"—we can create new standards. It's the pattern of "essence → new standard." (P.106)

What does this mean? Product designer Keita Suzuki shared his thoughts during the development of "THE" brand's popular "THE Soy Sauce Dispenser," featured in the book.

Not "inheriting" the standard, but "creating" it

The design's key point didn't stem from my own subjective feelings or inner desires as the designer. It came from observing Kikkoman's tabletop bottle—something everyone had long considered a classic—deciphering the needs of many people from it, and then contemplating what design was necessary. (P.136)

In other words, the very things that created the existing "essence" are packed with hints. They reflect the needs people have pursued across generations.

While the book details how specific needs were identified from the soy sauce dispenser and how it was updated, the key is to continuously verify how to incorporate "the needs essential for today" – insights gathered through various media and interactions – into this analysis. Doing so enables the creation of new standards that evolve beyond existing staples. For instance, Mr. Suzuki casually mentions in the text that the beauty standards demanded by the times can be succinctly described as "the beauty of simplicity." This shows that he is constantly conducting insights into the times.

"Know the past, consider the present, create the future."

The thought process cherished by the authors may sound like common sense. But precisely because it's not commonplace, this "THE" product stands out with remarkable presence.