"Designing 'Relationships'"

Dentsu Design Talk Session 78 (held September 24, 2013) featured a discussion with three individuals serving as stewards of the Japan UNICEF Association's "Prayer Tree Project." This project explored how design could bring smiles to children in Tohoku after the Great East Japan Earthquake. The speakers were Kazufumi Nagai, Osamu Fukushima, and Susumu Namikawa. The session aimed to consider the role of design for the future of society.

　

From Branding to Social Design

First, each of the three introduced themselves while sharing their recent work related to "social design."

Mr. Nagai of HAKUHODO DESIGN recounted that his initial spark came in the late 1990s while at Hakuhodo. As the sole creator on a specialized "Brand Consulting" team, he experienced "projects undertaken by cross-functional teams over extended periods—a departure from traditional advertising production, where you'd receive an orientation from the advertising department and present within two weeks." He then established HAKUHODO DESIGN himself in 2003, and in 2007 launched hakuhodo+design project, focusing more primarily on the social domain. As a specific example of his work, he cited the Japan rollout of the TAP PROJECT, which he has been working on with UNICEF since 2009. The project aims to raise awareness and understanding of the many children worldwide who struggle to access clean water by encouraging donations for tap water served free of charge in restaurants.

 

Shaping how products and companies benefit society

Mr. Namikawa of Dentsu Inc. Social Design Engine explained that around 2002-2003, they began "exploring how products could contribute to society, rather than just making commercials that make things look good." He introduced the first initiative to take shape: the "Thousand Toilets Project" by Oji Nepia, a toilet paper manufacturer, in partnership with UNICEF. This project uses a portion of product sales to build toilets in East Timor, which had recently gained independence and lacked infrastructure. With the catchphrase "We poop. We live," it represents a corporate initiative to contribute to society through toilet paper. They exhibited drawings by local children depicting their future dreams and photos of the installed toilets in Tokyo. This experience made him realize the potential for communication different from conventional advertising: "Seeing tangible results firsthand and sharing them spreads empathy." Subsequently, the project partnered with the Japan Committee for UNICEF to implement activities on October 15th, "Global Handwashing Day." This initiative led to further development: Saraya, a sponsor and manufacturer of detergents and soaps, launched its own "SARAYA 1 Million People Handwashing Project."

 

Can Design Power Support Disaster-Affected Areas?

Mr. Fukushima of Fukushima Design, the originator of the "Prayer Tree Project," worked primarily in advertising after becoming independent following a career as an art director at an advertising agency. However, upon learning about the lifestyle of social entrepreneurs, known as "changemakers," he changed his work approach at age 50. He now focuses his activities on the theme of "Design and Happiness." He was conducting "uninvited outreach lectures" at art universities, introducing many students to "Artbility," a contribution initiative that connects artistic talent with income. However, triggered by the Great East Japan Earthquake, he reflected, "I myself wondered if I could effectively use the power of design and creativity to provide direct support." "I wanted to bring smiles to the faces of children in the disaster areas that Christmas," he explained, approaching his acquaintances, Mr. Nagai and Mr. Namikawa, with the idea: "I wanted to create a system where many friends could come together, treating it as their own personal cause." Thus began the "Prayer Tree Project," centered around designers and transcending the boundaries of their usual work.

 

Organizing the entire project is itself design

Though the Prayer Tree Project began with Mr. Fukushima's "vision," his initial proposal was, "Simply raise 500 million yen, and designers would become Santa Claus, giving every child a 10,000 yen toy voucher." However, Mr. Nagai put the brakes on this idea. "Of course, raising money is important, but I felt it was better for the project's core to be the participating designers 'delivering something they put their heart into.' "In times like these, passion tends to take precedence, but unless you skillfully organize the feelings of everyone involved, the project won't gain traction and ultimately won't resonate," Nagai explained. Ultimately, the project design took shape: participating designers would each create an ornament, which would be displayed not only in the disaster-affected areas but also in Ginza, thereby amplifying the collective sentiment of all participants. "Mr. Nagai's initial proposal outlined all the stakeholders involved and included diagrams showing the motivations driving each one to participate in the project," said Mr. Namikawa. "Through this project, I came to understand 'project design' – that design means thinking through these deeper aspects, beyond just the surface level."

 

The Relationship Between Advertising Agencies and Social Good

 

So, how can advertising agencies be involved in improving society?

Mr. Nagai stated, "While the primary purpose of a company placing an ad is to communicate with the public, the origin of design itself should fundamentally be rooted more in cultural and social aspects than purely economic goals." He then outlined three possible directions. The first is "providing services that improve society alongside companies." Second, "identifying new, emerging initiatives valuable for the future society and using our creative skills to help spread them." Third, "operating as a business entity that solves social problems through creative power." He noted that leading companies in Europe and the US already place CSV (Creating Shared Value) at the core of their business. Responding to this, Mr. Namikawa pointed out, "Successful CSV examples integrate business and social contribution, but this is actually the same as the 'three-way win' concept that has long existed in Japan, where sellers, buyers, and society all benefit." Mr. Fukushima also introduced the idea of Mr. Soichi Ueda, producer at Think the Earth, stating, "Adding the time dimension of 'sustainability' to this creates the ideal 'four-way win'."

 

To connect social initiatives with greater reach

 

Finally, Mr. Namikawa posed the question: "When we talk about 'social,' where in society are we looking?" He continued, "While there are urban people who empathize with what we're doing, there are also those completely disconnected from it. It would be great if we could connect with the hearts of people who aren't currently committed to such causes."

Mr. Nagai reaffirmed today's theme of "relationship design," stating: "Rather than establishing an NPO to become direct participants driven by a desire to change society, we can harness our skills in design and communication. When these skills connect with social themes, they gain real power."

Drawing on his own experience, Mr. Fukushima concluded the talk by identifying future challenges: "When considering sustainability, the practical issue of how to handle money remains. Crowdfunding in Japan doesn't raise as much as overseas, so developing monetization mechanisms unique to Japanese society is also important."

(Planning & Production: Dentsu Inc. Human Resources Bureau, Aki Kanahara     Article Editing: Sugatsuke Office     Composition Support: Eiji Kobayashi)

　

Related E-book: "How to Spread Social Design" is available for purchase below