Design Magazine AXIS Vol.222 on Sale February 28 !

Feature
Design education connected to society

A newly established technical college for young students who have just graduated junior highschool aims to foster entrepreneurs capable of making things and affecting society.... Artuniversities venturing into collective projects with consulting companies to solve issues localsociety is facing.... Options for being exposed to and learning design are increasing includingbranch-school facilities where students come up with new ideas and concepts through deskwork and practice in a rich natural environment. Behind this are shifts in the kind of humanresources involved in the design society is demanding.Design education has been taken up as a discussion theme even at study meetings led by theMinistry of Economy, Trade and Industry that assembles suggestions regarding the significanceand roles of design demanded by society. There is an urgent need to shift from conventionalindustrial promotion and reinforcement of competitive strengths to initiatives that contribute tocreativity in cultural and social values.The featured articles in this issue of AXIS close in on newmovements in Japanese design education that place more importance on connections withsociety with which what is learned and understood in design will be returned and contributedbroadly.

KAMIYAMA educational Institute
Changing Japanese society through learning the entire process from design to launching a business

Despite being located in a mountainous region in Tokushima Prefecture, Kamiyama-cho (thetown of Kamiyama) is attracting attention as a pioneering area in local revitalization. There, theKAMIYAMA educational institute (KAMIYAMA Marugoto KOSEN) is scheduled to open in Aprilthis year. With its mission of rearing 40% of its graduates as entrepreneurs, its students,ranging from age 15 to 20 under a full boarding system, study "technology x design xentrepreneurship" through a concentrated curriculum. What kind of education will be providedthere? Why does it have to adopt the form of a technical college? We spoke with those involvedin its establishment.

Design education for the future as related by graphic designer Taku Satoh and creative director Naoki Ito

The key when thinking about society 10 to 20 years ahead is design education for our younggenerations who will carry our future. Taku Satoh who has been stimulating children's curiosityin design through producing such TV programs as Design Ah! on NHK Educational TV, andNaoki Ito who just took on the position of curriculum director at KAMIYAMA educationalinstitute (Kamiyama Marugoto KOSEN), which opens this spring, talked about design educationfrom here on, which is expected to extend over various specialized fields.

Sci Tech File
Sci Tech File Exploring supergenes to unravel the mystery of swallowtail butterfly mimicry

When you hear the word "mimicry," you tend to imagine insects that mimic dead leaves and treebranches. There are, however, various types of mimicry, such as the walking flower mantis thatmimics the orchid flower and eats insects that come close to it, caterpillars that appear as birddroppings on leaves to avoid being eaten by birds, and butterflies that mimic unpalatablebutterflies to prevent natural predators from coming close. We talked to Professor HaruhikoFujiwara at the Graduate School of Frontier Sciences, The University of Tokyo, who unraveledthe functions of "supergenes" that hold the key to clarifying from the genetic level themechanism in swallowtail butterflies that mimic unpalatable butterflies.

Kinya Tagawa's BTC Talk Jam
Guest : Shohei Takei (Nomena Founder, Engineer)

This series navigated by Kinya Tagawa of the design innovation firm Takram talks with toprunners who connect the three fields of business, technology, and creativity. It closes in on theworks, and ideas behind them, of those who will attract attention in future society.

TOHOKU Research by TAKT PROJECT
Indigenous perception

There must be "something" that was forgotten in the process of developing a city centeredaround human beings. I visited places in the Tohoku region (north-east Japan) that possesses aharsh nature and a unique "fringe" culture in an attempt to find clues to future design fromwhat has been forgotten there.

INSIGHT
Asymmetric River Cargo Logistic Solution　by Marco Zaninid

talian architect and designer Marco Zanini proposes the innovative asymmetric logistic solutionCOMBOYO to tackle challenges in agriculture, one of the largest industry in Brazil. Weinterviewed him about the concept of COMBOYO and the thoughts behind it.

Quantum Art Festival marks the beginning of a new encounter between artand science

Quantum Art Festival was an attempt to bring the frontiers of quantum computer researchclose to our daily lives. What emerged was the efforts of scientists investigating the highlyuncertain quantum movement and aiming to develop the most powerful computer in the worldconceivable today. The article looks back at what the Art Festival aimed to achieve.