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Interview with Asuka Saito |
Home > Designer Interviews > Asuka Saito |
Editor Frank Scott (FS) from DesignPRWire has interviewed designer Asuka Saito (AS) for A’ Design Award and Competition. You can access the full profile of Asuka Saito by clicking here.
FS: Could you please tell us more about your art and design background? What made you become an artist/designer? Have you always wanted to be a designer?
AS: I received my diplomas/certificates from the Cultured Pearl Association of America (CPAA), City College of San Francisco, Revere Academy of Jewelry Arts, and Gemological Institute of America (GIA). First of all, I have wanted to express my idea, values, and imagination in design by using colors since I was little, and I decided to follow my inspiration to become a jewelry designer when I found there was 'jewelry design' in the design field. After that, I chose to start my jewelry business and chose to go to school all because I followed my vision to play a part in tackling social issues by delivering beautiful, high-quality, and conscience jewelry pieces. The thing that motivates me to design is loving design. It is really fun to see the work finished when I start to design from zero. Also, I love to see people smile at my design. Another thing that motivates me to design is the hope that my design might be able to make a difference even a bit for whomever and/or whatever.
FS: Can you tell us more about your company / design studio?
AS: My jewelry brand, three x seven Jewelry founded in 2020 is a San Francisco-based sustainable jewelry brand sold globally online that uses materials with low environmental impact and systems that contribute to society. At three x seven Jewelry, its mission is to make sustainable social change and tackle social issues by delivering beautiful, high-quality, conscience, and fair-priced jewelry pieces made with sustainable manufacturing practices and ethically sourced material to our customers. Combined with modern and thoughtful designs, meticulous details, and a strict quality standard, my design is made for all the modern people who value not only beauty but also its environmental and social impact.
FS: What is "design" for you?
AS: "Design" is how we communicate what an object does, or its function, through its shape or form. Good design improves the quality of life. Good design makes people smile, excited, sad, nervous, and enjoy a richness of novelty.
FS: What kinds of works do you like designing most?
AS: I like designing jewelry pieces that help play a part in tackling social issues as a result of using sustainable manufacturing practices and ethically sourced materials.
FS: When do you feel the most creative?
AS: When amazing ideas come up in my mind.
FS: When judging a design as good or bad, which aspects do you consider first?
AS: I consider how the design work to enrich people's lives in the true sense of the word or has the potential to do so. I believe that a good design not only has its beauty but also makes the world better.
FS: From your point of view, what are the responsibilities of a designer for society and environment?
AS: Be responsible and considerate of the messages we communicate through designs. Be conscious of the material and technology we implemented and their impact on the environment. One of the most important responsibilities of a designer for society and the environment is to design that improves the quality of life. It is not just about the aesthetic improvement of our environment – it is as much about the improved quality of life, equality of opportunity, and economic growth.
FS: Where does the design inspiration for your works come from? How do you feed your creativity? What are your sources of inspirations?
AS: I get a lot of inspiration from everywhere when I walk outside see nature, the organic shapes, and colors of flowers, leaves, and trees, talk to other artists about their creativity and have a dream while asleep. The inspirations for design realization come from approaches to find questions, through observation of the people and the community's behaviors and needs.
FS: How would you describe your design style? What made you explore more this style and what are the main characteristics of your style? What's your approach to design?
AS: My jewelry design is contemporary-ish jewelry, not just a symbol of wealth but also wearable art, inspired by forms and colors found in nature. Combined with modern and thoughtful designs, meticulous details, and a strict quality standard, my jewelry is made for all the modern people who value not only beauty but also its environmental and social impact.
FS: Where do you live? Do you feel the cultural heritage of your country affects your designs? What are the pros and cons during designing as a result of living in your country?
AS: Japan, where I was born and grew up, has a wide range of art styles and media along with a myriad of other types of works of art. It has a long history, ranging from the beginnings of human habitation in Japan, sometime in the 10th millennium BC, to the present. So my design is influenced by traditional art and techniques, and I make jewelry using Japanese traditional techniques for a new look, unique and beautiful piece of jewelry. I currently live in San Francisco, California, the USA. A beautiful region filled with iconic landmarks, startups, and trendsetting residents, San Francisco has long followed the beat of its own drum. Morphed and molded by its communities, the California metro area has been the heart of the bohemian lifestyle, the epicenter of the LGBTQ rights movement, and the launching point of the technology era. I believe the culture affects my design. I did rethink the concept of tradition and gender norms about jewelry that classify as "feminine" or "masculine" in time for today. So I started to design jewelry for anyone who loves jewelry, male, female, or gender nonbinary.
FS: What are your future plans? What is next for you?
AS: My goal as a jewelry designer is to make sustainable social change and tackle social issues by delivering beautiful, high-quality, conscience, and fair-priced jewelry pieces made with sustainable manufacturing practices and ethically sourced materials to people. Creating jewelry that you feel good about wearing. This is what I promise to deliver via my original jewelry brand. In my future plan, my next step is to make traditional technology and techniques correspond beyond cultures more with current lifestyles. To rethink the concept of tradition and gender norms regarding jewelry that classify as "feminine" or "masculine" in time for today is also one of the challenges for the future.
FS: Do you work as a team, or do you develop your designs yourself?
AS: Sometimes by myself, sometimes as a team.
FS: How can people contact you?
AS: Email
FS: Thank you for providing us with this opportunity to interview you.
A’ Design Award and Competitions grants rights to press members and bloggers to use parts of this interview. This interview is provided as it is; DesignPRWire and A' Design Award and Competitions cannot be held responsible for the answers given by participating designers.
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