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Interview with Tetsuya Matsumoto |
Home > Designer Interviews > Tetsuya Matsumoto |
Editor Frank Scott (FS) from DesignPRWire has interviewed designer Tetsuya Matsumoto (TM) for A’ Design Award and Competition. You can access the full profile of Tetsuya Matsumoto 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?
TM: My grandfather was painter and he taught me how to draw. I think my design foundations are greatly due to my childhood experiences.
FS: Can you tell us more about your company / design studio?
TM: Established in 1976, Matsuya Art Works is a four decades company acting in the architecture, interior design, and construction industries. The company has a wide range of building types in the portfolio, yet specialized in the commercial projects. Matsuya Art Works conduct projects according to the client’s business strategy from its blastoff until the reception of the completed building or interior and even beyond to guarantee a perfect functioning of the business. The KTX archiLAB was founded in 2006 to sustain this activity by producing very high quality designs. This Japanese based company has received several local and international awards for projects conducted both in Japan and in foreign countries.
FS: What is "design" for you?
TM: Design is everything; it is just something that I'm constantly thinking about.
FS: What kinds of works do you like designing most?
TM: Whatever, everything is worth designing.
FS: What is your most favorite design, could you please tell more about it?
TM: Commercial and medical spaces, as it represents most of our projects.
FS: What was the first thing you designed for a company?
TM: A renovation of a driving school.
FS: What is your favorite material / platform / technology?
TM: We work mostly on the A&A Vector Works software, it allows me to control the designs to the smallest details.
FS: When do you feel the most creative?
TM: Midnight in my soundproof room.
FS: Which aspects of a design do you focus more during designing?
TM: I focus on how to design spaces that fits my clients' business strategies.
FS: What kind of emotions do you feel when you design?
TM: It depends. Every project is unique.
FS: What kind of emotions do you feel when your designs are realized?
TM: It depends. Every project is unique.
FS: What makes a design successful?
TM: I want to know that.
FS: When judging a design as good or bad, which aspects do you consider first?
TM: How benefic is the design for the client.
FS: From your point of view, what are the responsibilities of a designer for society and environment?
TM: To influence the local economic situation.
FS: How do you think the "design field" is evolving? What is the future of design?
TM: I think nowadays design is, and will be in the future, in a constant competition with the IT field.
FS: When was your last exhibition and where was it? And when do you want to hold your next exhibition?
TM: No exhibition plans for now.
FS: Where does the design inspiration for your works come from? How do you feed your creativity? What are your sources of inspirations?
TM: That's what I want to know.
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?
TM: As an architect, I put the priority on the functional floor plan. Just a beautiful box but non-functional is a nonsense for architecture.
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?
TM: We have world heritage Himeji castle in our hometown and I think it definitely affects our designs. Not only the castle but the also the huge Japanese cultural heritage.
FS: How do you work with companies?
TM: I work exclusively for our company Matsuya Art Works / KTX archiLAB.
FS: What are your suggestions to companies for working with a designer? How can companies select a good designer?
TM: No idea.
FS: Can you talk a little about your design process?
TM: First, make a fully functional floor plan, and then, do the special design.
FS: What are 5 of your favorite design items at home?
TM: Only pen and paper.
FS: Can you describe a day in your life?
TM: Get up. Go to the office. Do design. Return home. Do design. Go to bed.
FS: Could you please share some pearls of wisdom for young designers? What are your suggestions to young, up and coming designers?
TM: Have confidence in yourself. That’s the golden rule.
FS: From your perspective, what would you say are some positives and negatives of being a designer?
TM: It's fun and tough, tells it all.
FS: What is your "golden rule" in design?
TM: Having no rule.
FS: What skills are most important for a designer?
TM: Experience in design. The more you do, the better you get.
FS: Which tools do you use during design? What is inside your toolbox? Such as software, application, hardware, books, sources of inspiration etc.?
TM: A&A Vector Works, pen and paper.
FS: Designing can sometimes be a really time consuming task, how do you manage your time?
TM: I just want to know how to do that.
FS: How long does it take to design an object from beginning to end?
TM: It depends on the project.
FS: What is the most frequently asked question to you, as a designer?
TM: How do you design? And I always say that's what I most want to know.
FS: What was your most important job experience?
TM: All of the projects were more than important.
FS: Who are some of your clients?
TM: We had many recurrent or new clients, for example we have had several projects with Matsuo-Gakuin which is a cram-schools company. We work also with Himeji Daiichi Hospital and several restaurant owners.
FS: What type of design work do you enjoy the most and why?
TM: New types of projects which I've ever had before.
FS: What are your future plans? What is next for you?
TM: The next project is always the most important in my eyes. I have no directional lines.
FS: Do you work as a team, or do you develop your designs yourself?
TM: I work with my team.
FS: Do you have any works-in-progress being designed that you would like to talk about?
TM: I'm working now on a hospital design project, I cannot say more about that.
FS: How can people contact you?
TM: E-mail or phone or any other contact method, I don't care about the tool.
FS: Any other things you would like to cover that have not been covered in these questions?
TM: Nothing
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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