Manabu Mizuno Photo: Courtesy of GWC

 

Products featuring Japanese mascot Kumamon Photo: Courtesy of GWC

Japanese mascot Kumamon has enjoyed immense popularity ever since the cute bear was created in 2010 and nominated as the minister of the Happiness Department of Kumamoto Prefecture to help promote local tourism. On China's Twitter-like Sina Weibo, the overseas celebrity's account has 941,000 followers, who find pleasure in watching his humor and daily life posts.  

Earlier this month, Kumamon designer Manabu Mizuno came to China with the studio he set up - Good Design Company - for a month-long exhibition of his company's works in Beijing. Mizuno sat down with the Global Times to talk about the design and popularity of Kumamon and the inspiration that fuels the art of design.  

Cute cultural symbol

Although he is often referred to as the father of Kumamon, Mizuno said he would rather be thought of as the mascot's mother, as he feels that the multitalented Japanese designer Kundo Koyama is Kumamon's father. It was Koyama who introduced the Kumamon design project to Mizuno and worked with him to help get it implemented. 

Kumamon looks like a black giant bear with bright red circles on his cheerful cheeks. The Chinese name for Kumamon, xiongben xiong, is a combination of the prefecture's Chinese name xiongben and the word for bear - xiong. The name of the prefecture also has the word bear in it, leading to the repetition of xiong giving the name a very cutesy feel. 

Located in the center of Kyushu, Japan's southwesternmost main island, Kumamoto Prefecture is often called "The Land of Fire" because of the volcano in the eastern part of the prefecture. The round red circles on Kumamon's cheeks reflect this geographical feature and add to the mascot's cuteness. According to Mizuno, the black color of Kumamon echoes the saying that men from Kyushu are unusually strong. 

Except being a cultural symbol for local culture, Mizuno said there are three other reasons that Kumamon has proven popular around the world. First, Kumamon is a diligent bear who always participates in activities worldwide and interacts with the people there. Second, the public has permission to use photos of Kumamon as they like. Third, the mascot conveys the passion of Kumamon residents to people around the globe.       

Finding inspiration 

Mizuno noted that designers' imagination is more important than ever nowadays as AI is being used to replace repetitive tasks in the creative industry. Some people believe that rich natural scenery nurtures people's imagination, but Manabu argued that knowledge is the key to opening the door to imagination.   

Mizuno told the Global Times that he always carries out a great deal of research when dealing with a design project. It usually takes half a year to one year to complete a design to satisfaction. Apart from research, he also needs to talk with clients and submit drafts over and over again.

Keio University, a renowned comprehensive higher education institution in Japan, invited him to teach courses about brand design because of his rich experience and knowledge.

Having never tried his hand at incorporating Chinese elements into his designs, Mizuno noted that pandas and the symbolism of the color of red in Chinese culture are elements that he'd be interested in exploring. Mentioning China's construction of smart cities nationwide, he further confessed that his earnest desire was to design a city that is in harmony with environment. 

Mizuno said he adheres to a high standard when working with companies and choosing projects. He noted that he doesn't feel comfortable working with companies that are only focused on profit, and so prefers cooperating with institutes that are socially responsible. He spoke highly of Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba for the way it has improved people's way of life in areas such as shopping and making payments. 

Although this is the first time Mizuno's designs have been exhibited in China on such a large scale, he designed Kumamon's little brother, Teki, for Lizhi FM, a Chinese podcast platform. The little mascot is also on display at the exhibition, which comes to an end on October 13.
Newspaper headline: The charm of design