Design Benign

Photos from Anime Boston 2009

2009-05-26T20:17:00.006-04:00

Some pictures of my presentation, "Kawaii Culture: Cuteness in Japan." It was a very fun panel. I even had a full room!

There may also be video footage of this presentation uploaded to Youtube soon. I will post links when that happens.

Breaking News: Cuteness Can Help Your Hand-Eye Coordination

2009-05-26T15:12:00.003-04:00

"The secret to better performance: kittens" (Scroll down to the last article on the page.)

"A study at the University of Virginia suggests that experiencing cuteness can actually change how we behave. Students who watched a slideshow with pictures of puppies and kittens scored higher in the board game "Operation" - which requires manual precision - than students who watched a slideshow with pictures of mature cats and dogs."

Photos from my presentation at Anime Boston are coming. And thank you to the young woman who attended who pointed out this study to me.

Design Benign at Anime Boston, May 22-24

2009-05-19T13:01:00.004-04:00

Three days until Anime Boston! Just a reminder that I will presenting two panels at the convention, which takes place May 22-24 at the Hynes Convention Center in Boston, MA.

Friday, May 22 at 6:00pm in Panel Room 207
Kawaii Culture: Cuteness in Japan
A presentation on Japan's favorite cute mascots - from Hello Kitty to "Pipo-kun" - and why cuteness is so prevalent in Japanese culture.

Friday, May 22 at 8:00pm in the Constitution Ballroom, Sheraton Hotel
Akiba Empire: The Otaku Influence
Presented with Alex Leavitt, a discussion on how anime and manga fans in Japan have influenced that country's economics, politics and mainstream culture, and what this could mean for worldwide anime fans. But mostly I'm going to talk about moe rice, Vocaloid and K-On.

If you're planning on going, please come by and say hi!

"Hating you makes me all warm inside." - Happy Bunny

2009-05-13T11:33:00.002-04:00

Image from Kawaii Not

Japanese cute has crashed onto American shores like a tsunami. Target and Wal-Mart are filling up with Hello Kitty and Domo-kun merchandise. The Japanese cute pop aesthetic is inspiring many American artists, who put their own dark twist on the innocent, childlike aesthetic.

As popular as cute characters like Bob the Builder and Elmo are in the United States, there seems to be an underlying distrust of cuteness in American culture. Cuteness, associated with childhood, carries connotations of helplessness and neediness, undesirable traits in America's individualistic, pull-yourself-up-by-your-bootstraps culture. Japan's collectivist mentality fosters interdependency, having a greater tolerance for childish helplessness (called "amae").

Thus, when Japanese cuteness is adopted into American culture for consumption by teenagers and young adults, it's given an ironic twist. Characters like Happy Bunny and the Kawaii Not series demonstrate this trend: cute smiling, seemingly-innocuous characters spouting expletives and malice, giving an adult-like wink behind their childlike facade. Web sites like Hello Kitty Hell seek - in a tongue-in-cheek way - to expose the darker side of Japan's favorite commercial character. Violent cute characters like Gloomy Bear do exist in Japan, but they're in the minority of the greater Cute Commercial Complex.

"Cuteness and Green Design for a Brighter, Cuter Future" on Design Taxi

2009-05-04T09:46:00.002-04:00

My article "Cuteness and Green Design for a Brighter, Cuter Future", originally written for Speak Up, is now also published on Design Taxi.

Acceptance and Rebellion: The Two Faces of Cute in Japan

2009-04-29T11:20:00.004-04:00

One of the central themes in my lecture "Kawaii Culture: Cuteness in Japan" is the polarity of cuteness in contemporary Japanese culture. On one end, cute mascots prance around the military, major corporations and the police force. On the other end, young people utilize cuteness as a way to stave off entry into the adult world.

Childish mascots give an endearing, welcoming face to the stressful, rule-filled, work-a-day nature of modern Japanese life. They adorn the logos of corporations where salarymen spend the majority of the day at their desks. These characters represent the ideal characteristics of the modern worker: loyalty, working hard, and deference to authority. They fit perfectly into the obsession with "saving face", always acting polite and courteous, and willing to do what's best for the group.

But young people in Japan are increasingly resisting this way of life. They see the stress on their fathers' faces coming home late after working all day at a job they hate (followed by drinks with the boss), and don't want that to be them in 20 years. Rather than be chained to their parents' expectations, and with the Japanese economy in a decade-long recession (meaning lifetime employment at a company is no longer the norm), they want to follow their own pursuits. With the age of marriage in Japan rising (as well as the number of people just not marrying at all), and the plummeting birthrate, this individualistic zeitgeist is taking hold- and their flag of rebellion is cuteness. Teens and young, unmarried women adopt signifiers of cuteness and childhood - reading children's manga, wearing "childish" fashion styles and carrying Hello Kitty-bedecked cellphones, indulging in cakes and creamy pastries - as a way to proclaim, "I am not mature enough for the adult world."

Childhood, rather than adolescence, is viewed as the time for freedom. As movies like Freaky Friday and 17 Again demonstrate, in Western culture adolescence is the desired time to return to in one's life: one begins to gain independence from their parents, can earn a drivers license, take on a part time job. In Japan, as a child enters secondary education, the responsibilities of homework, cram school, entrance exams and preparing for the future take hold and can be crushing.

In Western culture, to rebel during adolescence is to act more adult: drink, smoke, stay out late at night, become sexually active, watch movies with swear words in them. For many young people in Japan, to rebel is to revert back to childhood, purposely remove oneself from the adult world and the responsibilities and obligations that come with it.

Further Reading
Cuties in Japan by Sharon Kinsella
Cute Inc. by Mary Roach at Wired.com
Inside Look at Japanese Cute Culture by Diana Lee

Experiments in Cute: Tweenbots

2009-04-19T22:58:00.002-04:00

[Tweenbots], proof that even hurried, pushy New Yorkers are weak in the face of teh kwoot.

Check out that video!

We're All Pink Inside (Our Pants)

2009-04-09T20:20:00.005-04:00

Jockey has reportedly seen a [boon in sales of pink underwear for men] (Note: Article has not-so-safe-for-work images) over the last six months. They attribute the rising popularity in colorful briefs to the sinking economy, and the need for men to privately cheer themselves up as their futures look grim. Apparently, in times of crisis, women purchase more lipstick, and men turn to flamboyant undies- Who knew?

I have noticed a trend in men wearing more pink lately. I obviously can not attest to what they wear under their clothes, but I have seen more pink dress shirts and ties out and about.

Cuties Take Over

2009-04-02T09:58:00.002-04:00

A fun post from Print magazine editor Steven Heller on the trend of naming foods and other consumer goods "Cuties", and the confusion it can lead to: [link]

Lecture Nibbles: Western Characters vs. Japanese Characters

2009-03-29T08:49:00.004-04:00

One of the things I will be discussing at my lecture "Kawaii Culture: Cuteness in Japan" is the difference in design between the majority of Western cartoon characters and the majority of Japanese cartoon characters.

As the chart above shows, while both sets of mascots are cute, Japanese characters tend to have more infantile characteristics (bigger heads, rounder bodies), as well as characteristics that make them appear more helpless (lack of mouths, stubby limbs, lack of fingers). Even Western characters geared towards young children tend to be more "adolescent" in their designs: articulated limbs, lots of movement, loud/verbose.

As noted above, this affects how the character interacts with its audience- Japanese characters tend to more about the viewer projecting their emotions and desires onto the character; it's the opposite with Western characters. The creators of Hello Kitty have said [similar comments] when asked about Hello Kitty's lack of a mouth: "Hello Kitty speaks from her heart."

Ada Lovelace Day 2009: Susan Kare

2009-03-23T11:32:00.006-04:00

[Ada Lovelace Day] is a worldwide blogging event to celebrate the contributions women have made to technology.

Talking about women and technology on a blog devoted to cute things, it's only natural that my post be about computer interface graphic designer Susan Kare.

Remember MS-DOS, a black screen on which you had to input white lines of text to run programs? That was in the days before graphic computer interfaces. Then the Apple Macintosh's classic Mac OS came along and changed all of that, making computers easier to use by replacing command lines with cute, clickable icons.

Those early examples of pixel art were designed by Susan Kare: the "Happy Mac" icon, the Chicago screen typeface, the command symbol, and many of the tool icons still seen in graphics programs such as Photoshop. A graduate of Mount Holyoke College and New York University, Kare worked at Apple as a Creative Director from 1982 to 1985. She went on to do work for other computer companies such as NeXT, IBM and Microsoft (where she designed the graphics for Window 3.0's solitaire game). Currently she is helping to develop the Chumby computer, and has done some icon work for Facebook.

Apple's reputation for cute, nonthreatening computers owes a lot to her pioneering graphic work, and that's why she's my pick for Ada Lovelace Day.

[Susan Kare's Portfolio Site]
[Wiki entry]
[Interview with Susan Kare]

Lecture Nibbles: Japan's Cute Ambassadors

2009-03-19T15:10:00.002-04:00

Up to the time of AnimeBoston, I will be posting little details and links of topics I will be discussing at my lecture "Kawaii Culture: Cuteness in Japan."

While they already have Hello Kitty as a tourism ambassador to China and Taiwan, [Japan has picked a new trio of cute young woman] to act as its cultural ambassadors at Paris' Japan Expo in July.

Touchy-Feely 2.0

2009-03-03T17:26:00.002-05:00

The Twitter bird and the Fail Whale. The cheery blue Livejournal pencil. Even the Blogger "B" icon is kinda cute. These friendly logos are like a beacon of light in the vast, tangled jungle of the Internet, signaling where users can sit down and relax in their little online homes.

A quick survey on social networking and blogging site logos reveals several popular themes: rounded corners, simplified human forms, and blue. Lots and lots of calming blue. Air-y and cute, they're a perfect compliment to posts about your pet cat and recent trip to the sushi restaurant.

The names of many of these sites are cute, too. "Twitter" pulls up images of a sparrow chirping merrily. Others like Facebook and Myspace emphasis the personal nature of profile pages, literally transporting your real life into html and CSS code.

But as social networking sites move from the personal to the professional and political, will these cute icons and names suffice? Or will their novel nature be dropped as twittering and uploading photos to Flickr become a common fact of life?

Off Topic: Sita Sings the Blues

2009-02-28T23:57:00.002-05:00

Something not cute- or anime-related on this blog, but important nonetheless. Everyone reading this, go [here] and watch this wonderful animated film.

DO IT NOW OR YOU WILL REGRET IT

A new post with actual content coming tomorrow, I promise.

Video- "The Science of Cute"

2009-02-27T16:52:00.002-05:00

From Popular Science, a charming little video about the "science of cute"- probably basic stuff to readers of this blog, but a good watch nonetheless.

Via [Cute Overload].

Design Benign at AnimeBoston 2009

2009-02-22T08:56:00.016-05:00

I will be running two panels at this year's AnimeBoston, a convention celebrating Japanese animation, comics and pop culture. This event is taking place at the Hynes Convention Center in Boston, MA, May 22-24.

Discover why cuteness is ubiquitous in the land of Hello Kitty, what cuteness means in Japanese culture, and how this brand of cute is invading American shores.

Otaku spending pumps over 4 billion dollars annually into Japan's economy. Discover how nerdy anime fans went from basement dwellers to a powerful cultural, economic and political force. I will be co-hosting this panel along with [http://alexleavitt.com/].

Note: The image in the banner is from "moe rice". The small farming town of Ugo, Japan was suffering economic woes, unable to sell much of the rice it produced, until it started bagging its rice crop in bags decorated with [moe] anime characters. Within the first month of sales, 36 tons of rice were sold, compared to the 18 tons they used to sell annually. [Source]

Dates and times are subject to change, but this is what was given in the confirmation e-mail from the panels coordinator.

Update 4/24/09: The location of "Akiba Empire" has been changed from Ballroom A in the Hynes Convention Center, to the Constitution Ballroom in the Sheraton Hotel. The date and time remain the same, as of now.

Information about AnimeBoston can be found at [www.animeboston.com].

Material Cute

2009-02-19T15:19:00.002-05:00

[source]

Cuteness may have a signature color - pink - and a signature animal - kittens and puppies - and even a signature shape - round. But does it have a signature fabric?

It sure does, and it's not lace or tulle or anything else found on a dancer's tutu. The favored fabric of hat makers of centuries past (and of course [conceptual artists]), felt is cute's signature material. The oldest known man-made fabric, prized for its durability and affordable manufacturing, felt has become the darling of the modern crafting scene. A quick search on Etsy for felt crafts turns up hundreds of entries. The hipster crafting vendor event [Felt Club] is even named after this material.

It's no surprise that felt has grown to such a status. Cheap and available in a rainbow of colors, it's easy to manipulate and can be sewn without the aid of a sewing machine, making it perfect for constructing dolls, [teeny plush cakes], and [palm-sized pets]. Felt brings up memories of childhood- felt puppets and cut-outs used in preschool play.

This mix of accessibility, ease of manipulation and nostalgia makes felt the cutest fabric material.

Personal: Accepting Pink

2009-02-15T18:33:00.001-05:00

I pretty much grew up - and still am - the dictionary definition of a tomboy. My hair has not grown beyond three inches in years, dresses are absent from my closet, and the only "make-up" that touches my face is chapstick.

Like most young girls, though, my parents dressed me in pink. I even had a pink tutu during a brief stint of ballet lessons. But entering elementary school, when I began to develop a sense of autonomy, I realized that although girls were "supposed" to wear pink, they were not granted any respect for it. Girly things were mocked, viewed as a sign of weakness. Fed on a diet of Ramona Quimby and Roald Dahl's Matilda, I didn't care for that notion. Thus, I shunned all things pink, wrapping my life in dark blue and black.

However, over the last two years, I have developed a strange attachment to the color. It started with choosing the pink Nintendo DS over the black and white versions, and later acquiring a pink cell phone and pink laptop case. Pink shoes and clothing have snuck into my stark wardrobe. Just recently, I purchased a light pink luggage set.

So what's with the sudden turn of heart? The Design Benign project obviously has had some influence, diving into the world of Hello Kitty and cute electronics all in the name of research. Over the course of time I've realized that not all cute, pink stuff is "bad."

Of course, pink is still seen in the West as a feminine color. Cell phones and gaming devices make half-hearted attempts to market to women by offering pink versions of their products. The trademark soft shade of pink of breast cancer awareness adorns everything from travel mugs to coffee makers. But as I explored in an [earlier post], pink - particularly the ironic eighties-inspired hot pink - is treading where pink was previously absent. And I have adopted it into my personal style.

My fashion style is a cross between stereotypical designer and British school boy- lots of black and grey and navy. However, I also like bright colors, and a splash of pink goes nicely with most of my clothes. Combining that with my usually masculine attire creates a nice contrast. I still enjoy the looks my parents and peers give me when they see me in pink, after expressing disgust with the color for most of my life.

But I have a practical reason for liking pink, too. After frequently losing my cell phone in my apartment, its pink case acts like a beacon, allowing me to find it easily. This is also the thought behind my new pink luggage set. Set among black and navy suitcases on an airport carousel, I would be able to spot it from the other end of the terminal.

Though I do complain about the lazy practice of marketing electronics to women by making them pink, I'm tired of white and black being the standard colors for computers, phones and gaming systems, and will try to find alternative colors, even if it's just pink.

So, while I doubt I will reach Elle Woods-levels of pinkdom anytime soon, I've realized that pink is a fun, useful color, and one that I will continue to adopt and explore in the future.

Change has come to the American internets.

2009-01-20T16:02:00.002-05:00

Congratulations, Mr. Obama.

Now make all of the other government web sites this pretty.

[Whitehouse.gov redesign]

Off Topic: Anime Designers Can Enjoy, Part 4

2009-01-19T18:05:00.004-05:00

Since I started working, my anime-watching has dropped off considerably, but I've still been able to follow a few series. Below are some that may appeal to designers, with styles and art direction that veer away from "typical" anime.

Michiko to Hatchin

Plot: After a woman breaks out of a high-security prison, she rescues her daughter from abusive foster parents. Together, they search for the man who may be the key to their pasts.
Style: Colorful pop, heavily influenced by Brazilian design.
Where Can I Watch It: It's not out here yet, but I'll be surprised if this isn't licensed soon.

Soul Eater

Plot: A group of students at a school for "shinigami" (kind of like grim reapers, but with cooler weapons), train to build up their powers and battle enemies.
Style: Very "shounen"-y (lots of fight scenes, big spiky hair), but it's colorful and bright with a dash of juvenile humor. Excellent fight choreography and characters. If you like Tim Burton, check this out.
Where Can I Watch It: Good news! This one has been licensed by [Funimation] for release in English. So, hopefully, it will be out soon.

Akagi and Kaiji

Plot: Both based off manga series by Fukumoto Nobuyuki, Akagi and Kaiji center around the underworld of gambling and life-or-death bets.
Style: Pointy noses, questionable anatomy, and butt-ugly men. I LOVE it. If you think that anime is too "pretty", check these out.
Where Can I Watch It: Kaiji is being released subtitled in English through the online video service [Joost]. Since Akagi is all about mahjong, I doubt it will ever be released in North America, sadly.

Previous posts of "Anime Designers Can Enjoy":
Part One
Part Two
Part Three

Selections from the 2009 Ikea Catalog

2009-01-17T11:48:00.010-05:00

Better late than never, I finally got my hands on the 2009 Ikea catalog. The "design for a budget" home goods retailer is known for their simple, innovative and - yes - cute designs, but I noticed this year a distinct lack of cute in new items, opting for more sleek, mature styles. Lots of molded plywood and stainless steel. I did find a couple cute items, though:

[HERMAN chair]
While not exhibiting any of the classic characteristics of cuteness (roundness, etc.), there's something charming about the newcomer to Ikea's line of sitting implements.

[GRIMEN bed frame]
Soft and round and looks very comfortable. It also reminds me of a bento box.

[TRIPP storage tins]
Cute cute cute. I was tempted to pick these up during my last Ikea trip.

And Pantone's [prediction] that yellow (or, specifically, PANTONE 14-0848) would be this year's "it" color is showing signs of being true.

Also, I have a new article at SpeakUp: [A Letter to President-Elect Obama from Young Designer]. Check it out!

cute: ur doin it wrong

2009-01-16T08:16:00.001-05:00

[no]

Design Benign on Twitter

2009-01-08T22:10:00.002-05:00

http://twitter.com/DesignBenign

I'll mostly be using to post links to research and ideas for posts.

Cute Collections- Food

2009-01-05T00:15:00.002-05:00

Cuteness and food go together like, well, peanut butter and jelly. I've explored this sweet relationship before with [bento boxes]. Below are some other examples of cuteness good enough to eat.

Cupcake Dance

Sweet Packaging

Pentagram's Paula Scher cranked up the cuteness on no-calorie sweeteners with this [delightful packaging] for Truvia.

Huggable Desserts

Soft, squishy felt pies, cakes and other sugary goodies [have been popping up] on handmade goods web site Etsy.

Kitty Sushi

Sushi and dumplings are cute enough on their own, but add a kitten into the mix (as character franchise [Nyan Nyan Nyanko] demonstrates)? That's just asking for trouble.

Cute Can Piss You Off: How Cuteness is Subversive

2008-12-29T17:56:00.002-05:00

Several weeks ago, [Boing Boing has a post] featuring [this photo] of a pair of felt plushies meant to represent the World Trade Center on the day of the 9-11 attacks. Anthropomorphized with faces and arms, the Twin Towers express shock and disgust as they are hit with miniature airplanes, holding each other's hands as they are doomed to collapse. I very much liked these crafts, thinking they displayed a child's interpretation of 9-11, that sense of hopelessness, confusion and empathy that was swept under in favor of jingoist patriotic horn-blowing shortly after the attacks. Created by an adult, the plushies are a reminder that, No, we grown-ups don't have all the answers, and sometimes we can be just as scared as kids.

In the comments on the post, I saw a different reaction: "Nothing that happened on 9/11 was cute."; "I find this couple's work infantile at best, and entirely lacking in profunditiy."; "They are basically saying the suffering involved is trivial and stupid." Though attraction to cuteness is programmed into our brains as a survival mechanism, ensuring that younger members of the species receive protection and care, there is still a strong, negative reaction against cuteness, especially when cuteness treads where it dare not.

Of course this reaction will be stronger towards "sacred" topics - religion, politics, horrific events - but I've seen it directed towards Apple computers, cute mascots, and even children's toys.

It's a little odd that cuteness would incite such a reaction. By its nature, cuteness is weak and non-confrontational, but why does it inspire such vitriol? In Western culture, cuteness occupies a very specific space: that of children. (Cuteness in Japanese culture is a topic for another post.) Cuteness is simple, ignorant and easy to control. Complexity is seen as a sign of maturity: a child starts out doing simply finger paintings of blobs, but graduates to still lives and portraits.

Incorporating cuteness and "childish" assets into the domain of adults creates an uncomfortable juxtaposition- the 30-year old who collects action figures and comic books as a developmentally-stilted basement dweller. Embracing cuteness beyond childhood is seen as a step back to helplessness and naivete, a sign that one can not handle the complexities of the "adult" world. Only recently have the virtues of "childishness" been considered important in adulthood: companies encouraging playfulness to improve creativity and productivity, for example

Taking a sunny view point in a world of tragedy and pain is viewed as suspicious. Cuteness is happiness. Happiness can be threatening to the status quo. Cuteness is a sign of not taking things too seriously, or lacking the understanding to realize the severity of certain topics (a common sentiment in the comments on the Boing Boing post). Cuteness is an attack on the message, "Don't be weak; be suspicious; only care about yourself."