1. Creating a design is not about altering the surface appearance. It is about using originality and ingenuity to reform inner mechanisms.
2. True beauty is born, not created.
3. The concept of design is inspired by the action of designing.
4. Design is not a solitary act.
5. An entrepreneur more than anything else must possess a talent for products.
6. Best sellers are not always the best in terms of design. The best designs do not always become best sellers.
7. Talented designers are not solely responsible for good design.
8. True design does battle with trends.
9. Tradition inspires creation. Design is impossible without tradition and creativity.
10. Design is a social issue.
Originally published in Design: Yanagi Sōri no Sakuhin to Kangae (Design: The Works and Philosophy of Yanagi Sōri)
1983
Yanagi Design Office
design manifestos .org 