nendo

A Big Book of Small Ideas

$49.99

A large-format book that uncovers the secrets behind Nendo’s unique creative process

This book is not yet published, but will be available from February 2025.

ISBN: 9780500026489 Category:

Oki Sato

Description

A large-format book that uncovers the secrets behind Nendo’s unique creative process.

He named his firm ‘Nendo’, the Japanese word for modelling clay; he uses manga-like sketches to illustrate his design concepts; and he creates some of the most imaginative furniture in the world: he is Oki Sato, one of Japan’s most prolific designers. At any given moment, he has hundreds of projects in the works – architecture, interiors, furniture, tableware, and more. ‘There is nothing I would not design,’ says Sato.

Sato renders his designs with remarkable conceptual clarity. At the outset, he allows his imagination to run wild and then documents his idea with a simple black line drawing – be it a bathroom basin defined by a single, ceramic swirl or a pair of wooden chopsticks that twist together to become one. These 2D images are converted into minimal 3D shapes described with clean outlines and a largely monochrome palette. Like a traditional Japanese ink painting, which constructs an image with just a few brush strokes, Sato extracts the unnecessary and eliminates distraction.

Featuring Sato’s original sketches, full-scale product images and explanatory texts, Project Nendo uncovers and unpicks the designer’s unique creative process, guiding the reader step-by-step through his innovative and playful world to reveal the secrets behind fifty of his inimitable works.

Additional information

Weight 300 g
Dimensions 26 x 37 cm
Publisher name Thames and Hudson Ltd
Publication date 3 February 2025
Number of pages 96
Format Hardback
Contributors Contributions by Geneviève Gallot
Dimensions 26 x 37 cm
Weight 300 g
Oki Sato is founder of the multi-award-winning Japanese design firm Nendo. Geneviève Gallot is former director of the Institut national du patrimoine and of the École nationale supérieure des arts décoratifs.