ABOUT ME.
I am Manasse. I was born in Troisdorf in 1998. I am studying Sustainable Design at the ecosign/Akademie für Gestaltung in Cologne.
I grew up speaking two languages: Japanese and German. Japan and Europe therefore play an equal role in my life and in my design. More on this below ↴
My requirements for design
What does good design have to achieve?
Good design is sustainable in many ways:
Longevity
Products that are designed for a short lifespan are unfortunately the norm. We need solid products that conserve resources.
Repairable & replaceable
Replaceability of modules that can wear out or are obsolete. Products that are very easy to repair. The recyclability of defective components.
Environmentally friendly materials
Products should be free of resources that run the risk of poisoning the environment (avoidance of forever chemicals/PFAS, microplastics, etc.) What we need instead are circular materials that are good for both people and the environment.
Functionality & Beauty
Products should provide delight. People want to keep using products that they have grown fond of. My ambition is to create products that you like so much that you don't want to miss them and don't feel the need to replace them with something new and allegedly better.
A product that will be yesterday's news tomorrow isn't a good product.
My logo & my connection to Japan
Every family and every household in Japan has its own name stamp; a so-called Hanko (jap. 判子). The name stamp has the same function as the signature in Europe and must therefore be unique.
My family branch from Japan bears the name Kobayashi (jap. 小林), which means "little forest". These two characters can also be written on top of each other, as in the stamp. So my logo contains my German and my Japanese surname.
These two components of my logo represent the two components of my design language; the influences of both cultures.
