Creativity and substance. Two words that sum up the didactic orientation of Tokyo Communication Arts (TCA), the Japanese school of industrial design where theory and bookwork are flanked by placements and practical learning sessions. On these occasions, the students can compare the skills they have acquired with those of the company designers who come and join their teaching staff.
TCA is one of 15 ‘colleges’ of the Jikei Gakuen group, founded and directed by Kunihiko Ukifune, which provides specialist schools for various branches of the arts and sciences: from music to dance, medicine and information technology. The three-year courses are open to students between the ages of 18 and 30, who arrive with different cultural and educational backgrounds ranging from secondary school to university.
The first year is entirely dedicated to learning the basic elements of industrial design: freehand drawing, three-dimensional modelling, colour awareness, two-dimensional composition and drawing and design theory. The first-year syllabus is based on the premise that all students start at the same level, irrespective of any previous design experience.
In the second year, the students are offered the chance to put into practice the basic skills acquired the year before. They take part in ‘Corporate Projects’ – group efforts where the operational procedures of real-world design studios are simulated.
During the corporate “Corporate Projects”, projects, which normally last from six to nine months, the students develop a theme assigned to them by a manufacturer, working under the direct supervision – and assessment – of designers from the company concerned. The development of a corporate project is an important selective process: with typically Japanese rigour, students are assessed on the basis of the end result and not their individual effort.
The latter, in fact, is taken for granted: preparing for the corporate project demands constant commitment, occupying the students completely, without any breaks for summer or winter vacations.
In their third and last year, the students are divided into small classes according to the specialist area they wish to graduate in. Preparation for their finals and the search for a job are activities that are undertaken in parallel.
The TCA lecturers and assistants personally follow up each student, guiding him to his finals and, in particular, in the desired professional direction. In this area, car design, one of the more popular specialisations, is seen as an international profession. With the cooperation of the manufacturers, TCA students can even do three- and six-month placements outside of Japan.
For senior students, TCA organises extra specialisation courses overseas, especially in Europe (courses have been held at Mercedes-Benz, OZ Wheels and numerous Italian design houses). In this way, the students are immersed in cultures profoundly different from their own, enriching their educational experience and international awareness.
In recent years, almost all the principal Japanese makers have been involved in this initiative, in particular Honda (with 19 projects), Nissan (14 projects), Toyota (8 projects), Mitsubishi and Suzuki (6 projects each). The big Korean companies have also demonstrated a growing interest in the corporate themes, with the participation of Samsung Motors (5 projects), Kia Motors (3 projects) and Daewoo Motors (2 projects).
L’articolo continua su Auto & Design n. 104
