Alinear silhouette reminiscent of a high-rise development appears to have three dimensions as it rises from the paper. Pastel-colored tableware with a metallic gloss. These are KIKOF brand products, designed by the KIGI creative design company and inspired by the Shigaraki-yaki craftsmen of Shiga Prefecture. This tableware is crafted by traditional artisans from Shiga Prefecture as part of the Mother Lake Products Project, which was launched with the aim of creating superbly designed products that meet the requirements of a modern lifestyle. With its metallic textures and dimensions as fine as three millimeters KIKOF tableware does not resemble traditional Shigaraki-yaki. By merging careful design with the sophisticated skills of experienced craftsmen, KIKOF serves up the impression of a new Shigaraki-yaki.

The aim of Noriji Sato, who is the principal of this project, is to achieve regional value creation through design. Sato is attempting to invigorate regions of Japan that are suffering from declining and impoverished economic conditions through the application of design concepts.

“In addition to the narrow sense, signifying shape, color, and function, the term ‘design’ also includes abstract concepts such as the combination of a variety of information,” says Sato. Through the optimal combination of content and information, the design management in which Sato specializes smooths the way for mutual relationships and communication while also creating new value. The force or power of this approach to design management has recently begun to take on a more important meaning in terms of regional invigoration.

“Each region has a wide array of resources such as tourist spots with natural and historical sites, local specialties, and food from both the land and sea, including ‘casual-gourmet’ food and local cuisine. But to create a regional brand, a worldview and a background story are necessary in order to integrate these resources,” says Sato in discussing the role of design management. In particular, when planning a world and a story, food plays an effective role.

“As a human incentive, food is more than powerful. When people learn there is some delicious food to be found, they tend to be willing to visit even remote places. Therefore, in creating a local brand, food-related content is essential.”

Many different regions have their own unique delicious things to eat, but there are not so many cases where such things serve as the actual content of a local brand. Sato goes on to point out that “what is certainly lacking for each locality is not the content itself, but a mechanism to market, distribute, and indeed promote it.”

In addition to the attractiveness of the food, the elements to stimulate a diner’s appetite include the presentation of the food, the dishes and tableware, and the arrangement of the dining space. For example, by totally designing the presentation of a wide range of foods from Shiga Prefecture using KIKOF ware, tables, chairs, dining mats, candlesticks and candles, as well as the curtains and furnishings decorating the dining space, we can dramatically increase the actual appeal and communication power.

As a result of the appeal of this new attraction of Shiga Prefecture—which is completely different from conventional types—created through the Mother Lake Products Project, the brand value of Shiga Prefecture has been steadily improving. Sato reveals, “In 2016, a certain hotel in Shiga Prefecture decided to use KIKOF for all of its cutlery needs.” In a space like a hotel, new possibilities for promoting the Shiga Prefectural brand are opened in a range of scenarios such as accommodation, meals, and weddings.