We had the distinct pleasure to interview award winning designer Noriaki Mori about their original and creative Disaster Prevention Pictogram design work. Noriaki Mori is an award-winning communication designer, that makes our world a better place with their original disaster prevention pictogram works.
Noriaki Mori ("NM") answered Design Interview ("DI") questions about their award-winning work Integration Disaster Prevention Pictogram. Interview questions prepared by Frank Scott.
NM : The concept that no one is left behind. To fulfill the mission of equalizing safety disparities.
NM : Even in Japan, We have witnessed the disparate graphic designs, pictograms, and icons related to the colors and shapes of sea level displays of local governments, and the reality that disaster displays have not been clearly established. I thought that it should be integrated and unified not only in Japan but also in the world.
NM : I will strongly appeal to relevant government agencies, local governments, and members of the Diet, including receiving a prestigious award, and will lead to activities that improve society.
NM : About 2 months.
NM : Originally, I entered the Business Design Awards in Tokyo in order to let non-designer classmates from the Graduate School of Adults experience entry into design competitions and winning experiences. However, because I discovered a social issue, I devised this important concept, conducted research and discussions with the members, and directed all the final designs. After that, with the aim of enacting this pictogram on my own, I have been doing lobbying and sales activities for members of parliament and the heads of local governments in small increments alongside other duties.
NM : I would like to proceed with the license sales contract for the production rights.
NM : I want people from all over the world, including Japan, to take the next action, such as how safe this place is at first glance, and where to evacuate by accessing the hazard map immediately.
NM : I have an Italian boss who once served. He is a philosopher and a manager, but he has a deep knowledge of design and I learned a lot.
NM : Not only in Japan, but all men and women of all ages in the world.
NM : Anyone can understand at a glance how to prepare for water-related disasters such as tsunamis and floods.
NM : I witnessed the current situation where the sea level display is not unified by the local government, and the current situation where the risk of flooding of the land is not clear, and I strongly thought that the necessary information should be integrated into one simple pictogram. I wanted to convey the meaning of the integration in one word.
NM : Adobe Creative Cloud and Microsoft PowerPoint.
NM : I am trying to unify by redesigning important signs that are made separately in the world.
NM : Initially, I was a classmate at a graduate school for working adults. Not all were experts. However, after that, I proposed this pictogram to the director of the disaster prevention research institute and the head of the local government who actually experienced a big earthquake on the third day of his inauguration and took the lead in the restoration, and lobbying is continuing.
NM : It is a combination of the QR code technology invented in Japan and the easy-to-understand classification of tsunami and flood wave heights and water levels into three categories, such as the antenna reception sensitivity of smartphones. With the worldwide spread of QR codes released free of charge, it is a format that anyone in the world can use anytime, anywhere by utilizing the technology that is commonly used as infrastructure in various situations.
NM : I randomly investigated what the current state of sea level display in Japan is, and how the risk of tsunami and flood damage is displayed.
NM : There were no particular technical challenges. On the other hand, it is not always possible to find the sea level display of the area just by searching on the Internet. Therefore, every time I visited various parts of Japan, I was looking for an altitude display.
NM : I wanted to raise awareness of the dangers of tsunamis and floods not only in Japan but around the world. I also thought it was necessary to enter an international competition in order to propose unification in this pictogram. In a sense this is my mission.
NM : I was keenly aware that the idea of universal design has not yet spread to the world. I strongly realize that it is necessary to develop an even more concise, easy-to-understand and easy-to-use infrastructure in order to support elderly people, people with disabilities, and foreigners if the display is difficult to understand even for healthy people. It became like.
NM : Everyone in the world should be more aware of natural disasters and work diligently.
