Ken Okuyama
Ken Kiyoyuki Okuyama, industrial designer and CEO of Ken Okuyama Design, was born in 1959 in Yamagata, Japan, and studied automobile design at the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California. He has worked as a chief designer for General Motors, as a senior designer for Porsche AG, and as design director for Pininfarina S.p.A., being responsible for the design of Ferrari Enzo, Maserati Quattroporte and many other automobiles. He is also known for many different product designs such as motorcycles, furniture, robots and architecture.
Ken Okuyama Design was founded in 2007 and provides business consultancy services to numerous corporations. Ken Okuyama also produces cars, eyewear and interior products under his original brand. He is currently a visiting professor at several universities and also frequently publishes books.
Red Dot in an interview with Ken Okuyama
What advice do you most frequently give to customers?
Ken Okuyama: I am a “chef” for a good design. I put up a menu, customers come, we talk, and I give a lot more than they expected with a good surprise.
What do you like about your role as consultant?
Together with the top management, we define a future vision and solutions to get there, sharing confidentiality. For that reason, we only work with one company in each industry. It’s like being a family.