Article on Kaoru Mokunaka, designer of the X1

[NZDavid]

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There seems to have been very little recognition for Kaoru Mokunaka, the Japanese designer of the X1. I hadn't heard of him until I read of him in BJP magazine. If you haven't seen it, worth a read: http://www.bjp-online.com/british-journal-of-photography/test/1650972/looking-leica-x1

 

Mr. Mokunaka gets a brief mention this forum and there's a photo here: http://www.l-camera-forum.com/leica-forum/leica-x1-forum/98854-x1-product-manager-japanese.html

 

I wonder what new Leicas or Panasonics he is working on now? Japanese designers are now getting more recognition as individuals, which is about time. According to Jenny Sparke, author of Japanese Design (MoMA), "In the early twenty-first century Japan still leads the way, producing some of the world's most innovative designers and design..."

 

Sparke is also co-author of European Design -- which, overall, seems confused. Of course, the X1 is largely a reinterpretation of the original Barnack Leica. IMHO they got it right, way back then, and the concentration on essentials and simplicity (contemporaneous with the Bauhaus school) is still relevant -- in fact, given the ever-increasing complexity of today's products, even more so.

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[Patrick Delaney]

Sorry to disagree: I was disappointed to read in LFI that Kaoru Mokunaka overruled Leica's designers and insisted that the X1 had to have half rounded ends. The engineers wanted square ends, which would have made the camera smaller. I think Mokunaka is more a salesperson, and sentimentalist, and does not believe in Bauhaus's form following function.

[johnloumiles]

Sorry to disagree: I was disappointed to read in LFI that Kaoru Mokunaka overruled Leica's designers and insisted that the X1 had to have half rounded ends. The engineers wanted square ends, which would have made the camera smaller. I think Mokunaka is more a salesperson, and sentimentalist, and does not believe in Bauhaus's form following function.

 

Very interesting. Can you let me know which LFI that was in so I can check it out for myself?

 

 

Thanks.

[Guest]

As the new update of the X1 came out this year I got a black one for an excellent price.

It's arranged now with the dealer to give it back as soon as I'll get my NEX-7 and the Zeiss 24mm.

 

I would have been more hesitant, if the X1 had taken digi-M batteries, too. Needing another charger and 2 batteries additionally to the M battery system I already have, makes the camera's brand irrelevant.

 

The aesthetics of round versus square corners is by comparison to this blunder of lesser relevance.

 

Regarding Mr. Daniel's announcement of a new compact system, I hope the same basic mistake of using a different battery system will not be repeated.

 

Unlike Canikon pros, who mostly only use the top range versus amateur customers of these brands, who buy a more modest product line,

 

Leica camera enthusiasts, who usually have several Leicas would welcome imo:

the same battery in the M10 and the new compact announced.

 

The designer was also responsible for the X1 box, which I think is very handsome.

[herbet]

Sorry to disagree: I was disappointed to read in LFI that Kaoru Mokunaka overruled Leica's designers and insisted that the X1 had to have half rounded ends. The engineers wanted square ends, which would have made the camera smaller. I think Mokunaka is more a salesperson, and sentimentalist, and does not believe in Bauhaus's form following function.

 

hmmm... it has the same rounded edges as the M9.

[mjh]

Can you let me know which LFI that was in so I can check it out for myself?

It was in LFI 3/2010:

 

The Leica X1 and the Leica III are virtually identical in thickness. Both have half rounded sides. The distinct ergonomic design was one of the leitmotifs behind the development of the X1. When engineers began brainstorming the design, Kaoru Mokunaka fought for every last millimetre while the development team stressed more depth. Mokunaka also defended the traditional rounded camera sides even though they can no longer be considered efficient in conjunction with digital cameras. He wasn’t going to compromise the design that alluded to the origins of the company.

 

Btw, Kaoro Mokunaka is a product manager, not a designer, and while he was indeed the driving force behind the X1 project, it was Manfred Meinzer who was responsible for its design. Having said that, Mokunaka certainly held strong convictions about how the X1 should look like and its eventual design reflects that (see the quote above).

[herbet]

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It was in LFI 3/2010:

 

 

 

Btw, Kaoro Mokunaka is a product manager, not a designer, and while he was indeed the driving force behind the X1 project, it was Manfred Meinzer who was responsible for its design. Having said that, Mokunaka certainly held strong convictions about how the X1 should look like and its eventual design reflects that (see the quote above).

 

kudos to him. the X1 looks stunning IMO.

[Guest badbob]

So the Japanese know more what a Leica should look like than the Germans. That makes perfect sense. After all, the French know more what Jazz should sound like than the Americans.