Designer. Inventor. Pioneer.

“Light has always been the eternal theme for me.” —Mitsuo Katsui

Mitsuo Katsui strongly believed in the connection between people and light. He believed everything in our lives, including communication, is the product of light. Even moments after birth, he described that we create relationships with light as our eyes develop and we begin to see our environment. His work aims to reveal relationships between technology and nature, logic and beauty, and rational thought and sensory ecstasy. Mitsuo Katsui strongly believed in the connection between people and light. He believed everything in our lives, including communication, is the product of light. Even moments after birth, he described that we create relationships with light as our eyes develop and we begin to see our environment. His work aims to reveal relationships between technology and nature, logic and beauty, and rational thought and sensory ecstasy.

“It was never about him or his designs, but about his curiosity of the world.” —Takuya Hoda

Takuya Hoda worked alongside Mitsuo Katsui in showcasing Katsui’s work in an exhibition hosted by the Nakano Design Studio. In an interview, Hoda describes Katsui as a quiet and humble designer who never spoke about his designs like they were his own, but as his discoveries of the world. Hoda says many designers design for themselves, but Katsui was always interested in what his work meant to his viewers. His modesty and selfless way of designing is why Hoda admires him so much.

“Mitsuo Katsui is a rational man, extraordinarily discerning in matters of technology. If he were only that, his presumed title, ‘the emperor of computer graphics’ might suit him. But it doesn’t...Katsui is intrigued by technology only insofar as it can further his expression of the Japanese notion of ikizama, or ‘life’s flow.’" —Maggie Kinser Saiki

Mitsuo Katsui’s work is defined by relationships of logic and beauty, rational thought and sensory ecstasy, and technology and biology. Regarding the World Encyclopedia project, visually representing facts about humans, history, and objects requires “democratizing the findings of scientists,” as Katsui puts it, and finding empathy. In other words, the designer creates a bridge between scientists and ordinary humans. This bridge, or common ground, is known as ikizama—a Japanese concept encompassing every facet of life and that around which Katsui’s work revolves.