Ken Okuyama (born 1959) is a Japanese industrial designer. He is the owner of the Ken Okuyama Design company. Okuyama formerly worked for
Pininfarina
Pininfarina S.p.A. (short for Carrozzeria Pininfarina) is an Italian car design firm and coachbuilder, with headquarters in Cambiano, Turin, Italy. The company was founded by Battista "Pinin" Farina in 1930.
On 14 December 2015, the Indian ...
, designing and supervising projects such as the
Enzo Ferrari and
Ferrari P4/5.
His given name is but goes by outside Japan. He was born in the city of
Yamagata, Japan, lives in Tokyo, and speaks Japanese, Italian, and English fluently.
Career
Okuyama graduated in 1986 from the
Art Center College of Design in
Pasadena, California
Pasadena ( ) is a city in Los Angeles County, California, northeast of downtown Los Angeles. It is the most populous city and the primary cultural center of the San Gabriel Valley. Old Pasadena is the city's original commercial district.
...
.
For the next three years he was a visiting professor at
Tohoku University of Art and Design
is a private university in Yamagata, Yamagata, Japan.
History
Established in April 1992 by the governments of Yamagata Prefecture and Yamagata City, the Tohoku University of Art and Design is the first venture of its kind in Japan where a u ...
. In 1991, he returned to teach part-time at the Art Center College of Design. Between 2000 and 2004, he was Chair of the Transportation Design Department at the college, but in 2004 he was offered a job at Pininfarina.
Okuyama worked for
General Motors
The General Motors Company (GM) is an American Multinational corporation, multinational Automotive industry, automotive manufacturing company headquartered in Detroit, Michigan, United States. It is the largest automaker in the United States and ...
and
Porsche
Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG, usually shortened to Porsche (; see below), is a German automobile manufacturer specializing in high-performance sports cars, SUVs and sedans, headquartered in Stuttgart, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. The company ...
, helping design the new generation of the
Porsche 911
The Porsche 911 (pronounced ''Nine Eleven'' or in german: Neunelfer) is a two-door 2+2 high performance rear-engined sports car introduced in September 1964 by Porsche AG of Stuttgart, Germany. It has a rear-mounted flat-six engine and ori ...
(aka 996) as well as the Boxster.
Before moving to Pininfarina, he worked for General Motors in the Advanced Concepts Center in California.
On 10 May 2004, Ken Okuyama began work as Creative Director at Pininfarina.
He had been working with Pininfarina before, supervising the design of the
Enzo Ferrari. As Creative Director Ken oversaw projects including the
Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano,
Ferrari 456M GT,
Ferrari California,
Ferrari 612 Scaglietti,
Chevrolet Camaro (fourth generation), Ferrari Rossa (Concept car),
Mitsubishi Colt CZC
The is a group of autonomous Japanese multinational companies in a variety of industries.
Founded by Yatarō Iwasaki in 1870, the Mitsubishi Group historically descended from the Mitsubishi zaibatsu, a unified company which existed from 187 ...
,
Maserati Birdcage 75th,
Maserati Quattroporte V and
Ferrari P4/5.
In 2006, Okuyama left Pininfarina and set up his own design firm, Newton Design Lab. In late 2007, Okuyama launched the ''Ken Okuyama Eyes collection'', an eyewear collection manufactured in Japan.
In 2008, Ken Okuyama presented his first concept car under his own name, the K.O. 7 Spider, a
carbon fiber reinforced polymer
Carbon fiber-reinforced polymers (American English), carbon-fibre-reinforced polymers (Commonwealth English), carbon-fiber-reinforced plastics, carbon-fiber reinforced-thermoplastic (CFRP, CRP, CFRTP), also known as carbon fiber, carbon compo ...
and unpainted
aluminium
Aluminium (aluminum in American and Canadian English) is a chemical element with the symbol Al and atomic number 13. Aluminium has a density lower than those of other common metals, at approximately one third that of steel. It ha ...
two-seater. The K.O. 7 was unveiled at the
Geneva Motor Show
The Geneva International Motor Show is an annual auto show held in March in the Swiss city of Geneva. The show is hosted at the Palexpo, a convention centre located next to the Geneva Cointrin International Airport. The Salon is organised by t ...
in March 2008. Ken Okuyama has cooperated with the luxury watch producer
TAG Heuer, having fitted the TAG Heuer Grand Carrera at the dashboard of the car. The interior of the concept car was inspired by the design of the TAG Heuer watch.
In 2008, Ken Okuyama's design studio produced the first 20 models of the K.O. 7 Spider, already pre-sold to an "inner circle" of the designer's fans. It was followed by the production of 99 cars in 2009 and 99 more in 2010.
In 2016, Ken Okuyama revealed the Kode 57. This will be an additional member to the limited-edition family, as only five units will be produced. Forbes Magazine stated "Enzo Ferrari Designer Stuns Monterey With Breathtaking Kode 57 Supercar".
Projects
Railway vehicles
* JR East
E6 Series Shinkansen, introduced in March 2013
* JR East
E7 Series Shinkansen, introduced in March 2014
* Rebuilt
KiHa 141 series coaches for the JR East ''
SL Ginga''
excursion train, introduced on the
Kamaishi Line in April 2014
* Revised colour scheme for JR East
E3 Series Shinkansen fleet used on ''
Tsubasa'' services from April 2014
* JR East
E3 series ''Toreiyu'' excursion train, entering service on the
Yamagata Shinkansen
The is a Mini-shinkansen route in Japan, operated by East Japan Railway Company (JR East). It provides service between Tokyo and Shinjō in Yamagata Prefecture over the tracks of the Tohoku Shinkansen and the Ōu Main Line.
The term Yam ...
from July 2014
*
E235 series
The is a DC electric multiple unit (EMU) commuter and suburban train type operated by East Japan Railway Company (JR East). The commuter variant was introduced on Yamanote Line services in November 2015, and the suburban variant entered ser ...
commuter trains for the
Yamanote Line
The Yamanote Line ( ja, 山手線, Yamanote-sen) is a loop service in Tokyo, Japan, operated by the East Japan Railway Company (JR East). It is one of Tokyo's busiest and most important lines, connecting most of Tokyo's major stations and urban c ...
in Tokyo, scheduled to be introduced in November 2015
* JR East
E353 series ''Super Azusa'' trains entering service in 2015
*
HB-E300 series 4-car hybrid DMU set for use on ''
Resort Shirakami - Buna'' services in the north of Japan from July 2016
* JR East
E001 series ''Train Suite Shiki-shima'' luxury cruise train, scheduled to enter service in May 2017
*
Tobu 500 series
The , branded , is an electric multiple unit (EMU) train type operated by the private railway operator Tobu Railway on limited express services in Japan since 21 April 2017. 11 three-car sets (33 vehicles in total) have been built by Kawasaki ...
limited express trains entering service in spring 2017
* New trains for the
Kobe Municipal Subway
The is a rapid transit system in Kobe, Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan. Like other large Japanese cities, Kobe's subway system is heavily complemented by suburban rail. In addition, two people mover lines also serve the Kobe area: the Port Island Line ...
Seishin-Yamate Line, entering service in fiscal 2018
*
Osaka Metro 400 series
The is an electric multiple unit (EMU) train type built by Hitachi Rail for Osaka Metro. Entering service on 25 June 2023, a total of 23 six-car sets are to be built.
Operations
A total of 23 six-car sets are due to be introduced ahead of t ...
, entering service in April 2023
* JR East
E8 Series Shinkansen
The is a Japanese Shinkansen high-speed train type on order for '' Tsubasa'' services announced on 3 March 2020. It is intended to replace the E3 series, raising the top speed of the service from to . It is designed by Ken Okuyama, in coopera ...
, entering service in 2024
Cars
*
Honda NSX (first generation)
*
Mitsubishi Colt CZC
The is a group of autonomous Japanese multinational companies in a variety of industries.
Founded by Yatarō Iwasaki in 1870, the Mitsubishi Group historically descended from the Mitsubishi zaibatsu, a unified company which existed from 187 ...
* KEN OKUYAMA DESIGN・Kode7
* KEN OKUYAMA DESIGN・Kode7 clubman
* KEN OKUYAMA DESIGN・Kode7 SeriesII
* KEN OKUYAMA DESIGN・Kode8
* KEN OKUYAMA DESIGN・Kode9
* KEN OKUYAMA DESIGN・Kode9 Spyder
* KEN OKUYAMA DESIGN・Kode57 Enji
* KEN OKUYAMA DESIGN・Kode0
*
Ferrari 456M GT
*
Ferrari Rossa (Concept car)
*
Enzo Ferrari
*
Ferrari 612 Scaglietti
*
Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano
*
Ferrari P4/5 (Concept car)
*
Ferrari California
*
Maserati Quattroporte V
*
Maserati Birdcage 75th (Concept car)
Other Projects
* OHC
M.8LE(limited edition) massage chair.
* OHC
M.8massage chair.
* OHC
M.DXmassage chair.
* OHC
R.6massage chair.
Ken Okuyama designed the M-series and R-series massage chairs with a swing door in partnership with Furniture for Lif
(FFL) FFL is Inc. 5000 company based in Boulder, Colorado.
File:OHCOM8LEMassageChair.jpg, OHCO M.8LE Massage Chair
* Gundam G40 (Industrial Design Ver.) (HG)
File:Ken okuyama design kode7 131127.JPG, Kode7
File:Ken okuyama design kode7clubman 131127.JPG, Kode7 Clubman
File:Ken okuyama design kode9naname 131127.JPG, Kode9
File:Ken okuyama design Yanmar yt01 131127.JPG, Yanmar YT01
File:Kode57 front 20160819 162707.jpg, Kode57 Enji
File:Kode57 20160819 134448.jpg, Kode57 Enji Rear
Awards
The following were awarded to either Ken Okuyama, car, or other project he worked with others to design:
*The
Pininfarina Metrocubo won ''The Best Interior Design of the Year Award'' in 1999
*The
Ferrari Rossa, designed by Okuyama, won ''The Best Concept Car of The Year'' award in 2000
*The
Maserati Birdcage 75th won the ''Best Concept'' prize at the Editors Choice Awards by
Autoweek
''Autoweek'' is a car culture publication based in Detroit, Michigan. It was first published in 1958 and in 1977 the publication was purchased by Crain Communications Inc, its current parent company. The magazine was published weekly and focused ...
*The Maserati Birdcage 75th won the ''
Louis Vuitton
Louis Vuitton Malletier, commonly known as Louis Vuitton (, ), is a French high-end Luxury goods, luxury fashion house and company founded in 1854 by Louis Vuitton (designer), Louis Vuitton. The label's LV monogram appears on most of its produc ...
Classic Concept Award'' which Pininfarina gave to Okuyama
*The prestigious Hall of Fame award “La Bella Macchina” was given to Ken Okuyama at Concorso Italiano on August 20, 2016.
*201
Consumer Electronics Show Innovation Honorawarded in the Fitness, Sports, and Biotech Category for the OHCO M.8
* 2019 ePDA (European Product Design Award) for the OHCO M.8
* 2019 Pinnacle Award in Furniture for the OHCO M.8
* 2020 Good Design award for the OHCO M.8
References
External links
*
Yamagata Koubou websiteOHCO Massage Chairs website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Okuyama
1959 births
Art Center College of Design people
Japanese automobile designers
Japanese expatriates in Italy
Living people
People from Yamagata Prefecture
Pininfarina people
Ferrari people