DLX Design Lab is an international design team established in 2017 within the Institute of Industrial Science at the University of Tokyo. Our mission is to:

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Create Value Through Design

 

Our two main goals are (1) to develop innovative ideas through close collaboration between designers, researchers, engineers and other diverse disciplines. And (2) to disseminate knowledge and nurture future talent by organising classes, forums, exhibitions and workshops to share design-led innovation methods with academia, industry, government agencies and the general public.

 

Collaboration

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Everything we do is in collaboration. Open and sharing are important approaches for us. Our intention is not to create our own bubble in which to operate but rather to reach out and make connections through all the activities we perform. There are two main types of collaboration activities:

 

• Collaboration with University Researchers. We work with researchers across The University of Tokyo to develop ideas to help close the gap between academia and society. Universities have many hidden wonderful discoveries which can be developed into ideas that could have meaningful impact on society. Finding such interesting research amongst the many university laboratories is like treasure hunting and we have carried out over 50 such projects. See more of our work HERE

 

• Collaboration with Companies and External Organisations. We are very interested in forming relationships with industry and other parties relevant to research and innovation. There are a number of ways that a company or other entity can collaborate with DLX Design Lab. 

 

• DLX Curiosity - a networking organisation where company members interested in design-led innovation and university research can be informed, inspired and make new connections. More information HERE

 

• DLX Residency - is a 6-month programme for a company member to learn design-led innovation methods by developing a project whilst based at DLX Design Lab. 

 

• DLX Design Academy - runs professional training courses for individuals and also closed classes for companies. These are short and long term duration. More information HERE

 

• Workshops and Joint Research - on occasion we jointly facilitate creative workshops or carry out research and innovation projects with companies to explore relevant themes connected to university research. If you would like to discuss such an opportunity further please contact us at info (at) designlab.ac

 

International 

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DLX Design Lab was also established to grow and maintain an international team and build global connections. Our design team is made up of people from many different countries (including Japan, UK, Italy, China, Israel, Germany, South Korea, and France). Our belief is that difference brings difference - having a diverse team brings new ideas and insights to our projects and hence more innovative ideas.

 

Alongside developing an international team, we have several meaningful relationships with other world leading academic institutions. The most significant at the moment are:

 

• Royal College of Art, London

• Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design, Israel

• National University of Singapore

 

We are always interested in making new connections or hosting visitors. If you have an interest or would like to make contact please contact us at info (at) designlab.ac

 

Structure

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DLX Design Lab is part of the Design-Led X Platform, an organisation established at the Institute of Industrial Science (IIS), The University of Tokyo in 2016. This initiative aims to incorporate a wide variety of design activities into the culture and environment of the university. The ‘X’ in the Design-Led X could stand for: education, research, collaboration with industry, experimentation, and so on. Further information about the Design-Led X Platform can be found here (Japanese only) HERE .

 

The Design-Led X Platform has a Director and Deputy Director who are senior faculty members of IIS and they are supported by a team of 10+ other faculty members. The DLX Design Lab itself has a team of approximately 30 people made up of:

 

• Executive Directors (5)

• Operational Director (1) 

• Head of Studio (1)

• Project Researchers & Research Associates (8)

• Visiting Academic Fellows (3)

• Students (Masters and PhD) (7)

• Administrative Assistants (4)

• Associates (4)

 

The team is based in studios in Komaba II campus near Shibuya, Tokyo and Kashiwa II campus in Chiba Prefecture. 

 

Join the Team…

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We are often on the lookout for new talent to join the DLX Design Lab team. If you have an interest in working with us then please send us a message (covering why you are interested in working here), CV and recent portfolio. Send to: <info (at) designlab.ac>