Resurrecting the creative period when most everyone made something
 
In this modern age, when we want to acquire something of value to us, we just buy it. This is our standard behavior. However, this consumer behavior became common only from the 18th century when the market economy was established. Before this, people made the things they needed themselves. It thus added value to these things.

Now that buying has become common, we humans are forgetting our natural, creative processes and actions to make things. Even so, it is a fact that digital fabrication equipment such as 3D printers and laser cutters provide the means for more creative handiwork.

Meanwhile, the intellectual property system, which is a precondition of modern manufacturing, has a history of only about 500 years since the world's first patent was issued in Venice in the 15th century. In human history, this is a relatively recent development. The negative aspects of the modern intellectual property system are often cited such as being an economic wall and impeding creative innovations. We cannot deny that this could be one factor inhibiting the "creativity" that only humans possess on Earth.

Under such conditions, we have proceeded with open-source design projects to promote people's creativity and the value and joy of making things with your own hands. Our initiative has resulted in diverse examples such as Open Source Furniture and OLIVE. Although open-source design has gained some traction, it is still far from being a widespread alternative for consumers to pursue DIY.

DIY database of open designs for warehouse spaces

Aiming to popularize and promote open-source design, we thought that having a database of many DIY recipes for copyright-free designs was essential, similar to cooking recipes. Re-SOHKO has the concept of "Connecting warehouses to people, objects, and things." When they gave us a warehouse renovation request, we worked with them to start the OPEN SOHKO DESIGN website.

OPEN SOHKO DESIGN is an online database of renovation ideas and designs by professional designers and architects that anyone can copy or modify to renovate offices, furniture, etc.

The website includes open-source design pioneer Enzo Mari's tables and chairs that can be made with just boards and nails, office furniture by David Steiner who advocates furniture design for digital fabrication, and the office furniture we made for the Mozilla office, one of the world's largest open source communities.
This database gives people an alternative to be creative and make their own offices and studios with their own hands.

(Caption of “Re-SOHKO TRANSFORM BOX”)
We designed the Re-SOHKO TRANSFORM BOX, a mobile workplace that anybody can build. When closed, it becomes a standard-size pallet to easily transport things. It stores the tools necessary to make things and even has a work desk built-in. A portable workshop that can be used anywhere. The blueprint to build this box is also available in OPEN SOHKO DESIGN.

Making society creative, full of open design

Many people have copied and modified the office and furniture designs and renovation ideas provided by OPEN SOHKO DESIGN. They have used them to build offices, renovate studios, design home interiors, etc.

Things you make yourself with open-source designs bring added value not possible with ready-made purchased things. You feel a certain love and attachment to the thing you made yourself. There is a personal joy and memory also created in the process. Also, with the modern-day problems of product market saturation, decreasing natural resources, and excess waste, renovation and upcycling are becoming more important. Open design is a viable option.

In such times, Fablab, Open Desk, PreciousPlastic, and other projects around the world are striving to bring back the DIY handmade culture. We are also working with these projects to accumulate case studies and expand our networking with fellow people making sustainable and open-design products.
We hope that the creation of value with your own hands will be a viable alternative for the future. 

Team:
Designer: NOSIGNER Social design by evolution thinking. 
Art Direction: NOSIGNER (Eisuke Tachikawa)
Graphic Design: NOSIGNER (Eisuke Tachikawa, Toshiyuki Nakaie)
Product Design: NOSIGNER (Eisuke Tachikawa, Kunihiko Sato, Sui Fujikawa)
Web Design: NOSIGNER (Eisuke Tachikawa, Toshiyuki Nakaie)
Photographer: Masaharu Hatta