2. TABLE OF CONTENTS
What is MUJI? 1
Timeline 3
Design Narrative 6
Marketing/Consumer 7
Comparative Analysis 9
History 10
Inspiration 11
Research & Development 16
Design Approach 17
Product Line Organization 18
Advertising/Promo Techniques 19
Cutting-Edge Evidence 21
Conclusion 22
References/Sources 23
Colophon 24
3. WHAT IS MUJI?
Muji is a Japanese retail store, founded in 1980. Their brand philosophy
is to design and manufacture products that are low in cost, but high
in quality. They acheive this through three steps: material selection,
inspection process, and packaging simplification. For instance, they
skip the bleaching process for pulp when making paper, which results
to paper that is light beige in color. This paper is then used in their
lables and packaging. Muji ensures that their products are pure and
fresh, avoiding any distictive embellishments. Their simple and minimal
designs have been remarkably noticed not only in Japan, but worldwide.
Muji’s idea is to put out everyday necessities, designed in a way that
people would consume their products not because they want it,
but because they need it. They function on the concept of rational
satisfaction. Many people has viewed this company as “resource-saving”,
“low-priced”, “simple”, “anonymous”, and “nature-oriented”.
1
4. 1980
Establishment of
Muji Ryoshi as a
supermarket brand
from The Seiyu,
with 9 household
products and 31
food products.
1983
Opening of very first
MUJI store in Japan.
1991
Opening of first
overseas store in
London.
1996
Opening of first
MUJI “Hanayoshi”
flower shop.
2000
20th anniversary,
opening of online
MUJI store
2007
Opening of first US
store in SOHO, New
York
3
5. DESIGN NARRATIVE
“MUJI is more than simply a line of products. It is a way of thinking”
(Kenya Hara). Confidence can be found in simplicity, and that simplicity
comes from stripping away frills that come from splendor. Kenya Hara
has been the Art Director of Muji since 2001. The company’s philosophy
is to keep their products minimal, natural, and bare. Hara narrates these
ideas through five different elements: emptiness, natural, home, water,
and Earth.
EMPTINESS // The idea of emptiness allows the user to handle
products in any shape or form that they find most comfortable with.
NATURAL // Hara places emphasis on the beauty of our own hands
which help execute our desired output, instead of fancy materials. An
expensive kitchen tool will not make a dish any more pleasing than our
own skillful hands can.
HOME // MUJI represents a way of living and promotes people to make
their home their own through customization.
WATER // MUJI wants to be “like water”. Its liquid form can take any
shape possible.
EARTH // With their use of natural materials, MUJI promotes a way
of man unifying with Earth. Hara strongly believes that people living
naturally with the Earth is extremely important.
6
6. What sets MUJI apart from virtually all of their commercial contemporaries is their marketing,
or lack there of. Their brand identity exists in MUJI’s simplicity, innovation, and the function of its
products. Almost every item in MUJI’s product line is free of any logo, brand name, or otherwise
distinguishing feature that represents the company. Instead, the products are represented
cleanly, concentrated down to only the necessary components comprising the formal and
functional features. This simplicity speaks to their customers, who appreciate the company’s
offerings for what the products are and do, not what they represent. The target market for
MUJI are customers who value functional utility, ease of use, and clean, crisp lines, and reject
excessive ornamentation and gimmicky branding that serves no other purpose than aesthetics.
MARKETING / CONSUMER
7
7. Among MUJI’s major contemporaries, IKEA most closely resembles their design aesthetic
in terms of innovation, simplicity of styling, and functionality. Where the two companys differ
is in terms of market share and labeling. MUJI Japan appears to have more in common with
their Swedish counterpart than MUJI U.S., where stores are much smaller and carry a less
extensive line of products. MUJI offers designs produced by many different designers but do
not include labels on their products other than the materials and care information, usually listed
on a removable tag or sticker. IKEA also contracts firms to design their products, however they
include both their house brand and the second party designer’s name on their products.
MUJI, short for Mujiroshi (no brand) Ryohin (good quality), was started in a supermarket chain,
The Seiyu, in December 1980. The Seiyu is a Japanese group of supermarkets, department
stores, and shopping centers that are all owned by WalMart. MUJI aimed to offer cheap quality
goods and marketed with their slogan: “Lower priced for a reason”. By 1983, the first MUJI store
opened in Japan. The first international store opened in London in 1991. Now there are more
than 700 MUJI stores around the world and over 7,000 products ranging from clothing to
household items.
COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS
HISTORY
IKEA MUJI
9 10
8. MUJI’s minimalist aesthetic fuses together the traditions of Japanese culture and Swedish design.
They both share the affinity for simple and clean looks. Instead of having a distinctive design
to their products, they try their best to stay anonymous. Their design inspirations generally
come from a type of lifestyle that everyone from any culture can enjoy. Naoko Yano, MUJI’s
Head of Planning and Design reflects her experience of living in Sweden through the products.
She observed the way that workers seem to “switch on and off between life and work”, which
narrows down to the concept of “fika”. Fika in Swedish culture is a liefstyle of having coffee,
accompanied with pastries, for a coffee break. Yano wanted everyone to have a taste of the
fika lifestyle, so she designed a kitchen line that featured stainless steel coffee holders, simple
towels, cups, serveware, and other utensils that are found in kitchens.
INSPIRATION
11
9.
10. Always in search of innovative designs to keep quality and utility high while maintaining
affordable prices, MUJI employs some truly clever strategies in their R&D. Many of their products
are made from sustainable or recycled materials, such as their wool blends, which they collect
from manufacturers in the form of scraps and unused pieces that would normally be thrown
away during the manufacturing process.
An innovative example of MUJI’s utility in sustainable design is their bath towel comprised of
modular sections that can be trimmed without unraveling. As it wears with age, it can transform
into a bath mat, then even further to become individual cleaning cloths.
MUJI’s innovative edge is also apparent in their vaccuum packaging of T-shirts. A well-made,
medium sized T is shrinkwrapped down to a Rubic’s cube-sized square of dense cotton, for
easy shipping and storing, as well as an interesting, and wrinkly, unveiling for the purchaser.
Among their office supplies, MUJI’s cylindrical mini-scissors are another example of smart
design when applied to storage and packaging. They are about the size of a permanent marker
and with their protective cap, they are meant to fit neatly amongst other pens in a book bag, or
even in your pocket, as they have a small clip attached to them.
RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT
16
11. MUJI’s aim is to provide good quality products at low retail prices, which stays true to their
slogan, “Lower priced for a reason”. To acheive this approach, they follow an environmental
guideline to restrict the use of substances that may cause damage to individuals or the
environemt. They also reduce waste by creating only simple packages for their products.
MUJI’s product line is home and lifestyle-centered and includes housewares, office supplies,
furniture, and clothing. With one stop to the rather small SOMA location, one can find almost
all the necessities to fill an empty apartment stylishly and efficiently, on a modest budget.
The limited selection makes it easy to make a decision, as they typically only have one or two
versions of each product.
DESIGN APPROACH
PRODUCT LINE ORGANIZATION
17 18
12. The significance of advertising to MUJI’s success is minimal, as they do not air commercials
on TV or purchase billboards or other street side advertising spaces. Their brand logo appears
nowhere after the purchase tags and/or stickers have been removed, and they display
no visible symbols anywhere on their products. Upon entering a MUJI store, the only item
readily identifiable with their brand name was a canvas shopping bag. The company’s quality,
affordability, and innovation speak for themselves.
ADVERTISING / PROMO TECHNIQUES
19
13. The future of MUJI looks bright, as they are a company with roots deep in innovation,
responsible material use, and safe, healthy, and comfortable products. With simplistic design
concepts that appeal to a large demographic, their products should stand the test of time in
terms of style. Offering high quality at an affordable price, MUJI’s product line will likely continue
to be enjoyed in times of both economic ups and downs. Their environmental considerations
in manufacturing, such as using organic, sustainable, and recycled materials, will always be
a smart choice for consumers who are becoming ever more respectful of our planet and its
limited resources.
MUJI is a one-stop shop for all living necessities. Their philosophy is to reduce waste and
stay friendly with the environment. By avoiding advertisements, they draw in people who
are genuinely interested in their products, instead of those who come to shop for the “look”.
Simplicity and innovation in their designs are what sets MUJI forward among their competitive
brand, such as IKEA. Their inspiration is taken from products used in daily life, and products that
people can continue to use for many years. MUJI sells items that is needed, not wanted.
CUTTING-EDGE EVIDENCE
CONCLUSION
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