BranD magazine celebrates its fifth year of publication in 2016. In the past four years, BranD has been presenting its readers some of the most excellent brand design cases of the world. What are the intriguing stories behind these brilliant designers? What are their design philosophies? With these questions in mind, BranD focuses on the theme of Designer & Philosopher for the first issue of 2016.

What is the relationship between design and philosophy? What are the differences between designers and philosophers? For excellent designers, what are their design philosophies? Answers to these questions will be unveiled by 12 design studios, with whom BranD had vivid interactions. Taiwan design studio HOUTH says, ‘philosophy is a kind of knowledge, it’s the study of the fundamental nature of the world. Design and philosophy are alike in the way that both need to be tested repeatedly, but design differs from philosophy in one aspect that every design is targeted to a specific problem and needs to evolve practical solutions’. However, French design studio Violaine & Jérémy thinks that design can’t be compared with philosophy, since these are two very different activities. More ideas on the relationship of design and philosophy are awaiting you in this issue, let’s start the journey.