Naoto Fukasawa was born in 1956 in Yamanashi, Japan. He graduated from the Department of Product Design at Tama Art University in Tokyo (where he is currently visiting professor) in 1980. That same year, he became head of development at Seiko Epson. In 1989, he moved to Silicon Valley, where he joined ID Two (now IDEO San Francisco), before returning to Tokyo in 1996, when he founded and directed IDEO. In 2003, he established NAOTO FUKASAWA DESIGN, engaging in numerous collaborations with leading companies and international brands on projects ranging from precision electronic equipment to furniture, interiors and architecture.