I recently attended a design conference titled "Læringer fra Japan: Den omsorgsfulle arkitekturen" ("Learnings from Japan: Caring Architecture") by Design and Architecture Norway - DOGA, and one idea has stayed with me:
The language you think in shapes the way you design.
I move between Japanese, English, and a bit of Norwegian, and each language activates a different mode in my design process.
When I think about spacing through 余白 (yohaku) in Japanese, it feels intuitive, almost emotional. It isn't "empty space" it's breathing room, balance, intention.
But when I shift into English and think in terms of grids and margins, I become more analytical: pixels, measurements, systems, rules.
Same space on the page. Different mental pathway to get there.
It's not just vocabulary. Grammar, culture, and embedded patterns of thought shape design decisions in subtle ways. Concepts like ma or yohaku don't translate cleanly because the thinking behind them doesn't either.
This has made me appreciate multilingualism less as a communication tool and more as multiple creative lenses for solving the same problem.
Do you notice your language changing how you design or think, too?
Read the original post on LinkedIn