クリエイティブコミュニケーター、デザイナー。1969年東京生まれ。千葉大学工学部工業意匠学科卒業。トヨタ自動車入社、愛・地球博『i-unit』コンセプト開発リーダーなどを務める。2005年（有）znug design設立、多くの工業製品のコンセプト企画とデザインを手がけ、ものづくり企業の創造活動の活性化にも貢献。「町工場から世界へ」を掲げた電動バイク『zecOO』、やわらかい布製超小型モビリティ『rimOnO』などのプロジェクトを推進する一方、人機一体『零式人機』、セコム『cocobo』、GROOVE X『LOVOT』、トヨタ自動車コンセプトカー『Camatte』『Setsuna』、ダイハツ工業『COPEN』、THERMOS ケータイマグ『JMY』『JNL』『JNR』、Afternoon Tea ランチボックス『LUNCH WARE』、タミヤミニ四駆『Astralster』『RAIKIRI』『ELEGLITTER』などの開発も手がける。ミラノ Salone del Mobile "Satellite"、パリ Maison et Objet 経済産業省 "JAPAN DESIGN +" など、国内外のデザインイベントで作品を発表。日経優秀製品・サービス賞 2022 最優秀賞（SECOM cocobo）、グッドデザイン金賞 2020（経済産業大臣賞）(LOVOT)、CES 2020 INNOVATION AWARD（LOVOT）、COOL JAPAN AWARD 2019（LOVOT）、日本感性工学会 かわいい感性デザイン賞 2019 最優秀賞（LOVOT）、同 2016 最優秀賞（rimOnO）、JAPAN WOOD DESIGN AWARD 2016 最優秀賞（農林水産大臣賞）（Setsuna）、JIDA MUSEUM SELECTION 2015（zecOO）、ドイツ iFデザイン賞 2010（THERMOS JMY)、他多数受賞。千葉大学工学部教授（2022～）、グッドデザイン賞審査委員（2014～）。GROOVE X 株式会社 Chief Design Officer、ヤマハ発動機株式会社 デザインアドバイザー、hide kasuga & Partners。著書『アイデアは敵の中にある』（中央公論新社）、『カーデザインは未来を描く』（PLANETS）。

Kota Nezu is a seasoned designer, a creative communicator, and a writer.

He was born in Tokyo in 1969. He holds BE in Industrial Design from Chiba University. He started his career at the Toyota Motor Corporation, where he also led the creative team for “i-unit” which was exhibited at EXPO 2005 Aichi, Japan. After he founded the znug design, inc. in 2005, he designed and developed concepts for numerous products, invigorating the project collaborators’ creativity and contributing to further expand their work fields.

His work includes; zecOO, the electronic motorcycle which launched the new business model that delivers “from the neighborhood workshop to the world market,” rimOnO, the soft-surfaced micro vehicle, JINKI by Man-Machine Synergy Effectors, cocobo by SECOM, LOVOT by GROOVE X, the concept cars Camatte and Setsuna by Toyota, COPEN by Daihatsu, the travel mugs JMY, JNL, and JNR by THERMOS, the lunch box LUNCH WARE by Afternoon Tea, and the high-speed racing toy MINI 4WDs Astralster, Raikiri, and ELEGLITTER by TAMIYA.

As well as vigorously working on various projects as the znug design, he holds senior positions at his clients’ companies; He is Chief Design Officer of GROOVE X, Inc., and Design Adviser at Yamaha Motor Company. He joined the founding team of hide kasuga and PARTNERS in 2021. He is Professor of Engineering at Chiba University. He has been serving the judge panel for Good Design Award since 2014.

His design has been exhibited nationally and internationally. The venues include Salone del Mobile “Satellite” in Milan, Maison et Objet in Paris, and JAPAN DESIGN + organized by Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry of Japan.

The list of awards he received is as follows; Nikkei Superior Products and Services Awards 2022 the Best Award (SECOM cocobo), Good Design Gold Award/Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Award 2020 (LOVOT), CES 2020 Innovation Award (LOVOT), Cool Japan Award 2019 (LOVOT), Japan Society of Kansei Engineering (JSKE) Kawaii Award 2019 the Best Award (LOVOT), JSKE Kawaii Award 2016 the Best Award (rimOnO), Japan Wood Design Award 2016 the Best Award/Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Award (Setsuna), JIDA Design Museum Selection 2015 (zecOO), iF Design Award 2010 in Germany (THERMOS JMY), and many others.

He has published Idea Sits Within Your Enemies (Chuokoron-Shinsha, Inc., 2016) and Car Design Makes the Future (PLANETS, 2017).