Interview with Taiki Kato

I believe my relationship between me and design (creative) most likely originated from how I was brought up. I was born and raised in Kyoto, Japan with a father and a grandfather who are craftsman of Kiyomizuyaki, a Kyoto pottery. In my father’s workshop, there were various tools, from paint, brushes, designs, to paintings, which were a great influence on me. I believe that the branding-oriented design work that I’m currently working on was due to my childhood. I did not want to become a craftsman that carry down a legacy of skill, but always wanted to become a person that support these great craftsman or a brand from a different perspective.

As stated above, it had been on my mind since I was little and I chose to become a designer.

We take on fashion, advertising, graphic design, web projects to branding-oriented projects such as creating brand identities and promotions domestically and internationally. I want to be involved in package design and visual identity for cosmetics and beverage, as well as branding-oriented projects like spatial design of a café.

The physical and mental attitude towards design.

I believe that design is “discovering” from “pursuit” and “quest”, and then “communicating” that properly. I strongly feel both mental and philosophical attitude towards enduring these factors is everything in design. I believe that a good design has a good balance of emotional value and functional value that came out of the above factor.

In the future, I would like to be involved in the education field, but as for the near future, the next step for me is to team up with good designers that are around the same age as me, and to hold a workshop or a talk show that study typography and visual identity.

I am sure that most of the companies have issues and problems. In order to properly solve these issues, I think the companies should form a long-term close relationship with a designer or a team.

I believe the fact that I have a continuous and a great relationship with my clients. This cannot be achieved overnight. I am very grateful of the staff who support me.

I believe that design is “discovering” from “pursuit” and “quest”, and then “communicating” that properly. I strongly feel both mental and philosophical attitude towards enduring these factors is everything in design. I believe that a good design has a good balance of emotional value and functional value that came out of the above factor.

It goes without saying that each designer needs to create a good design, but unfortunately it will only be seen to a portion. These days, there is a social media called Behance from Adobe, where the works of good designers’ are showcased. They have a strict evaluation point system.

I am currently involved in a hat brand as an art director/graphic designer. We just finished our 1st exhibition and it looks like it is going to receive a high degree of attention. The brand is planning to officially launch around September.

I am currently involved in a hat brand as an art director/graphic designer. We just finished our 1st exhibition and it looks like it is going to receive a high degree of attention. The brand is planning to officially launch around September.

Luckily I receive projects from various clients, but what I like best about designing for these clients is when my team is able to communicate closely with a client and come up with a design from scratch as if we were one of their employees. These types of projects are very exciting for me, and I am very blessed to be able to work with these clients.

I always do a thorough research, brainstorming, concreting ideas, and study.

The physical and mental attitude to face design and continue.

I do believe in co-design. In general, I am teamed up with a creative director/planner and producer/manager and work in as small unit of three. I wanted to create a compact and flexible design team that can quickly handle any types of projects. We team up with other creators when needed. We take on fashion, advertising, graphic design, web projects to branding-oriented projects such as creating brand identities and promotions domestically and internationally. I also run a co-sharing office specifically to creators.

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In general, I am teamed up with a creative director/planner and producer/manager and work in as small unit of three. I wanted to create a compact and flexible design team that can quickly handle any types of projects. We team up with other creators when needed. We take on fashion, advertising, graphic design, web projects to branding-oriented projects such as creating brand identities and promotions domestically and internationally. I also run a co-sharing office specifically to creators.

I believe that design is “discovering” from “pursuit” and “quest”, and then “communicating” that properly. I strongly feel both mental and philosophical attitude towards enduring these factors is everything in design. I believe that a good design has a good balance of emotional value and functional value that came out of the above factor.

Luckily I receive projects from various clients, but what I like best about designing for these clients is when my team is able to communicate closely with a client and come up with a design from scratch as if we were one of their employees. These types of projects are very exciting for me, and I am very blessed to be able to work with these clients.

Whether that design is suitable for the environment it is being released on. (size/colour/quality)

A truly successful design is a design that have had to overcome various obstacles, for instance not all clients will be able to launch a big campaign. The important thing is to face the brand/client for a long term in order to direct the design so that it becomes successful. The key is to work closely with a client towards the same goal, as well as the physical and philosophical attitude itself.

I believe that the responsibility of graphic designers is to contribute to society and environment in any way possible. Having said that, at the moment unfortunately a voice of a designer or an art director is so small. There is a great need to raise the level and position of a designer/art director to be able to even be heard. In order to do this it goes without saying that each designer needs to create a good design, but they also need to increase exposure of their design, which in the end will catch the eyes of clients and eventually lead to a greater and bigger voice.

My inspiration comes from the regular day-to-day input, but it’s really important to remember everything you’ve experienced in the past. Things you experienced in the past might only be dots for now, but as time goes by it may connect the dots and form a line.

When working with a company, as the size of the company expands, so does the number of confirmation. It is like playing telephone game or Chinese Whispers where each time it goes through a person, there is a possibility that a message will be lost. When we work with a company, my creative director/planner will create a strong proposal based on logic and stats. This way the design will not get lost in the telephone game.

I am sure that most of the companies have issues and problems. In order to properly solve these issues, I think the companies should form a long-term close relationship with a designer or a team. In order to realize this, the designers need to expose and appeal more to the universe. These days, there is a social media called Behance from Adobe, where the works of good designers’ are showcased. They have a strict evaluation point system and it may be a good method to find a good designer.

I always do a thorough research, brainstorming, contreting ideas, and study.

I have a distinguished manager/producer who help me run projects with necessary time allocation.

In the future, I would like to be involved in the education field, but as for the near future, the next step for me is to team up with good designers that are around the same age as me, and to hold a workshop or a talk show that study typography and visual identity.

Depending on the project, I do form a team.

I am currently involved in a hat brand as an art director/graphic designer. We just finished our 1st exhibition and it looks like it is going to receive a high degree of attention. The brand is planning to officially launch around September.

Please contact me via my website www.taikikato.jp or on instagram @taiki_kato. You can find projects and processes that are not showcased on my website here on instagram.