Interview with Tsutomu Tojo

I don't remember how I became a designer. Maybe I think it was a natural process to become a designer.

I wanted to become a designer. And it was a natural process.

Focusing on corporate and regional branding and website design, we do various designs to convey the appeal of clients, such as brochures, posters, video works, and logos.

Just move it!

I first look at how to get the margins.
Good design comes with calculated margins.

Good design exists to convey the goodness of a company, product, or service.
That's great value for everyone.
Good design conveys the appeal of a company or product rather than asserting itself.

If I have the time and opportunity, I want to design a whole small town.
It would be great if we could design everything such as houses, stores, landscapes, infrastructure, and welfare.

Japanese Zen mind.

I respect Japanese designer Taku Sato.

I really like the “XYLITOL" gum packaging design.
The package conveys all of the product.
The color of the package lets you imagine the taste, the mark tells you that it is a good product for your teeth, and the product name is very easy to understand.
I feel that it is one of the completed designs.

This is the website of "Another Japan Yamagata" which won the A'Design Award Bronze.
This site is a website created for travelers from overseas at the request of a client (a Japanese hotel group company).
It is the best example of success that was able to fulfill the client's wish by winning the award at the award outside Japan and getting attention.

I can't imagine that.

In commercial design, design is to convey.

I did a lots and lots and lots of design work.
And I did lots and lots and lots of thinking for design.

Until now, I used to work in Japan, so it would be best if I could work in various countries around the world!

Now I'm working on a video. I plan to open a channel on youtube soon.

I think that more parts will be left to AI.
By letting AI take care of our designers, they can spend their time thinking about a really easy-to-use UI.

I will interview the client first when the project starts.
I can't even think of a concept without knowing the thoughts and feelings of the client.

Don't add unnecessary things, Don't omit necessary things.
Always natural. This is the Japanese Zen philosophy.

Design sets the trends first, then trends set the designs.
In other words, pioneers are always great.

I read "Daniel Kahneman Thinking, Fast and Slow" over and over again.
This book contains much of the essential knowledge of design, such as cognitive psychology and behavioral economics.

Jimi Hendrix!!! and Sen no rikyu.
Sen no rikiyu is a famous tea master during the Azuchi-momoyama period, who invented Wabi-cha,” which became the origin of modern tea ceremony.
It is the origin of all Japanese culture.

It's a great honor to be recognized, but it's just one indicator.
And being recognized is a result, not a goal in itself.

ZICCA Design is a Japanese design firm.
It incorporates the Japanese philosophy of Zen into its design and conveys a simple and powerful message to the user.
Then, focusing on corporate and regional branding and website design, we do various designs to convey the appeal of clients, such as brochures, posters, video works, and logos.

For me, design is everything I need.

I like the simple, easy-to-understand message design.

I really like the gum “XYLITOL" gum packaging design.
The package conveys all of the product.
The color of the package lets you imagine the taste, the mark tells you that it is a good product for your teeth, and the product name is very easy to understand.
I feel that it is one of the completed designs.

I always think that the design is natural.
Do you really need the picture?
Is the decoration really needed?
If you ignore these and design, it will be very unnatural and bad design.

Basically, I ignore my emotions during design.
In many cases, I become a user and think about how I feel when I look at a design.

I think it is necessary to succeed in thinking thoroughly.
It's important to think deeply about what the user wants, whether it's the design they are happy with or not.

I first look at how to get the margins.
Good design comes with calculated margins.

I think that more parts will be left to AI.
By letting AI take care of our designers, they can spend their time thinking about a really easy-to-use UI.

In all my design work, I get inspiration from the Japanese “Zen Spirit”.
Also, various Zen-influenced Japanese cultures are very creative, profound and a source of my inspiration.

My design style is "Zen style design".
The Japanese Zen philosophy is incorporated into the design to convey a simple, elegant and powerful message to the user.

I live in Japan. Japanese culture is a culture that values the attention to detail. It is a very important element for design. Born and raised in Japan, I have acquired a sense of nature and attention to detail. I think that is my personality as a designer.
I am grateful to my hometown of Japan and its culture.

Tell me what you think.
From there, the designer finds the essence and puts together the main points.
And it's best to let the designer completely decide how to convey it.
We are professionals who have been practicing and practicing for years what they feel when they see them.
Incorporating client preferences in design is not a good idea.
I think there is no doubt about choosing a good designer by choosing a designer who has won the A'Design Award.

Just move it!

The negatives of being a designer is that you can't help but worry about the kerning on the street signs.
On the positives side, we won the A'Design Award!

Skills of listening to the client and seeing the essence are important.

I mainly use Adobe products.
I also read "Daniel Kahneman Thinking, Fast and Slow" over and over again.

I will strictly adhere to the deadline, and will not manage the time very carefully.

Companies and public bodies and etc..
There are relatively many clients related to tourism.

Until now, I used to work in Japan, so it would be best if I could work in various countries around the world!

In most cases I design by myself.

Please contact me from the contact form on my website.