How did you discover your passion for design and get started in the visual communications industry? I did not start with a clear idea of becoming a designer. I was more interested in visual culture and how ideas are expressed through design. While studying in Canada, I took graphic design courses and realized that my interest naturally aligned with the field.

Over time, I came to understand that design is not just about aesthetics. It is a way to communicate ideas beyond language. That perspective became especially important to me as I began working between Japan and North America. That curiosity eventually led me into branding.

Tell us a bit about the design firm Public Address. What do you do there in your role as creative director, and what do you enjoy about it? Public Address is a design studio that brings together strategy, design and storytelling. As a creative director, I lead projects from concept to execution while also helping shape the studio’s creative direction. Recently, we opened our Tokyo office, where I manage the business. Building a team and establishing our presence locally has presented a new challenge.

What I enjoy most is the studio’s ability to connect different perspectives. Working across Tokyo and Toronto, along with other locations, allows us to approach branding with both local nuance and a broader international perspective.

How would you describe what makes Japanese design culture distinct, and how do you practice some of the culture’s principles in your own work? Japanese design culture places a strong emphasis on individual artistic sensibility. At the same time, there is a deep focus on materiality and execution. There is a strong respect for craft and detail, where even the smallest elements are considered carefully and everything feels controlled. In our work in Japan, we try to bring that mindset into our branding approach, not just making things look refined but ensuring that everything we deliver is well crafted.

Why do you think that Japan’s visual philosophy hasn’t yet translated into strategic brand thinking? Historically, branding in Japan has been closely tied to advertising. Large agencies have led the conversation, which tends to focus more on campaigns and messaging. As a result, visual philosophy and craft have often been treated separately from strategy.

There is incredible depth in Japanese aesthetics, but it has not always been positioned as a strategic tool. Part of the challenge is that Japanese craftsmanship, with its emphasis on tangibility and sensory experience, is not always easy to translate into strategic thinking or visual communication systems. That connection is starting to emerge, but it’s a work in progress.

How do you incorporate local history and culture into your identity designs for your Japanese clients? Does this differ greatly from your research process for global clients like activewear brand ASICS or the 2026 FIFA World Cup? For Japanese clients, local context is essential. Cultural references, history and even subtle nuances in behavior can influence how a brand is perceived. At the same time, the process itself is not entirely different. Whether it is a local client or a global brand, we are always trying to understand what makes the brand unique and how it should be expressed.

The difference is in sensitivity. For global projects, we often define a strong and clear framework so the brand can be perceived consistently across different markets. For Japanese clients, it is more about uncovering something that already exists and expressing it in a way that fits the cultural context. The transformation depends on what is appropriate, rather than following a predefined strategic logic.

Among the values of Japanese craft, you emphasize the rejection of cookie-cutter systems as something you’d love to see in the design world. How do you see that idea being adopted? There is a growing tendency to rely on off-the-shelf templates and systems that can be applied universally. Japanese craft is rooted in specificity. Each object and solution is considered in its own context. That mindset often prioritizes appropriateness over efficiency and precision over scale.

I think we will see more designers moving away from standardized systems and toward more tailored approaches, not rejecting systems entirely but using them more critically and with greater intention. In our own work, this often means building systems that are flexible rather than rigid, allowing for variation while maintaining coherence. It is less about enforcing consistency and more about creating a framework that can respond to different situations.

What does a successful brand look like in Japan today? A successful brand in Japan places a strong emphasis on the customer experience. From packaging to retail environments, every touchpoint is carefully considered. Communication tends to prioritize experience over verbal messaging, allowing the brand to be understood through what people see and feel, rather than what is explicitly said.

At the same time, there is also a high expectation for craft and execution, so even small inconsistencies in delivery can affect how a brand is perceived. What is becoming more important today is clarity. Many brands are well-made, but not always clearly articulated. The ones that stand out are those that can express a clear point of view and carry it consistently across every touchpoint.

Where do you see the biggest opportunity for Japanese brands looking to grow internationally? One of the biggest opportunities lies in how Japanese brands translate their strengths to a global audience. There is already a deep foundation in craftsmanship, quality and attention to detail, but those strengths are not always communicated clearly outside of Japan.

The opportunity is to make those qualities more legible and intentional as a brand by articulating them in a way that can be understood across different cultures. Brands need to be aware of cultural differences and adjust how they communicate in each market. That means moving beyond product excellence alone and thinking more holistically about how a brand expresses itself, visually, verbally and experientially.

What is one of your favorite projects that you’ve worked on? Some of the most rewarding work I’ve done has been on global projects, especially the FIFA World Cup 2026. With an event of that scale—arguably the largest sporting event today—the social impact is significant. As it approaches, you can feel the excitement building, and it is powerful to see our design work present in those moments.

It changed my perception of what design can do. We built a robust design system that can adapt to different contexts and phases of the event from early announcements to large-scale public activations. The system needed to be flexible enough to work across different host cities, cultures and touchpoints, while still maintaining a consistent identity. The project felt like becoming part of a shared experience, part of people’s excitement and, in some way, part of history.

What do you think is the biggest challenge that designers currently face, and how can they overcome this? AI is obviously at the center of many of the challenges designers are facing today. That said, I am not particularly pessimistic about it. It will transform how we work and change many of our day-to-day tasks, but it does not replace the need for communication or the role of branding. The bigger challenge is how designers adapt. It will require a shift in focus from execution to thinking, from making to defining. It may also push us to go beyond the screen, toward more tangible and experiential forms of design.

In practice, AI is already accelerating production, generating variations and assisting with early-stage exploration, but those outputs still require judgment, context and direction. Without a clear point of view, the work can quickly become generic. The value of design will likely shift from producing outputs to defining direction. Finding new opportunities within this shift is what makes this moment exciting.

Do you have any advice for creatives just starting out in their careers today? New tools like AI are incredibly convenient and useful. However, they often skip too many steps in the process. That is why understanding the history of tools and visual expression is important. It reflects a series of challenges and responses over time and provides context for why things are the way they are. Without that foundation, it can be harder to fully understand or push expressions further. Sometimes, I feel younger designers are not yet maximizing these tools, simply because they are missing that perspective. ca