We, as the Designer Interviews ("DI") had the distinct pleasure and opportunity to interview award-winning, most creative and innovative Nobuya Hayasaka ("NH").
He was born in 1987 in Sapporo, Japan, and studied a wide range of art disciplines at university, including fine art, crafts, video, and digital content, with a focus on media design. During his studies, he won the grand prix of the docomo Creators Cup two years in a row. Currently, he is a director of arica design inc. He uses his experience in a wide range of fields to work on branding and art direction for stores, inns, and companies. He has won national and international awards not only in graphic design, but also in the fields of illustration, video, advertising, and package design.
Nobuya Hayasaka Designs
We are pleased to share with you original and innovative design work by Nobuya Hayasaka.
Nobuya Hayasaka Design - Sakura Shimizu Packaging
Nobuya Hayasaka Design - Q Shinsyu Apple Pie Lab Brand Identity
Nobuya Hayasaka Design - Zaku inc. Corporate Identity
Designer Interview of Nobuya Hayasaka:
DI: Could you please tell us more about your art and design background? What made you become an artist/designer? Have you always wanted to be a designer?
NH : I spent much of my childhood drawing and creating artwork. This made me good at creating something and I began to work to make use of this advantage.
DI: Can you tell us more about your company / design studio?
NH : arica design inc. is a design production company specializing in advertising and branding. We plan, design, and produce a wide range of projects, from concept design to logos, videos, web, interior design, packaging, and more. Because they can art direct entire brands, they are able to provide consistent and unified designs.
DI: What is "design" for you?
NH : Design is a means to an end. It is a method that can be used to fulfill all kinds of desires, such as "I want to sell products," "I want to attract customers," and "I want to look cool.
DI: What kinds of works do you like designing most?
NH : I like designs that surprise and make you aware. I want to create designs that are not only beautiful, but also allow people to discover the meaning behind them and move them to think and feel.
DI: What is your most favorite design, could you please tell more about it?
NH : “Victory 1945” Antiwar Posters by Graphic Designer Shigeo Fukuda Fukuda’s best-known works, features a projectile heading straight at the opening of the barrel of a cannon
DI: What was the first thing you designed for a company?
NH : Posters for company-sponsored events
DI: What is your favorite material / platform / technology?
NH : I like paper and printing. The texture and presence when you touch it, which is not present in digital art, is important to me.
DI: When do you feel the most creative?
NH : I feel creative when design actually moves people and society. I think the most creative thing is to create designs that can influence human behavior and social trends.
DI: Which aspects of a design do you focus more during designing?
NH : I focus on "what can be accomplished" by the design. I believe that a good design is one that can realize its purpose.
DI: What kind of emotions do you feel when you design?
NH : When I design, I have both the emotion of pure enjoyment in creating and the logical thinking to achieve results. When the former emotion is greater, it becomes just a road trip and I can't do a good job. On the other hand, if I only create with the latter thought, I will not be happy myself. The most ideal state is when both enjoyable emotions and logical thinking exist in balance.
DI: What kind of emotions do you feel when your designs are realized?
NH : There is both a sense of accomplishment in completing the design and a sense of uncertainty as to whether the design will be successful.
DI: What makes a design successful?
NH : Never stop improving. Even if my first design does not produce the ideal results, if I find the causes and areas for improvement, modify them, and keep trying, I will always come close to success.
DI: When judging a design as good or bad, which aspects do you consider first?
NH : I think it is important, of course, if the design is simply high quality and beautiful. However, I believe that the criterion for judging whether a design is good or bad is whether or not it can achieve its purpose.
DI: From your point of view, what are the responsibilities of a designer for society and environment?
NH : I have never thought about such a big social issue because I believe that designers are supposed to do their best to fulfill their clients' requests. I hope to make society richer and happier in the process of realizing the client's requests.
DI: How do you think the "design field" is evolving? What is the future of design?
NH : As a means of communication, I don't think it has changed over the years, but I do feel that the realm of design is expanding. I think that even the general public can now easily engage in design in a wide range of genres and fields, such as lifestyle, art, virtual, product, etc., and it is becoming more generalized.
DI: When was your last exhibition and where was it? And when do you want to hold your next exhibition?
NH : In May 2022, the Japan Typography Yearbook Works Exhibition was held in Tokyo.
DI: Where does the design inspiration for your works come from? How do you feed your creativity? What are your sources of inspirations?
NH : My inspiration comes from client research. By listening to the client's commitment, vision, what they value, the characteristics of their products and services, the competition, and the characteristics of their industry, I develop thoughts and ideas from these interviews. The hints for design always exist within the client themselves.
DI: How would you describe your design style? What made you explore more this style and what are the main characteristics of your style? What's your approach to design?
NH : My strength is my ability to do total brand design. I can do not only two-dimensional graphics, but also video, motion graphics, interior design, web, packaging, illustration, product, advertising, and any other design related to branding. With this multi-disciplinary skill set and total design as my weapon, I am able to provide consistent branding from start to finish.
DI: Where do you live? Do you feel the cultural heritage of your country affects your designs? What are the pros and cons during designing as a result of living in your country?
NH : I live in Japan and am familiar with Kanji, Hiragana, Katakana, and Alphabet typography. The originality of Japanese design comes from making use of these multiple types of typography.
DI: How do you work with companies?
NH : Sometimes we work on projects in collaboration with other professionals such as photographers, movie cameramen, web programmers, architects, etc. They bring ideas and sensitivities to my work that I could not produce on my own.
DI: What are your suggestions to companies for working with a designer? How can companies select a good designer?
NH : I think companies should share their visions, thoughts, objectives, and goals with designers without interfering to specific expressions. As long as there is agreement on the goals to be achieved, it is better to leave the creative part to the designer, which will lead to better results.
DI: Can you talk a little about your design process?
NH : I start by asking detailed questions about the client's characteristics and the characteristics of their products and services, and then I identify the elements that will serve as the basis for ideas. I then combine them to create a design.
DI: What are 5 of your favorite design items at home?
NH : 1. Colored pencils 2. pen tablet 3. 3D modeling set 4. iPhone 5. Macintosh
DI: Can you describe a day in your life?
NH : A day to create designs that people around the world will love.
DI: Could you please share some pearls of wisdom for young designers? What are your suggestions to young, up and coming designers?
NH : More than the acquisition of skills, it is important to have experiences and experiences that hone one's sensibilities.
DI: From your perspective, what would you say are some positives and negatives of being a designer?
NH : The good side is that you become good at communicating something through objects. The bad side is that you may put too much effort into making things and neglect the rest of your life.
DI: What is your "golden rule" in design?
NH : Balancing sensitivity and reason. In order to create originality, we must listen to our inner senses and feelings. I design sensitively by freely drawing lines and searching for shapes that I truly find beautiful. Then I verify if it is a logically correct design or not. I ensure the quality of the logical design by calculating ratios and comparing and verifying samples side by side. Doing both of these two aspects is my design rule. Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)
DI: What skills are most important for a designer?
NH : Continue to hone your professional skills and don't lose touch with the general public.
DI: Which tools do you use during design? What is inside your toolbox? Such as software, application, hardware, books, sources of inspiration etc.?
NH : Notebook, pencil, eraser. Mac and Adobe applications.
DI: Designing can sometimes be a really time consuming task, how do you manage your time?
NH : I am somewhat poor at time management. But I do organize my priorities and adjust the time I spend on projects.
DI: How long does it take to design an object from beginning to end?
NH : I can't give you a general answer because it varies greatly from case to case.
DI: What is the most frequently asked question to you, as a designer?
NH : How do you come up with design ideas?
DI: What was your most important job experience?
NH : I came in last place in a design award competition that I tried for the first time as a working adult. The frustration I felt at that time inspired me to work harder in design. The experience of defeat made me stronger.
DI: Who are some of your clients?
NH : Companies, restaurants, stores, inns, brands, etc.
DI: What type of design work do you enjoy the most and why?
NH : Same answer as question 04.
DI: What are your future plans? What is next for you?
NH : I have the strongest desire to master my current job. However, in addition to designing to meet the client's requirements, I would like to sell the work I create freely.
DI: Do you work as a team, or do you develop your designs yourself?
NH : I work in a team.
DI: Do you have any works-in-progress being designed that you would like to talk about?
NH : Please visit my website for my design work. http://zwoo.jp/
DI: How can people contact you?
NH : Instagram: @nodesigne https://www.instagram.com/nodesigne/ http://zwoo.jp/
DI: Any other things you would like to cover that have not been covered in these questions?
NH : No, there is not.