We, as the Designer Interviews ("DI") had the distinct pleasure and opportunity to interview award-winning, most creative and innovative Tsuyoshi Omori ("TO").
Born in 1976, he is a founder of triplet design, inc. As an art director and design consultant based in Tokyo, he has been involved in a number of business projects, through which he designed posters, books, logos, graphics, packages, websites and apps. He won several international design awards in Asia and USA. He believes that designing is finding a solution to a challenge and there is no correct answer. Intrigued by such designing aspect, he is committed to looking at the nature of questions given by society or clienteles and presenting answers as concrete and effective as possible, which he hopes to brighten up people’s face.
Tsuyoshi Omori Designs
We are pleased to share with you original and innovative design work by Tsuyoshi Omori.
Tsuyoshi Omori Design - Three Emotions Brand Identity
Tsuyoshi Omori Design - PLANTS TRADE Concept Book and Poster
Tsuyoshi Omori Design - Portfolio Of A Jewelry Artist Art Book
Designer Interview of Tsuyoshi Omori:
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?
TO : When I was a university student, I was enthralled by the music video that I happened to see at a club. That experience led me to get involved with visual jockey. While I was making films or fliers with my friends, I came to think about becoming a designer.
DI: Can you tell us more about your company / design studio?
TO : My company, triplet design, inc, was established when I came to Tokyo at 29. We are mainly involved in consulting, design and creation for CI/VI, advertising, sales promotion and products.
DI: What is "design" for you?
TO : It is a motivation in my everyday life and represents me.
DI: What kinds of works do you like designing most?
TO : I am not particular about what I design. I would put more focus on whether clients are reliable or not.
DI: What is your most favorite design, could you please tell more about it?
TO : My favorite design is the music video for Bjork’s ‘All is Full of Love’ that was created by Chris Cunningham. I was shockingly amazed by how he mixed organic and inorganic things.
DI: What was the first thing you designed for a company?
TO : My first design work for a company was a supermarket’s discount seal!
DI: What is your favorite material / platform / technology?
TO : I like any type of transparent materials.
DI: Which aspects of a design do you focus more during designing?
TO : When designing, I put more focus on concepts or ideas.
DI: What kind of emotions do you feel when you design?
TO : I always come and go between calmness and excitement.
DI: What kind of emotions do you feel when your designs are realized?
TO : It depends.
DI: What makes a design successful?
TO : I believe that you must not give up until you achieve success.
DI: When judging a design as good or bad, which aspects do you consider first?
TO : Firstly, I consider how much impact it can bring as the first impression.
DI: From your point of view, what are the responsibilities of a designer for society and environment?
TO : A designer needs to accurately grasp given situation and hold one’s own view.
DI: How do you think the "design field" is evolving? What is the future of design?
TO : I think a designer’s ability to optimize design to diversified media along with technological evolution would become more and more important.
DI: When was your last exhibition and where was it? And when do you want to hold your next exhibition?
TO : My last exhibition "Specimen & Letterpress" was held at SHIBUYA PUBLISHING & BOOKSELLERS in TOKYO in 2018. The next one hasn’t been fixed yet.
DI: Where does the design inspiration for your works come from? How do you feed your creativity? What are your sources of inspirations?
TO : Though it is not easy to explain, I feel that all the experiences I’ve had until today serves a drop of inspiration for my design.
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?
TO : I would say my design style is made of simplicity, straightness and intentional blank.
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?
TO : I am pretty sure that my life in Tokyo significantly affects my designs. We can apply our ancestors’ wisdom or ideas that are embedded in our cultural heritage to today’s problem-solving process.
DI: How do you work with companies?
TO : When I work with companies, I focus on continuing to confirm shared objectives.
DI: What are your suggestions to companies for working with a designer? How can companies select a good designer?
TO : I suggest that the process of discussing and exchanging opinions with designers are really important. I also would like to remind companies that designs that are done by designers who miss emotions are just ‘decoration’ even though they have a high level of technique.
DI: Can you talk a little about your design process?
TO : My design process is on a case-by-case basis.
DI: What are 5 of your favorite design items at home?
TO : My favorite design items at home are a Sisley Cabinet, Herman Miller’s Aeron Chair, Jean Prouvé’s Potence, Bang & Olufsen’s Audio Speaker and Pelikan’s Pelikano Jr.
DI: Can you describe a day in your life?
TO : I expect that I can learn or discover something new everyday.
DI: Could you please share some pearls of wisdom for young designers? What are your suggestions to young, up and coming designers?
TO : First of all, I would suggest to develop their own views and keep polishing them along their career path.
DI: From your perspective, what would you say are some positives and negatives of being a designer?
TO : As the positive side, designers can reduce one’s assumptions and soften one’s head and heart. As the negative side, designers tend to be too absorbed in design creation process to keep regular hours.
DI: What is your "golden rule" in design?
TO : My “golden rule” in design is to observe given situation closely and patiently, avoiding to provide an answer immediately.
DI: What skills are most important for a designer?
TO : I believe ‘compassion’ is the most important skill for a designer.
DI: Which tools do you use during design? What is inside your toolbox? Such as software, application, hardware, books, sources of inspiration etc.?
TO : I use Adobe Illustrator CC and Adobe Photoshop CC on Apple’s iMac computer.
DI: Designing can sometimes be a really time consuming task, how do you manage your time?
TO : I always try to set aside sufficient period of designing time before starting a project. Additionally, to start a day, I check my daily to-do list to make sure I can complete within moderate working hours.
DI: How long does it take to design an object from beginning to end?
TO : It depends.
DI: What is the most frequently asked question to you, as a designer?
TO : I’m often asked about how I would share my ideas with others, how I would make a presentation about my designs, and in reality, quotation for my works!
DI: What was your most important job experience?
TO : I cannot pick one. Rather, all the work experiences matter to me.
DI: Who are some of your clients?
TO : My clients list includes BENESSE CORPORATION, RICOH, KOTSU SHIMBUNSHA, NIPPON ANTENNA.
DI: What type of design work do you enjoy the most and why?
TO : I enjoy designing things that are simple and can spark user’s imagination.
DI: What are your future plans? What is next for you?
TO : I would like to challenge myself to provide design works that can bring awareness of social issues to users.
DI: Do you work as a team, or do you develop your designs yourself?
TO : Basically, I carry out design process by myself. However, if necessary, I often invite other specialists such as photographer, copywriter, web engineer to discuss and receive their feedback.
DI: Do you have any works-in-progress being designed that you would like to talk about?
TO : I am currently working on the public relations activity for NPO who is aiming for the registration of the Hansen’s Disease Hospitals in Japan on the World Heritage List.
DI: How can people contact you?
TO : Please contact me via email.