A Design Company Turning Curiosity and Opportunity into New Ventures

Could you introduce yourself?

I’m the founder and CEO of the design company Wab Design, while also continuing to work hands-on as a Creative Director. My work spans a wide range of design fields, including branding, web and graphic design, social media management, and data analysis using performance and improvement reports.

What kinds of things are you usually interested in?

My interests are quite broad, and I’m always keeping an eye on different things.

I love traveling and have traveled around the world, as well as visited all 47 prefectures in Japan. I’ve also been interested in fashion since I was around 15 or 16, and I still enjoy checking out new clothes. I’m interested in interiors too, so I often browse furniture and lifestyle goods.

I have two Himalayan cats, and spending time with them is also important to me. I also have a 10-year-old daughter, so I regularly keep up with topics related to education and parenting.

Thank you. Next, could you tell us about Wab Design’s business and what sets the company apart?

Wab Design focuses on branding, web and graphic design, social media management, and improvement proposals.

I would say we have three main strengths.

The first is the quality of our design. We have received numerous awards over the years, and our work has been recognized for its high level of design.

The second is the breadth of services we can provide. In addition to graphic and web design and logo development, we build e-commerce websites and conduct data analysis using performance and improvement reports. We also handle social media planning and management, reporting, and photography, allowing us to provide services across a wide range of fields.

The third is our extensive experience working with global brands and major companies. We have worked with listed companies as well as public-sector organizations. Our clients include SoftBank, Sharp, TOPPAN, Recruit, Docomo, NTT, Francfranc, Netflix, and TOYOTA, among many others.

I believe this track record is one of the reasons clients feel confident working with us.

We understand that, in addition to your design business, you’re also involved in community and educational initiatives.

Yes. One of them is IDID, a creative community jointly operated by Wab Design, SHIFTBRAIN, and FOURDIGIT. Its activities include organizing events, running educational and media programs, introducing projects, and operating a school business. As part of this, we also run Creative Class, where a variety of professionals are invited as instructors to create opportunities for people to learn design.

We also operate PLAYGROUND, a sneaker business with stores in Tokyo and Nagoya. It is a joint venture between Wab Design and the apparel company FACE.

It’s striking how broadly your activities have expanded. Did these initiatives originally begin with your own ideas?

For our own ventures, meeting the right partners and having the right timing have played a major role. IDID was similar, we joined the management of an existing community later on.

Of course, I had always had a vague interest in running things like a store, a design company, or a community. But rather than pursuing those ideas according to a deliberate plan, I think they came about as the right timing and the right encounters gradually aligned over the years, and I acted when those opportunities appeared.

I feel that being fortunate with both timing and the people I’ve met is one of the reasons these businesses have been able to continue to this day.

Thank you. How do you think Wab Design is perceived by your clients and the people in your community? What kind of company do they see you as?

It’s difficult for me to say exactly how our clients see us. What I can say is that a large portion of our work comes from repeat business, and we very often receive new requests from clients we have worked with before.

There are also cases where a client changes jobs and reaches out to us again from their new company, or where a former employee moves to another company and that leads to new work for us.

Considering that, I would be happy if people see us as a company that builds lasting relationships with clients, employees, and partners by communicating sincerely and treating those relationships with care.

What kind of people do you enjoy working with?

I enjoy working with people who share similar interests and values. I’ve always wanted to work in fields that genuinely interest me, and I think continuing to do that has helped shape the work and experience I have today. I’d like to keep working in those kinds of areas going forward.

At the same time, when it comes to clients, we welcome inquiries from anyone. One of Wab Design’s strengths is the breadth of services we offer, so we’re always happy to work with a wide range of people.

What kind of people make up your team, and what is the atmosphere like within the company?

We have a lot of team members with a strong sense of responsibility. They take their work very seriously.

I’d say the company culture is relatively flat and open. People actively exchange opinions within the team, and they’re also comfortable sharing different perspectives with me, even as the CEO.

One article we came across, “Rethinking What’s ‘Normal’ at Work,” really stood out to us. What was behind experimental initiatives such as working for 11 months and taking one month off?

I place a lot of importance on the idea of “designing the way we work” itself. When it comes to how a company should operate, I don’t want us to simply follow the same model as everyone else. I want us to have our own values. I think that ultimately becomes an advantage in hiring and also makes us more distinctive as a company.

To avoid being pulled into excessive competition and to build a position that feels true to us, we consciously try to question and let go of what is considered “normal.” And simply put, I’m personally drawn to that kind of thinking.

With so many of your team members working remotely, why have you chosen to keep the company based in Tokyo?

Our base is a shared office in Aoyama-itchome. About half of our team members are in Tokyo, while the rest are spread across different parts of Japan, so we have a setup that isn’t tied to a specific place of work.

Personally, I don’t feel strongly that I need to stay in Tokyo long-term, and I think that could change depending on my circumstances.

For the company, however, there is a clear reason for maintaining a base in Tokyo. Being here can make it easier for potential clients to reach out to us.

As I mentioned earlier, we value the idea of “moving away from what is considered normal.” We work fully remotely and operate with only a small office, while at the same time working with many widely recognized companies. I think that contrast between an unconventional way of operating and the kind of clients we work with is part of what makes us who we are. In that sense, keeping the company based in Tokyo is a conscious choice.

Could you tell us about your own career? What kind of work were you doing before becoming independent? And had you always planned to start your own company?

I had always liked clothes, so after graduating from university, I worked as a sales associate at an apparel shop. At the time, Macintosh computers were becoming more widespread, and it was becoming possible to try design even if you couldn’t draw by hand.

While working in retail, I bought a Macintosh from a friend and started teaching myself design software such as Illustrator by reading books. After about two years, I began thinking that I wanted to try working as a graphic designer. The reason was actually very simple. I just thought the words “graphic designer” sounded cool.

After that, I worked at a graphic design studio for around two years. It may have been a time when, if you could use the software and communicate reasonably well, you had a chance of getting hired. Looking back, though, I don’t think I was particularly successful there.

Later, I joined a company started by friends I had worked with in apparel and worked there as a graphic designer. I designed T-shirts, labels, hang tags, catalogs, and websites, among other things.

I spent two years in retail, two years at a design studio, and another two years at my friends’ company. By the time I had accumulated around six years of experience, I was about 27 or 28.

Because I had watched my friends start their own companies up close, I naturally had opportunities to learn how a company was set up, how to work with accountants, and how various administrative procedures were handled. Through those experiences, I started to think that I might like to run a company myself.

When I became independent, I didn’t have a specific vision in mind. I simply felt that my work was beginning to expand, and I started to think that working for myself might suit me better than being an employee. I also expected to receive some work from friends, so once I had a few months’ worth of revenue in sight, I decided to go independent.

Looking back from the time you started the company to where you are today, was there a particular moment that became a turning point for the business?

About two or three years after becoming independent, I started to feel how difficult it was to keep running everything on my own. That was when I invited Nakamura and Watanabe, who are both still with the company today, to join me in managing the business.

I had always wanted people I could talk things through with. People who could think about revenue from the same perspective and consider the future of the company together with me. Having the two of them join the management team became a major turning point for the company.

Earlier, you mentioned that Wab Design works across a wide range of design fields. What led the company to develop that kind of structure? And was working across such a broad range something you had envisioned from the beginning?

One reason was that I wanted us to stay flexible. Whenever a new inquiry or opportunity came our way, we tried to approach it sincerely and think about what kind of value we could provide. Rather than putting forward a strong philosophy or fixed direction from the outset, we focused first on responding to a wide range of challenges and needs through design.

Of course, we have our own ideas about the kind of design we want to pursue. But rather than limiting ourselves to that alone, we believed that responding flexibly to different clients and projects would allow us to continue the business over the long term. Having ongoing opportunities to work also gives us the chance to refine our skills and put them to use. I think that accumulation of experience is what led to the structure we have today.

There were also two other factors.

The first was changes in the times. We originally focused mainly on graphic design, but demand gradually expanded into web, then UI and UX, and later social media. At the same time, clients increasingly expected quantitative evaluation, such as website traffic and social media performance, which created a need for reporting and analysis as well. As we adapted to those changes, the range of services we offered naturally expanded.

The second factor was our team. By hiring people with those skills, and by having team members develop new capabilities after joining the company, the range of work we could take on also continued to grow.

Looking back on your time running the company, what are some of the happiest or most memorable moments that stand out to you?

There are so many. Even everyday moments, like having meetings with the team or simply chatting together, are part of what makes the work enjoyable. I’m also very happy when we’re able to properly pay salaries and bonuses to our team members, and more recently, receiving an award was another major source of joy.

Now that I’ve been running the company for a long time, I find myself feeling more happiness from the growth and achievements of the people around me than from my own accomplishments. I’m happy when someone wins a new project, or when I hear about something they’ve been able to do because their salary increased. I’ve also come to find a lot of fulfillment in teaching others.

Looking back, there are countless memorable moments. From being entrusted with major projects to seeing clients happy with our work. Even things like going out for yakiniku with the team at a year-end party and later saying, “That was fun,” have all become important memories for me.

On the other hand, could you tell us about some of the difficulties you’ve faced and what you’ve learned from them?

There have been many challenges. One of the biggest is simply whether or not there is enough work. Even when we’re happy to land a major project, if it doesn’t lead to repeat business, concerns about revenue naturally arise.

It’s also exciting when highly skilled people join the company, but those are often the same people who may later choose to change jobs or become independent. When a team member leaves, there is of course a sense of sadness, but as a business owner, I also worry about whether we can maintain the same level of quality without them.

There have also been times when we made mistakes, upset clients, failed to deliver work we were satisfied with, or fell short of expectations. Those kinds of worries and challenges existed in the past and still exist today, but we’ve continued by facing them each time they come up.

On the other hand, could you tell us about some of the difficulties you’ve faced and what you’ve learned from them?

There have been many challenges. One of the biggest is simply whether or not there is enough work. Even when we’re happy to land a major project, if it doesn’t lead to repeat business, concerns about revenue naturally arise.

It’s also exciting when highly skilled people join the company, but those are often the same people who may later choose to change jobs or become independent. When a team member leaves, there is of course a sense of sadness, but as a business owner, I also worry about whether we can maintain the same level of quality without them.

There have also been times when we made mistakes, upset clients, failed to deliver work we were satisfied with, or fell short of expectations. Those kinds of worries and challenges existed in the past and still exist today, but we’ve continued by facing them each time they come up.

What has kept you going all these years? What continues to drive you to work in the creative field?

I genuinely enjoy the work itself. I think the reason I’ve been able to do so many different things is that whenever something comes my way, I try to stay flexible and ask myself, “How can we make this work?”

I also believe that as long as people are reaching out to me, I should appreciate those opportunities. I want to respond to as many of the projects we’re offered as possible, and when someone invites me to try something new, I usually want to give it a shot.

By continuing to move in that way, new opportunities naturally lead to more opportunities. Rather than pushing forward with intense passion toward one big goal, I’ve simply kept responding to what was in front of me and to the people who reached out. That accumulation of small opportunities is what gradually expanded the range of what I do.

What are you hoping to see in the future of the creative industry?

I hope the status of creators continues to rise, and that they are increasingly recognized as valuable contributors to society and as important people within companies’ economic activities.

Creative work can help increase sales and strengthen the image of a company or brand. There are already many people demonstrating that value, but I still feel there is plenty of room for the industry as a whole to grow.

Next, could you tell us about any challenges you would like the company to take on in the future?

There are many things we want to pursue as a company.

First, I want to continue raising our team members’ salaries. I’d like to create better compensation while keeping working hours the same. I want to build an environment where people can do meaningful work, be well compensated, and work alongside good colleagues and keep improving that environment over time.

In terms of meaningful work, I’d also like us to gradually take on more projects outside Japan, rather than limiting ourselves to domestic work.

I also want to grow the company in terms of both scale and economic size. Simply increasing the number of people we work with is one part of that.

And I’d still like to expand the areas we work in. Design is currently at the core of what we do, but in the future that could extend into fields such as product design. I think it would be exciting to broaden the range of value we can provide and continue expanding the scope of our work.

What kind of organization are you aiming to build in order to achieve those goals? And what are you currently doing to move in that direction?

I really value the idea of respecting each individual. That’s why I want the company to function more like a platform, an environment where team members can act based on their own decisions. I think the organization becomes much more interesting when people have real autonomy and can take initiative.

We currently have directors, designers, coders, and people in a variety of other roles, but we are working toward a structure where anyone can choose a project, build a team, and take responsibility for moving it forward. When a new inquiry comes in, people who are interested can raise their hands, form a team, and develop the proposal together. Whether someone is a director, designer, or coder, the goal is for anyone to be able to become the starting point of a project.

The reason I want to build the company this way is that I believe people feel more satisfied when they make decisions and act on them themselves. Even when the work is difficult, there is a greater sense of ownership, and the satisfaction is much greater when things go well.

If we can create a system where every team member can become the starting point for action, I think we may begin to see people thrive in ways even the management team never anticipated. That’s the kind of organization I want us to become.

From everything you’ve shared so far, it’s clear that your team means a great deal to you. What do your colleagues mean to you personally?

I think “comrades” is closer than simply “colleagues” when I think about the people I work with.

As I mentioned earlier, many of my interests naturally connect to my work. I love fashion, so I run a sneaker shop. I enjoy traveling, which has led to projects designing hotel signage and logos. I’m interested in interiors, so I’ve worked on residential promotions, and my interest in early childhood education has led to school branding projects.

In that sense, the things I’m interested in often become part of my work, and that has become my way of working as a creator. It’s almost like a life’s work. Because of that, many of the people around me are also people I work with on some kind of project.

Of course, we chat casually and enjoy spending time together as well. But underneath that, we share a common goal: making the project succeed. In that sense, my colleagues are people who move forward together toward the same goal.

Your personal life and work seem to connect quite naturally. With that in mind, what does work mean to you personally?

For me, I think work is a way to deepen and expand the things I’m interested in. I don’t really separate work and private life very clearly. Instead, when something interests me, it often connects to my work naturally.

Because of that, I barely have any hobbies that are completely unrelated to work. When something catches my interest, I often find myself thinking, “How could this connect to my work?” That said, I don’t usually start with the intention of turning something into work. Travel is a good example. As I kept traveling, I gradually started thinking, “It would be interesting if this could become part of my work.” Once you build even one relevant project or piece of experience, that can lead to the next opportunity.

Of course, I also enjoy taking on projects in fields I know nothing about, and sometimes those experiences lead to new interests. But I do feel that it’s easier to receive inquiries in areas I’m already interested in, and I’m also able to bring more of myself to the work.

For example, I enjoy working on regional projects, and I think that comes from my love of traveling and seeing different places. As more of those projects come in, I get more opportunities to visit those regions, sometimes going there myself as a producer. That kind of natural connection between what interests me and the work I do is probably the way of working that feels most like me.

You’re clearly passionate about pursuing what you enjoy, while also keeping a practical perspective on how to make it work as a business.

Yes, I think there is definitely a rational side to it.

At the same time, it’s difficult if I’m not genuinely interested in the subject. When I first started the company, I found it hard to do my best work in areas I wasn’t particularly interested in.

On the other hand, when I’m working on something I genuinely like, it’s much easier to bring out my strengths. The enthusiasm comes naturally, and I can also make proposals based on my own experiences. For example, I can say, “I’ve actually visited places like this and felt this way about them, so I think I can bring that perspective into the design of your space.” That kind of conversation comes very naturally to me.

Thank you. Finally, do you have a message for the people reading this article?

I have a strong sense that I’m living in this particular moment in time. I like history, and sometimes I imagine what my life might have looked like if I had been born in a different era. But precisely because I’m living now, I want to live in a way that feels true to this time.

When it comes to work, I feel closer to the idea of working because it’s enjoyable than working simply for money. If you can turn the things you like and enjoy into work, I think you can increase the amount of time in your life that feels enjoyable.

Now AI has emerged, and the way we work is beginning to change dramatically. Of course, I think there are negative aspects to the rise of AI as well, but I tend to focus more on what is interesting about it. The fact that we get to experience the beginning of an era in which people work alongside AI is fascinating in itself.

It reminds me of the first time I used an iPhone or rode in an electric vehicle. Those moments when you suddenly realize, “So this is what this new kind of experience feels like.” I think AI is similar. We’re entering a period in which we will understand what it means to work with AI by actually experiencing it. And those experiences will change our ideas and inspirations, which will inevitably change what we create as well.

Many iconic pieces of furniture and design that remain influential today strongly reflect the circumstances of the eras in which they were made. Some became possible because of industrialization, while others were shaped by the materials and technologies available at the time.

So if I’m living in 2026, I believe the things I create should also reflect the context of 2026. Creating with AI feels natural, and at the same time, I think the existence of AI may increase the value of things made by hand. Rather than positioning ourselves against AI, I hope we can work with it and enjoy what becomes possible.

I also think we don’t need to compare ourselves with other people too much. I do it myself, of course, but I try to remind myself to relax a little and pay more attention to what I personally find enjoyable.

That doesn’t mean everything has to be easy or fun all the time. Learning new skills and taking on difficult challenges can be hard. But I’ve always liked choosing the more difficult path. Solving a difficult problem is more interesting, and when I look back, even the periods when I had very little room to breathe can feel like enjoyable parts of the journey when viewed over a longer span of time.

I think many creators feel uneasy about AI, so your attitude of embracing that change and trying to enjoy it feels particularly striking.

If the same amount of time is going to pass either way, I’d rather focus on things I can look forward to than spend that time worrying about things that haven’t even happened yet.

I like putting plans on my calendar, so I add future plans to Google Calendar even when they aren’t confirmed yet. I’ll write things like, “Go see the autumn leaves in Kyoto around this time,” or “Go to Okinawa,” “Go to Nagano,” or “Go to Southeast Asia.”

I try to create things for myself to look forward to. Even just seeing those plans on the calendar is enjoyable. Of course, unpleasant things happen and I make mistakes in everyday life too. But I try to focus as much as possible on “now” and on myself, without overthinking things more than necessary.

I wasn’t very good at that when I was younger. In your twenties and thirties, it’s natural to place a lot of value on becoming someone or achieving something tangible. But as I’ve gotten older, into my mid-forties and around fifty, I’ve become more interested in being useful to other people than in focusing only on myself. Rather than simply achieving results as a player, I now find more enjoyment in teaching others and supporting their growth.

So if someone is struggling or feeling impatient right now, I think those feelings are completely natural. A little further down the road, there may come a time when the view looks different. I think it’s okay not to overthink everything and to keep moving forward at your own pace.