Interview Employee Interview (A.I.)

Joined 2020 (mid-career hire)

Current main responsibilities

Aiming to become a creative director, I am taking on challenges across a wide range of fields through hands-on work — not only graphic design, but also video, events, websites and more.

Before joining, I worked as a graphic designer, so I sometimes do graphic design myself, such as logos, posters and flyers. These days, however, I also handle direction: grasping the client's intentions and giving instructions to designers and other staff.

My work changes from day to day — some days I spend most of my time designing with my own hands, other days mostly directing — but little by little I am increasingly appearing in front of clients as a director.

Why I joined

As a student I studied product design and graphic design, and I began my career as an in-house designer at a manufacturer where I could put those skills to use.

Being an in-house designer, able to be involved with one company over the long term, was a truly valuable experience. But precisely because I found the work as a designer so rewarding, I came to feel, “I want to take on a wider range of industries.”

Just as I was thinking that, I was asked whether I could help out with my family's printing business. That prompted me to leave the manufacturer that had looked after me so well, and I chose to “wear two hats”: working as a freelancer while helping with the family business.

Strategic Partners was one of the manufacturer's suppliers, and I had known them since then. Before leaving, I talked it over with the manufacturer's president, and after going freelance I began taking on design work from Strategic Partners.

Once I actually started working as a freelance designer, I found that I was only asked for things within the “designer” domain, and since I only had the capacity of one person, I hit a wall: “in essence, I end up being irresponsible toward my clients.”

Meanwhile, I was drawn to the way Strategic Partners designed and planned with solid grounding, based on 6e. I asked them, “Please let me join the team,” and that is how I came to be here today.

Any gap between expectations and reality after joining?

There was hardly any gap after joining. Counting my time at the manufacturer, I had known the company for four or five years before joining, so the atmosphere inside the company was just as I had imagined.

If I had to name something, it would be the “freedom” and the fact that “there are no job-title boundaries.”

By “freedom,” I mean two main things: relationships among employees are flat, so you can say what you want to say; and working styles are flexible, adapting to your health and schedule. I don't think you can work this freely at a large company.

As for “no job-title boundaries,” whether that's good or bad depends on the person, but you get to be involved in work that a designer at another company would not handle. While everyone does have a basic role, our stance is that we all do whatever we can for the client.

Thanks to that, I have been able to challenge myself with work I had no experience in, such as video and events, and I now have the goal of becoming a creative director involved in a much wider range of fields than just graphic design.

What makes the work rewarding

At the manufacturer I was in the position of placing orders with outside vendors, so I can imagine to some extent what clients want and what they are struggling with. When I work by imagining what the client wants done, and they thank me by saying, “We've never had a company go this far for us! Thank you!”, I feel it was all worth it. That is the most rewarding part.

I also find it rewarding when, as a designer, I realize, “There's something new I can do now!”

For example, I created a logo for a project aimed at high-school athletes and had bottles made bearing that logo; and I, who had only ever done graphic design, designed a website and saw it actually built as a page... When I take on a challenge I've never tried before and see it through to completion, I feel real joy.

Sample weekly schedule

* The weekly schedule is for illustration only

How I spend my private time (after work / days off)

When I have free time, I end up watching movies or reading manga.

I do it simply because it's fun, but looking back later, I find it has sometimes helped with my work.

Right now I am taking on the challenge of writing a film script and creating storyboards, and when I think them through, manga panel layouts come to mind.

“There was this kind of panel layout and way of moving a story along in a film or manga I've seen, so maybe I should show it this way in the video I'm planning, or maybe this kind of scene is needed...” The works I've seen in the past are helping me create my own.

What kind of company is STPT? Who would it suit?

Strategic Partners works in a truly wide range of fields, so I recommend it to people who “want to do new things” they have never done before.

Future outlook

My immediate goal is “to make videos that move people,” and my long-term goal is “to become a fully fledged creative director.”

As for “making videos that move people,” that's partly because I am currently working on a film script, but also because a video I worked on recently got the response “it moved me,” which gave me a real sense of achievement, so I want to pursue it further.

“Becoming a fully fledged creative director” goes without saying... I feel I still have a lot of room to grow in the logic needed to convince others and in communication, so I want to step up steadily.

Also, I don't want to be a creative director who “just gives instructions.”

I want to be someone who can direct while also being able to design and properly plan myself. If you can't use your own head and hands, you can't imagine the finished product, and people on the ground won't follow you on pipe dreams alone.

To make something truly good, I want to be a creative director who can clearly envision the finished product and enable the people on the ground to each perform at 100% of their abilities.