I can feel sense of humor from all your works which you have explored in various fields. To express humor is one of your themes?

Actually I think I am not good at “humor” and “laugh” (laughs). My theme I clearly pursue is simple and universal expression. I think the best expression would be an expression that is enjoyable by anybody from kids to adults in any country. In addition to it, as I recently think back on my past works, I think I like an expression that I can feel the warm or relaxing part of people. You might be feeling the relaxing part as a kind of humor.

TISSHOES

You have been working with various forms of expression including film, product design, book design, web design, interactive design and so on, Which way of expression do you think you enjoy or feel most comfortable with? Please tell us what activities you like to explore in the future as well.

For me, film is the most experienced expression, but I believe I have the confidence to think that the best ideas are not about expression using which media. That might be the reason why there are completely different expressions created naturally every time I make something. In the future, I would like to challenge myself to express with less-experienced media like product designs, applications and installations.

Please introduce the SHIFT cover which you made for this time.

The concept is as it is, “SHIFT”. As it’s a cover design, I wanted to use the logo SHIFT. I started to think from the idea, I made a cover thinking it would be cute if the SHIFT logo shifted to various things to express SHIFT. I was thinking to make it a bit longer, but I was running out of time.

Please tell us your recent activities including latest works and ongoing projects.

At BBH, I am working on next year’s global campaign for AXE. For my personal work, I recently made a music video for Snoop Dogg with the director Paul Hunter.

As for ongoing projects, I have a few. One of them is a project collaborating with Spicebox and Tokyo Peninsula to make a new application/service using ADOBE AIR. I hope we can present it within this year. I am also involved in planning a project by Yugo Nakamura. Projects for jewelry and installation are super-slowly on going (laughs). I hope to present them in 2010.

I want to keep working on films and products, but I want to experiment with unfamiliar media to do my expression as a challenge to myself.

What is an important thing to form an idea? Also, please leave a message to those in younger generations who like to work in various creative fields like you.

I think it’s important to make something by yourself anyway, to not be afraid of failure, just to move your hands anyway and to use your brain to make realize it. There are a number of people who can come up with ideas, but less people who work on the idea to give it shape by trial and error. I think the big point is if you can do it or not. I don’t have a firm equation to shape an idea either. I have been through a series of problems of how I should solve every time. But I believe it is important to go through the problem and work on it hard with an enthusiasm to even create a new way for the expression.

Also, to work abroad is not such a difficult thing. I think the creative level in Japan is comparable to that abroad. Of course it’s better to be able to communicate in English, but our duty is like a battle of ideas. I think there’s no problem if you can communicate with the other even by drawings to convey your good idea. Giving up from challenging yourself would become an obstacle the most, so I want more young people to challenge things anyway. And let’s create something fun together.