Creative Director Kashiwa Sato

You need to take a bird's eye view of yourself

creative director　Kashiwa Sato(Sato Kashiwa)

■ Profile
A leading Japanese creator, ALFALINK Sagamihara, which presents a new approach to logistics, has attracted attention both at home and abroad, winning a Gold Award in the Environments category at the Industrial Designers Association of America 2024 and Best of Best at the ICONIC Awards 2023, a German architecture award.

Kashiwa Sato is a leading Japanese creator and designer who works on a wide range of projects, including corporate branding, logo design, and spatial design.
We asked him about the ideas behind his unique approach and design skills, as well as his attitude towards his work.

■Please tell us why you decided to become a creator.

Express everything as if you were drawing a picture. This was a big lesson I learned during my university days. When I was a student, I focused on band activities, and I formed a punk band in my first year. I enjoyed music by composing my own music, producing the band, and performing at school festivals and live music venues. Of course, I also drew pictures when creating my works, but I think I put the most effort into music.
Initially, I started out just because I loved music, but I soon developed a strong desire to try my hand at creating original works. Also, during my second year of university, I realized that the process of composing music was similar to that of painting. Just as you set a theme and create visuals, music is created while designing a story. At this point, I suddenly had the feeling that "I can create anything," and I felt the infinite possibilities of self-expression. I also realized that the basis of various fields, such as spatial design and video, is to think like you're painting a picture.

■Please tell us what prompted you to become independent.

After graduating from university, I became interested in the advertising industry and joined Hakuhodo. After joining the company, I quickly realized how narrow my perspective was. I had only looked at the creative field up until then, and I lacked an understanding of the business side of advertising and its position in management. Realizing how narrow my view of the world had been, I became interested in learning about marketing and management in advertising production. Even now, I never forget and cherish the feeling that "the world I see is narrow."
On the other hand, while I continued working, I realized that my company and the advertising industry were not able to take on new initiatives that were in line with the times, as I had my own ideas. I felt that the world was moving from advertising to design, and I became convinced that "design will become the driving force that moves society in the future," so I decided to go independent.

■Please tell us how to improve your creativity.

When I was a young employee at Hakuhodo, I always thought that ideas and designs should come from within myself, and this always troubled me. However, I soon realized the importance of drawing out ideas from others, rather than just coming up with ideas for what I wanted to do.
As a creative director, the most important thing is communication with the client. It's important to draw out the client's requests and then create a concrete design to meet them. It's a very positive job, bringing out the best in the client and introducing that to society. Nothing makes me happier than seeing clients and users happy through the creative process.
I also try to be sensitive to the happenings and social trends around me in my daily life. To gain this awareness, it's important to look at yourself from a bird's eye view. For example, when I look at a news item that's currently trending, I objectively analyze why I think that way and why people are reacting that way. In this way, I try to grasp the trends of the times and social values ​​and apply them to my creativity.

Student Newspaper October 1, 2024 Issue: Hosei University 4th Year, Daiki Shimada / Nihon University 4th Year, Junki Suzuki