Articles
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Nov 30 2013
Christmas and "Illumination" in Tokyo
このブログは英語表記のみです。
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Every year, Tokyo and other areas around Japan light up in celebration of Christmas. This season is generally viewed as a time for couples to check out the beautiful light displays in the area. Moreover, it's a time to reserve buckets of chicken from KFC and order Christmas cake to celebrate over; not as romantic as most western countries, but a fun experience nonetheless. Here are some areas around Tokyo that are doing the light up thing right this year: Tokyo Midtown Roppongi Hills Keyakizaka Tokyo Sky Tree Solamachi (Oshiage) For more... If you'd like to see some more photos, here are some more I took a few years back. You can also go to these sites yourself. Some other great places to check out the Christmas lights or "Illumination" as the Japanese call it are: Ebisu Garden Place Shinjuku Southern Terrace Shiodome/Caretta -
Mar 20 2013
Japanese Copyright Law in Practice
このブログは英語表記のみです。
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On Paper vs. In Reality Copyright is a bit of a tough area for a lot of people. Understanding the scope of copyright, what it's for and how it applies to us as business owners is a whole mess of confusion for those who haven't studied law—and that's in our own countries! This is Japan! Sometimes laws are made, but not withheld in the same manner. This is especially prevalent in the case of something less concrete (to many) like a concept such as copyright. This overview will lay out the terminology and application of copyright here in Japan, based on past cases and how they've been ruled. I wrote an article a few months back which gives a general overview of what copyright really means in the creative world of Japan and how it may apply to your projects and your business. Please take a look at that article as a predecessor to this one. Due Credit Before starting off, credit must be given to those who deserve it. First, to Japan's Ministry of Justice for translating the J -
Nov 19 2012
Japanese Copyright Law in Layman's Terms
このブログは英語表記のみです。
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What is copyright? “Copyright” is a word that scares a lot of people. It has a tendency to put customers and uneducated designers on the defensive about what’s “theirs” and their rights. It’s the basis for a lot of misunderstandings, most of which, if I may be so bold, are unnecessary. It’s also one of the most difficult points when assembling a contract. By the end of this article, you should have a solid understanding of how Japanese copyright affects you and the artwork you order through HBD or another design studio/professional (based in Japan at least). What does Japanese copyright cover? Japanese copyright covers works that satisfy all of the following: Expresses thought or sentiment... ...in a "creative" way Falls within the literary, artistic, musical or scientific realm Speaking in (overly?) general terms, as long as the work (A:) satisfies the above three points; (B:) is not produced under "employment"; and (C:) is not (according to the e -
Oct 09 2012
Japanese Beers in Many Shapes & Sizes
このブログは英語表記のみです。 Japan has a major drinking culture. It's one of the only countries where alcohol is as much a part of business practice as the business itself. Add to that the social drinking culture (a force in itself), and you've got a country with a major love of alcohol. The staple drink of choice: beer. With beer so deeply rooted in the culture, it's no wonder that beer companies want to optimize sales. In lieu of that, the following is Kirin's Ichiban Shibori in a spectrum of sizes in hopes of hitting all types of drinkers and their relative cravings. From left to right 500ml (16.9oz) 350ml (11.8oz) 250ml (8.5oz) 135ml (4.6oz) I would venture to guess that those two smaller sizes are geared towards people with lower tolerances or for those who sincerely and honestly like the flavor of beer, but feel full upon drinking too much of it.
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Sep 10 2012
Autumn Beer Marketing & "Kouyou" in Japan
このブログは英語表記のみです。 This is a glimpse into how beer and "beer" companies cash in on the pre-winter, last-minute rush to enjoy the weather in one of the most gorgeous seasons of the year. One of the biggest activities and something the Japanese love to enjoy is called kouyou (紅葉). Kouyou means "deep red leaves" and signifies the color-changing of the seasons. It's this kouyou spirit that a lot of beer manufacturers like to embody in their packaging design. Fall Culture in Japan The weather between mid/late September and November is one of the most celebrated times of the year. Just after the blistering and muggy summer heat of Japan, people make one last attempt to enjoy the outdoors before the cold sets in and everyone's snuggled up under their kotatsu. Some common outdoor activities include the usual activities like hiking and sometimes camping. Autumn in Japan also brings sports festivals and harvest festivals in some cities (rice is usual
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Aug 06 2012
Understanding the Value of Graphic Design
このブログは英語表記のみです。 Updated September 25, 2015 Why Are Some Designers so Expensive? Pricing is one of the most difficult things to do in graphic design, whether you're buying or selling it. Do a search on the web and you'll find thousands of confused graphic designers out there wondering how they should price their work in a way that's accommodating to the customer yet provides them with some sustenance! Every situation is different, every client is different. How can a customer get a logo for the price that they want to pay? How can a designer provide such service with respect to themselves as individuals/organizations that have bills to pay? This article will relate pricing not so much to money, but to it's real underlying issue... Value Plain and simple. What is value? Do you know? Really? We're going to state something completely obvious, please bear with us: The designer-customer relationship is a trade of goods. A designer offers a
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Jul 02 2012
Being Transparent with your Clients - Part 2
このブログは英語表記のみです。 Did you read the first article? A couple months ago, I put up an article about being clear with your clients. In it, I explained that being considered a clear and informative designer usually comes down to your openness and thoroughness laying out your contract. Of course, there are other areas where you should be honest and straight-forward, but because this is where your relationship with a new client unfolds, its vital to get this part of the project right. We all make mistakes, welcome to life as a human, but each step should be a learning experience. In this post, I'll review some more contract details that we like to put out there from the start with our clients. Sometimes it's difficult to get to this conversation—clients are in a hurry to be somewhere else or the project is too rushed. In those situations, do what you can. At a minimum, we always send over the contract and encourage due diligence and our openness to questi
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Jun 05 2012
Designing for Japanese Audiences - Part 2
このブログは英語表記のみです。 One more time! Thanks for coming back and I hope you got something valuable from the first part in this series. There, we talked about typography and mobile access as two key areas to focus on when designing in Japan. This time, we'll be talking about some differences related to content and marketing to the right demographic. Content I'd like to take the content angle from an advertising perspective. In Japan, advertising design can usually be placed into one of two categories: service or product. From there, it's common to focus your advertisements on either facts or feelings. Think of it this way: Feeling-based advertising creates a subliminal spark from the moment the ad is looked upon. The customer sees the image, has an emotional reaction, decides that they want it and then looks for more details to in lieu of getting it. This is what I like to call the "heart-to-head" method of selling. Fact-based advertising do
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May 07 2012
Being Transparent with your Clients - Part 1
このブログは英語表記のみです。 Clear from the Start Transparency is huge. What I mean, is that the new "good guest service" is communicative, clear and honest guest service. Building loyalty requires respect and morally sticking to your promises. On my smartphone, I keep a small list of details that my clients must know, before I send them a quote for services (which I usually send after the initial brief). If I'm meeting with them in person or on the phone, I always like to mention the following things before closing the conversation so as not to shock/surprise them later. All of these are included because I've gotten in trouble for NOT mentioning them in the past. When it comes to on-the-spot stipulations, there are two main reasons why this is important: For a client ordering design work, it's always best to be clear and informative. If you mention something to them in advance, they're more likely to understand and remember it. It also makes the
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Apr 16 2012
Designing For Japanese Audiences - Part 1
このブログは英語表記のみです。 How This Article Came About A few months ago, I was intrigued to hear some people's opinions about the state of design in Japan. I posted a topic in a community with the question: Do Japanese graphic designers have the grit to keep up with the western design sense? I'll be honest, I was looking for some heated and heartfelt feedback so I deliberately made the question a bit aggressive. The perspective of that argument was based around the common notion that western design plays more with negative space, white space and simple layouts, while the Japanese style is sometimes considered more of a "what can we put here?" style. The response was outstanding and from that discussion, I realized that there are a lot of things to consider about the way we design for Japanese audiences. In this article, I'll go through a few of those things. So here we go! Text and Typography photo credit: crdotx on flickr When d
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