Friends who were meant to meet
Four people pursue exciting manufacturing
- Monotribe Co., Ltd.

Hello. I am Okuyama, the head of the sales department.
In this section, we, the sales staff, will be promoting other companies that we think are the best as if they were our own!

Sales Department Manager Hideno Okuyama

Our first guest is Monotribe Inc., a design and planning company.
We explore the secret to the teamwork of these four people who are so close that they call each other by nicknames.

It was already four years ago that I first visited Monotribe Co., Ltd.
When I visited Coding Factory as a salesperson to introduce their services, I remember talking with the technical director, Sato, and the designer, Itagaki, and thinking, "Ah, this is the kind of company I want to work with" and "I'd like to do something together."

That kind of inspiration doesn't happen all the time, and it doesn't happen very often.
Monotribe originally consisted of three people, but with the addition of new designer Hiroko Abe, the company now has four employees and its operations are expanding rapidly.
Before we knew it, we were working together, and the other day I even attended the kickoff meeting for a large project.

The newly moved office has a spacious roof balcony and a large meeting table.
After the lively meeting ended, Abe and his team said, "Let's all have dinner together," and treated us to a meal that they had been preparing over several days in the kitchen in a corner of the office.
A harmonious dinner time with the four members of Monotribe and all the vendors.
Before we knew it, the atmosphere was, "Let's do something fun together!"
I suddenly thought.
What is it? What is this warm atmosphere that revolves around the four of them?
With these questions in mind, I began the interview.

The four members of Monotribe were chatting on the roof balcony of the office. All of them came to the interview wearing yellow items, which is the company's corporate color.

Nobita and the three Doraemons making a proposal

Itagaki-san: "We go to meetings with clients together and while listening to their requests, Abe will have an idea on the spot and say, 'How about this?' and start making suggestions, and they'll say, 'That's a good idea,' and the idea will develop in a totally different direction than it was originally. I've been present at such moments many times.
I think Abe's unique characteristic is his speed in understanding what the customer wants on the spot and responding to them, rather than just "taking it home and thinking about it." This is the basis of Monotribe, and Abe's planning ability and imagination are what support the company."

Monotribe is a web production company, but their production track record goes beyond websites and ranges from company logos, recruitment brochures, business cards, door signs for new office buildings, wrapping of company vehicles, and spatial design for event venues.
The reason for this lies in Abe's ability to make proposals.

Abe: "Our clients want to do all sorts of things, but they don't know how to give them shape. We step in, listen to their ideas, and help them create something that makes them say, 'Yes, this is it.' For Monotribe, whose specialty is planning and design, there's no greater reward than that moment for creators."

Yoshihisa Abe, Creative Director and CEO

I take in the vague thoughts in the client's mind, organize them, condense them, and convert them into keywords that make them say, "Yes, that's it."
The three of them will support Abe's unique talent.
This is where Monotribe has struck an exquisite balance.

Itagaki: "Even if Abe has an idea, he can't put it into a shape, so we design it. At that time, we add anything we can, like, 'It would be even better if it was like this,' and then we can take the result of the chemical reaction between the four of us to the customer. In a way, I think we're able to work in an ideal way."

Art director and designer Hiroshi Itagaki (nickname: Doctor)

Abe: "I think of the three of them as Doraemon (laughs). They are the people who really bring to life the ideas that I think would be great, or that I wish I could do. I have tremendous trust in them, and I think their teamwork is outstanding."

He was supposed to be transferring as part of a team, but ended up going independent.
I want to make a living from making things for the rest of my life.

Monotribe was founded in March 2011.
Abe apparently approached Itagaki and Sato, who had worked on the same team at his previous job, and decided to go independent.
However, it was originally supposed to be a job change.

Abe: "When I was looking for a new job and consulting with some acquaintances, they introduced me to someone who has now become a shareholder in our company. As we talked about the current situation and future plans, they told me, 'If you have customers, a team, and something you want to do, then do it yourself,' 'I'll provide you with funding,' and 'Come and give us a presentation.'
At first, I was hesitant, thinking, "I want to be the president? No way, that's impossible," but in the end, I put together a business plan and presented it a month later. What was supposed to be a job change turned into independence. I told Hakase and Yu-chan, "Please become part of my family."

Sato: "When we were first approached, the first thing that happened was that the whole team was going to another company, but then it turned into a situation where we were going to start a company. We were a little surprised, but we decided to follow Abe. If Abe was going to start a company, then we felt like we should go with him."

Technical director and coder Yuichi Sato (nicknamed Yu-chan)

Abe: "We decided to go independent because we had a strong desire to spend our lives making things. It's fun to create things that have never existed before. If we want to pursue that, we should start our own company. The result was Monotribe.
By the way, the word "tribe" means clan, lineage, or family, and "Monotribe" contains the idea of "a family that makes things."

Monotribe started with a family of three, and now designer Hiroko Abe has joined them as the fourth member.
From my position as someone who knew the group both when there were three and when there were four, I get the impression that "Pee-chan," as they call her, really just blended in naturally.
We were destined to meet.
It seems that his first encounter with Monotribe took place on a snowstorm night in Sapporo.

Abe: "I went to Sapporo for the first time on a certain project, and decided to go out of the hotel to try some Sapporo ramen. However, it was a snowstorm that night, and I couldn't even see the map on my iPhone. Just as I was starting to wonder if I was going to get lost, I saw three women without umbrellas waiting for the traffic light at a nearby intersection.
Thinking they must be locals, I called out to them, but one of them turned out to be Peachan, and the other three were on their way to the ramen shop I was heading to. When we entered the shop and started to introduce ourselves, "I'm Abe," "I'm Abe," "Yes!" "What do you do for a living?" "Web," "Web," "Yes!!"

After that, Abe asked Hiroko Abe, who was working freelance based in Sapporo, for work several times and invited her to join Monotribe.

Abe: "I've never heard of it before, what was the deciding factor?"

Hiroko Abe: "I've done web work before, but for example, if it's a corporate website, they request something normal for a corporate website, and I provide something normal.
I was starting to get a little tired of that kind of interaction... That's when he approached me, which was a big deal. I got a sense of that freedom through the work I was asked to do before joining Monotribe.
"Oh, so I can do this much." The degree of freedom was much greater than the work I do for other clients or as an individual, so I thought it would be very interesting. So I was attracted to the degree of freedom and decided to do it."

Art director and designer Hiroko Abe (nicknamed Pee-chan)

Itagaki: "I understand the excitement when I hear Abe talk."

Hiroko Abe: "That's right. Your dreams will expand. But once you get in, you'll realize, 'Oh, I'm the one who will make those dreams come true!' I was like, 'Is that all you have to do, Abe?' (laughs). I thought, 'I see...'"

Abe: "Unfortunately, that's true (laughs)."

The secret to teamwork
It was a two-hour lunch.

Monotribe's office has an eye-catching display shelf.
On display there are works that are truly Monotribe-like, such as New Year's cards shaped like pizza delivery services and recruitment brochures modeled after the packaging of their latest creation, a plastic model kit.
What is it about ideas that go beyond the typical New Year's card or recruitment brochure that are put into shape?
The background to this was a big mystery to me.

Monotribe's New Year's cards are created every year with innovative ideas.
Top left: A New Year's card made from rice in 2013. Top right: A New Year's card with 3D glasses in 2015.
Below: A New Year's card with a Frisbee and an illustration of pizza. The intricacy of the design on the pizza delivery box is amazing.

Abe : For example, when you open the box of our pizza New Year's cards, you'll find a Frisbee with a "pizza" design on it, and the idea was brought to life by a printing company in Kagoshima that specializes in special printing.
They work in a similar way to us, and no matter what we ask for, they give us a quote. When we asked for pizza New Year's cards, they said, "What? Frisbees? Oh well, I'll give you a quote." In the end, they even made our own pizza boxes and did all the packaging for us.
As we made unique things, various people gathered and the environment was created where we could make more interesting things. It was like "One Piece". I'm really grateful."

On the other hand, the recruitment pamphlet, which is modeled after a plastic model package, was made by Tohan Kikaku Co., Ltd., a television program production company and Monotribe's client.

A recruitment pamphlet by Tohan Planning Co., Ltd., inspired by the packaging of plastic models

Itagaki-san: "At first, I went to interview with Abe about renewing the corporate website. At that point, Tohan Planning had already heard from six companies."

Abe: "The origin of the company name was to allow us to be active in both Tokyo and Osaka, so I had the image of the Fifty-three Stations of the Tokaido in my head even before I went to the interview.
Also, since it was a TV production company, there was also an idea for a design that was like a manual for a plastic model of a robot anime, so I proposed two ideas while listening to their ideas. In the end, I visited them at 18:00 and left after 21:00. I was talking about something like, "I'm going to walk through the 53 Stations of the Tokaido Road with ukiyo-e-style visuals scrolling sideways," and three hours had passed."

Itagaki-san: "So, I said, 'I look forward to hearing from you,' and we parted ways, and the next morning he contacted me and said, 'Please do it.' He didn't even propose a design, it was decided based on just a consultation. It's a typical Abe story."

Top page of the corporate website of Tohan Kikaku, a television program production company ( http://www.tohan-kikaku.co.jp/ )

The repeat business rate from clients who have done business with us once is nearly 100%.
The president of one of our clients said, "When I come to Monotribe's office, I feel inspired. It's fun to talk to people here," and he often drops by to hang out.
They also turn the annual making of New Year's cards into an event, and in the summer they plan a Thanksgiving event called "Ukare Tribe," where they really have fun together with their clients.
The source of such a happy production environment is the teamwork between the four of them and the atmosphere they create.
What is the secret behind this atmosphere?
Finally, I asked him this question.

Abe: "The key is to have fun. But as for the secret..."

Sato-san: "I've never thought about it."

Itagaki-san: "But we all eat meals together."

Hiroko Abe: "Yes."

Abe: "That's true. We usually eat lunch together unless we're going out or on a business trip. If we're not in a busy season, we usually spend about two hours eating lunch and drinking coffee."

long!

Abe: "There was a reason. In the beginning, when the three of us finished a project, I would invite them out for a drink, but Yu-chan was newly married and said, "I have a wife," and the professor said, "I don't drink alcohol," so we were like, "What's with this feeling of indigestion?" But there's nothing wrong with not drinking at night, so we decided to go for lunch."

Itagaki: "When you sit at a desk, you naturally end up working. But when you turn it into a 'meeting', it somehow becomes too formal. That's why I think lunchtime is important. The secret to teamwork is to have a delicious, leisurely lunch."

Abe: Yes.

Sato-san: "It all came together really nicely."

Hideno Okuyama's "This is what I want to sell!"

This is what makes Monotribe so amazing!

After completing the interview, I was reminded of the importance of "talking together."
A company is a place where people come together to create something, and have fun doing it.
Monotribe reminds us of our origins.
Nobita and the three Doraemons are full of great ideas, and with their perfect teamwork they will help turn your "I wish I could do that" or "I wish I could do that" into reality.

Monotribe Inc.

〒104-0032 Tokyo, Chuo-ku, Hatchobori 3-11-12 Floor and Walls Hacchobori 6F
Tel:03-3555-7760/Fax:03-3555-7761
http://monotribe.com/