Partnerships that make everyone happy. A group of professionals who never forget to have fun.
-TDS Co., Ltd.-

We don't have a sales position, and each director is in charge of contacting clients and expanding the business through those connections. Because of this, the director is in charge of communication from the very beginning, which may make the subsequent production process go more smoothly.

For example, I have experience being seconded to a client's company, and I had the opportunity to see up close how an agency would take care of and control things. Since returning, I've been trying to visit my clients as much as possible.
Depending on the agency representative, some will say, "Come on over," even for a quick meeting, while others may be reluctant, saying, "Hey, this is our area."
However, I try to be more proactive by talking directly to customers, as I believe this allows me to get a firm grasp of their needs and makes it easier to control what is happening on site and to place orders with our partners.

I feel the same way. I think that there are more positive effects when people with production knowledge go to the event. I always tell them, "If there is an opportunity, I will go."

When creating something, we want to work with clients, agencies, partners, and ourselves on an equal footing. We want to avoid as much as possible the frustration of not being able to communicate the information we need, which is a common problem in the field.
I want to have an atmosphere of "let's work together," and I think things usually go well with people with whom I can communicate in that way.

We don't do anything that we wouldn't like to have done to us, because we want to work on an equal footing with our partners.

Personally, I don't like the feeling of "giving out work."

That's right. I think there are many directors in our company who have a mindset similar to Mizuhara and Ukai. We always welcome the exchange of opinions.

This is our company culture, or rather, since I joined the company 10 years ago, there has been an atmosphere of "Let's create something together." I think that this has probably been carried on even now, and I feel that it has been passed down to the younger generation.

I think the reason I've been here for so long is because it's an open place. I also feel like my work is highly evaluated, and I like the fact that my individual skills are respected and I'm given responsibility.

I joined the company as a new graduate. In one word, I never get bored. I started as a designer, then became a director and was seconded, and I was able to experience projects that involved working with clients, so the scope of what I could do expanded. Just when I thought I had a position, new challenges arose and I was in an environment where I had to constantly think. The best thing about working here is that I have the feeling that I'm growing.

That may be true.

Once you clear it, it feels like the next hurdle is waiting for you.

All three of us joined the company a few months apart, and we've been with the company for nearly 10 years, but we've been so busy that it feels like we didn't even notice. Also, all three of us have been away from the head office for different projects at one time, so that may be another reason why we haven't been in the same place for a long time.

It's true that there are periods of time when you're away, so when you return it feels comfortable. Perhaps change supports continuity.
Also, this may be a characteristic of the industry we work in, but there is a lot of change and diversity. The surrounding circumstances, including technology, are constantly changing, and the demands for what we make are also constantly changing. I think being able to work in an environment at the forefront of big changes is also a continuing factor.

It seems appropriate, but it's not.

I understand. When something happens and the director can't handle it, he handles it very well.

But it's just random. It reminds me of Junji Takada.

That's the best compliment ever (laughs).

Every year, we have the opportunity to collaborate across departments by sending summer greeting cards and New Year's cards. Recently, I've been trying to do something that combines paper and digital.

Immediately after the release, the phone was ringing constantly (laughs).

There is a common understanding within the company that we should undertake new initiatives in these areas.

For example, a paper designer could try his hand at web design on a website related to New Year's cards. Or try out a full range of front-end and back-end work.

In client work, there aren't many opportunities to take on bold challenges, so he accumulates knowledge at in-house events and tries out things he wants to try.

It's a place to learn new techniques and create new things.

At the end of the year, the New Year's card team is formed, and before summer, the summer greetings team is formed. Each division chief says, "This year, we'll have this person participate." From our side, it's sometimes busy, though (laughs).

Of course, I'm working on client work at the same time, so others will follow up on that.

Then there's the summer beer festival. This is a party held by managers to entertain their subordinates. More than 200 people participate. It's a lively event with the employees and staff in the Tokyo office.

We have cherry blossom viewing parties, and there is an atmosphere that the company likes events. In particular, the beer festival has been going on since we joined the company. At the time, there were only a few dozen people, and they probably never expected that there would be 200 participants. But they still stubbornly continue to hold it (laughs).

In addition to these internal events, we also have an initiative called " Re+g (Replug) ." In the form of an internal competition, employees propose stationery products they would like to commercialize. Successful proposals are then sold under our own brand, "Re+g (Replug)."
It serves as a forum where designers can demonstrate their skills apart from their usual work for clients. I personally proposed an idea for a "web-type ruler" to the Re+g staff and managed to turn it into a product.
The digital world tends to get away from real things, but it's nice to have the opportunity to participate in creating things even if it's just with an idea. Also, the " Web Ruler " sold quite well (laughs).

I think that the most enjoyable part of being a director is creating things as a team. So my current goal is to give our designers more opportunities to communicate with customers, have them develop a directorial mindset, and improve as a team.

Right now, I'm focusing on making proposals that will generate new work for my direct clients. For example, rather than just creating a website, I want to measure the effect of creating it and provide a numerical evaluation.
For example, "What is good design?" is a question that has no answer, but I want to measure through our interactions how customers evaluate what designers have created, such as the increase in access after a website renewal. And by making the results visible, I think we can connect it to new work.

Recently I have been asked to work on the UI/UX of apps, so I put myself in the shoes of the end user and think about what kind of interface would be best.
Also, how can we communicate this thinking and how to use it to our clients? We are currently exploring our own unique design thinking and presentation methods.