My name is Nozomi Nakajima, and I sometimes visit Monosas and am involved in the management of the Monosas website. I usually work in interviews and other jobs, listening to people's stories.
Recently, we started a small in-house event where we gather on sofas in our Yoyogi office and listen to talks. It's called "Monosasu Radio."
The first guest was designer Onogi-san. The members gathered on the sofa after work, and the other members were working on the other side of the live broadcast screen, and the others were listening while doing housework at home, and we had a relaxed chat.
We'll talk about all sorts of things, from how he joined Monosus to what he's been thinking about lately.
I'll tell you a little bit about what happened that day.
Nakajima- How are you feeling today?
Onoki- I've had a slight stomach ache since yesterday. Also, my bronchial tubes are a little sore, so it's hard to breathe.
- Sorry for calling at a time like this...
- No no, it happens all the time. I'm looking forward to seeing what kind of questions they'll ask me.
- So, why did you become a designer, Onogi-san?
- Anyway, I was always drawing. When I was in elementary school, I always won prizes when I exhibited my work.
- That's amazing.
- But I didn't have the intention of making a living from it. I liked instruments, so I played in a band while studying programming at university.
- What kind of band were you in?
- Well, heavy metal and death metal.
- Well, it was a little different from what I imagined.
- I used to play guitars with really sharp shapes. I wanted to continue with music, so even after graduating I worked part-time and played in a band.
- (Onogi-san, who is quiet and calm now, dresses sharply and sings death metal...)
- I tried it, but unfortunately I didn't have any musical talent. When I realized I had to get a job, I decided to use what I was good at rather than what I liked. Flash was at its peak at the time. With Flash, if you write the code yourself, it will work the way you want it to, and you can also draw pictures, so I entered the web industry.
- So it didn't start out with you wanting to do web work or become a designer.
- That's right. I've been drawing since I was little, and I still work as an illustrator. In the end, it feels like it's all connected.
- What do you think about when you're designing?
- People say that the designs I create have gentle colors and are a little rounded and soft, but I'm not aware of that at all.First I read the materials and create a general idea in my head of whether it should be hard or soft, whitish, etc. Then when I sit down in front of the computer and see a white canvas on the screen, I get chills.
- Shivers?
- Yes. Do you know that excitement you feel when you look at your sketchbook at the moment you want to draw a picture and wonder what you want to draw?
- ...Um.
- I don't know. I get excited when I see a white screen.
- (Mr. Kanno, who was listening to the story, is a Monosus coder. He is a highly skilled craftsman.)
I understand that a little bit. There's no coding at first. As it gets filled up, you realize you can't write any more code.
- Yeah, the beginning is fun.
- After 12 years, have you ever thought about quitting design?
- ...I've thought about quitting Monosus many times. I don't think I've ever thought about quitting being a designer.
- There is no designer.
- There was a time when I was doing illustration and studying things like CG. But in the end, I felt like if I didn't design, I wouldn't be able to do other genres well. So I think it's better to do two things, or do other things, for a better balance.
- Is there anything you would like to try in the future?
- Well, it's been about a year since I started thinking about it.
- Are you worried?
- I'm worried. There's not really anything that I want to do to make a living.
- Do you do design?
- For example, Manabe, who runs the Food Hub, is a producer, but he has a social problem to raise, and he works in the context of "food" to make that a reality.I think it's better to have a goal like "I want to live like this" and realize it with the skill of design. I don't have a goal of what kind of designer I am. I'm struggling.
- (Tatsuwaki-san, who was listening to the story, is a second-year director at Monosus. He is currently studying editing.)
To me, Onogi-san looks like Superman, but he does have some worries.
- I have the impression that he does things calmly.
- Recently, I've met a lot of people who seem amazing, but I've found that they're actually pretty normal. I feel like we're all human. I'm a human being, too.
- What kind of person is Onogi-san from the other members' perspective?
- (Mr. Kanno was listening to the conversation)
With the utmost respect, a genius-like prodigy.
- A genius, a prodigy.
- At first glance, he seems like he can do anything, but I can tell he really puts in the effort. He knows a lot of things, and he's interested in everything.
- (Mr. Matsunaga, who was listening to the story: a veteran coder at Monosus. A father of two children)
There are quite a few times when you work late into the night.
- there is.
- I feel that he creates his works, or rather his designs, without compromising. You can tell that he puts a lot of passion into each and every one of them.
- Ah, maybe I was a little drunk. At least at myself.
- picture.
- Because I quite like myself.
- picture.
- I feel like you can't do it unless you're a bit narcissistic. It's tough if you don't have a certain level of confidence. It's like, "I'm working hard."
The radio show ended with us learning that Onogi is a bit of a narcissist.
On the day, he also told us about how he joined Monosus and the YouTube videos he's been hooked on lately.
If you're interested in other stories, please ask Ono directly.
The next radio episode will feature the tough marketer Tatsuta as our guest.
NAKAJIMA Kimi
Freelance, living in Ryukazaki, Ibaraki. I first encountered Monosus through an interview with “Nihon Shigoto Hyakka” and am now involved in several things, a bit outside of Monosus.