This month's MVP is Kawarazaki Taira, who is creating a new design department with a character beloved by the members.

Hello. I am Onogi, former head of the design department.
Starting this month, he will step down as head of the design department, and Kawarazaki will reorganize the department as "acting head". Since the end of last year, he has gradually taken over management duties, and his work in creating a design department that is unique to him has been highly praised, leading to him receiving the MVP award.
I hope I can introduce some of the great things about Kawarazaki.

Serious and humble

The first image that the design department members had of him was probably that he was "serious." He always made sure to follow through on decisions made in meetings and submitted documents to the company headquarters without missing anything. You might think that's normal for a department manager, but over the New Year period, there were organizational changes in various areas, and the design department had to create new sales materials, so there were more meetings than we've seen in recent years.

Less than a year after he joined the design department, I suddenly started pushing various tasks onto him, and although he would say things like, "Managing is really tough," he was truly reliable as he steadily completed each step.

Especially in the midst of the dramatic increase in meetings, he took minutes seriously, made each task his own, negotiated with each party seriously, and made sure to complete his homework before the next meeting. I thought he was a very serious person, but I was impressed by the careful way he handled things.

Furthermore, he always has a humble attitude, so there is an aura of "somehow you can't turn him down". When he asks you for something, you can't say no, and you feel like you want to help him. Because you naturally and politely interact with him in this way, he naturally learns about management and work quickly, and you naturally build a relationship that is beneficial to him.

His unique aura and seriousness earned him the respect of the company, and people began to say things like, "We can trust Kawarazaki-kun," and "Taira will be fine, right?"

Building a team that "strives to become a circle" rather than "pulling"

This is the crucial difference between him and me. I'm not the type to take the lead that much either, but I do like to take the lead, so maybe some of the design team members found it difficult to work with him... He's not like that, and what's great about him is that he always tries to rely on those around him. He says he doesn't know what he doesn't know, and if there's something he wants to learn, he actively goes after members who are good at it. There are members who are better than him, especially when it comes to design and new technology, so he's eager to absorb it.

Without becoming complacent in his managerial position, he is able to complement what he lacks from those around him and naturally build equal relationships. I truly believe that his personality will naturally form a circle around him and become a new design department!

Dramatically improved design quality

As a manager, I am pleased with the above, but as a designer, I am especially pleased with the quality of his designs. As you can see from the article about this year's New Year's cards , he is very tenacious in his approach to design.

In particular, for a B2B competition project for a certain infrastructure company, the basics of the corporate website were well done, and there was a stability that was a little better than his previous designs. Furthermore, his ability to foresee design has improved significantly. As deputy manager, he is probably the liaison for various projects, so I think he is able to prepare in advance in his mind things like "What do I need to ask?", "What concept will resonate?", and "What are the items that cannot be left out?" This has improved his communication skills in design, which ultimately leads to an improvement in the quality of his designs.

I'm sure that in reality, you want to focus on design rather than management! However, by gaining experience as the head of the design department, you may have to do less physical work, but I believe that you will be able to see more designs, be better equipped with financial matters and improve your negotiating skills, and ultimately be on your way to becoming a top designer.

Finally, a message to Kawarazaki-kun.

After a series of events, I was given the position of deputy director of the design department (eventually director), but I think it's pretty rare to find someone who can do the job of a director. So I think it's something to be proud of. Also, when I complete my duties as director, I think I will have acquired very important skills that other members don't have.

I've created my own design club, but I think Kawarazaki-kun should completely ignore my way of doing things and create a design club in the way he likes. I think I've been really blessed with good people, and I think the design club in particular is made up of the most trustworthy members. So I'm sure everyone will follow Kawarazaki-kun's way of doing things! Believe in those around you and do your best!