who i am

Biography

When I was 20, I went to London for the first time and was captivated by the city’s dynamism and charm. I knew I wanted to spend some of my life living there. During my degree in Business at Doshisha University in Kyoto, I decided to follow my natural talents in visual art and design and pursue them professionally. Thinking about a career in design, I decided to attend Central Saint Martins (CSM), overlapping for one year with my degree at Doshisha. I got my Business degree from Doshisha in 2015 and then graduated from CSM in 2019 with a degree in Product Design.

During my time at CSM, I established my career as a freelance designer; I did product and graphic design for several brands and companies while pursuing my degree. Following my graduation, I have continued to develop my freelance career and have completed a wide range of projects in London and Japan, including garden design, interior design, UX design, and graphic design. Recently I have been working with tangerine, a design firm in London, and Tendo, a high-end furniture company in Japan. In addition to freelance work as a designer, I have established my own company and design brand in my hometown of Nara, Japan. My business aims to provide high-quality Japan-made products with cultural stories to overseas markets, especially North America, Oceania, and Europe. The products themselves inherit Japanese styles and themes, including historic craftsmanship, zen mindfulness, and tasteful minimalism. A salient feature of my brand is that we seek to deliver the stories, hearts, and minds of the creators and craftspeople, capturing passion and a high attention to detail. We care about not just making something new, but also telling compelling stories through design. Finally, and most importantly, we work hard to design with a mind towards a transition to a circular economy.

Also currently, I am researching traditional Japanese craft techniques and their potential applications in design. I'm also exploring ways to enhance product sustainability by using traditional techniques, especially from the perspectives of material properties and manufacturing processes. In the future, I look forward to combining all of these facets of design to make a positive difference in the world.

Curriculum vitae 

Jan / 2020 Established Hitomi Design Studio Ltd (株式会社ひとみデザイン事務所) in Japan

Jul / 2019 Graduated Central Saint Martins - Bachelor Arts (Hon’s)/Product Design in London, UK

Mar / 2016 Graduated Doshisha University - Bachelor of Commerce / Business in Kyoto, JAPAN