Interview

What role does collaboration play in your day-to-day work?

As a Design Visualization Meister, my main job is to create CG movies that showcase the appeal of Nissan’s designs in an entertaining way. I usually join a project after the main design direction is set, but visualization is still a highly collaborative process. Designers usually have specific details or lines they want to foreground, so we sit down together and figure out the best approach. If our opinion differs on something, we make our respective approaches and resolve the question through discussions in the progress. We know that we’re all on the same team and aiming the same goal. So that’s why we always end up finding a middle ground and making nice contents.

Along with these discussions, I also study the root of each design concept and try to grasp the background and design logic from a higher point of view. Then I bring it all to life by telling a story that combines visuals, audio, and narrative. When I joined the company, design visualization was more utilitarian, mostly used for presenting concepts to decision-makers, but I wanted to do more. Instead of just creating “ID photos” for products, I wanted to convey how they would make the people feel. Ideally, that means building a unique CG world and story for every project. For the Nissan Z, I was able to work with the design team to create a movie that highlights the soul of the new Nissan Z—how its designers honored its heritage and expressed those classic design themes in a modern way. When time is limited, I craft smaller visual stories that emphasize key points. For an EV, I might highlight the unique package of a new platform and aerodynamic efficiency in a high-tech atmosphere. It’s a fresh challenge every time.

How do you view the role of design at Nissan?

One of the key ideas at Nissan is to move fast. The industry is changing and the company has to stay ahead of this transformation. This influences the design philosophy as well. Nissan strikes a good balance between stability and creativity. Some brands use the same design theme for decades, and polish it to an extreme level. However refined those patterns might be, dealing with an overly rigid design identity is seldom an exciting prospect for a designer. Other companies go the opposite way, so that every generation looks completely disconnected Unfortunately, customers can find the results uncomfortably odd in the absence of a unified design language. Nissan avoids both of these extremes. It has a mature design legacy but it isn’t afraid to build on that foundation and try new things. This is an advantage in rapidly changing times like these.
As I see it, Nissan’s design identity is the sum of the identities of Nissan’s individual designers. It goes both ways—you influence your colleagues, and they influence you. You might plant a seed imagining a specific kind of tree, but at the same time, your colleagues will also be involved to nurture and care for it. The result when it reaches maturity will likely surprise and delight you. That’s the magic of teamwork. In my opinion Nissan is among the most open companies in Japan in terms of diversity, creative freedom, and mutual respect.