Computer Arts: Tell us about the project ...
Aki Ishikawa: This is a school project I did at Shillington College in London. It's branding and stationery design for a real estate agency that offers buyers a "one office, multiple locations" approach. Regardless of which branch you walk into, you can discuss any property for sale, no matter where it's listed.
CA: How did you put the piece together?
AI: This was a two-day brief, to create the logo, and I spent another two-three days creating the stationery. It was challenging to represent their "one office, multiple locations" approach, and still look corporate and innovative as well. I took lot of time thinking about the company itself, how they would like appeal to potential and existing customers, word mapping, brainstorming and sketching thumbnails.
CA: How did you get into design?
AI: I'm originally from Japan but I moved to Australia when I was 18, and worked at a small printing company in Melbourne as a prepress. After printing millions of business cards, I thought I'd like to be a designer rather than a printer. Then, I decided to take this short course in London. London has been my biggest. It's like a big maze with lots of treasures. I'd to make something simple, but still twisted in an interesting way. When I make designs, I want them to be memorable rather than good looking. During my time at school, I normally carried a little notebook with me and did sketching, thumbnailing, brainstorming on the bus. For me, it was the best place to come up with the ideas.
Check out more from Aki Ishikawa at www.akiishikawa.com (opens in new tab)
