During kindergarten in Kansai, Japan, Yoshihiro Yagi was the only one in class to colour his bird drawings black while everyone else drew multi-coloured ones -making his teacher mad. From elementary school to university the Dentsu Kansai creative and art director explored martial arts, basketball, the Beatles and rhythmic gymnastics – before creative advertising eventually found him.

 

Image: Yoshihiro Yagi joined Dentsu as an art director in 2001. His accolades include Golds at Cannes, Spikes Asia and AdFest.

 

How I got into advertising…

There were really brilliant people at university who were excellent in drawing, fabulous at taking photos and totally crazy about films. I felt I was too boring among them, but I eventually discovered I liked to mix and edit different media. That’s how I decided to become an art director for advertising.

 

I was born and raised in Kyoto, a part of Japan that is most typically Japanese. My father is a photographer for ads, so these aspects could be at the root of the works I design—I like to assign multiple meanings to a single shape, and I also love the aesthetics of mitate (analogy) which means to see something with new eyes.  You mustn’t forget the wabi-sabi concept; I like simplicity.

 

Speaking of simplicity: while many people think that simplicity is an act of elimination, my perception is that it’s a result of condensation. 

 

At the moment I am working on…

The branding of the contact lens manufacturer Menicon and product development of an alcoholic beverage brand. The launch hasn’t yet been decided, but I may also work on developing a concept for towns and their stations in the Tohoku area of Japan with a railway company as the client.

 

In that sense, I am involved more in working upstream of the communications process, for example branding or brand/product concept development, rather than doing ads that take place downstream.

 

The best piece of creative work around at the moment is…

This TVC is from a year ago, but these days I think “Balloons” from MTV Brazil is just awesome. It feels good, it’s out of the box and it’s punk. It’s sooooooooooooo cool!

 

My dream collaboration is…

The Beatles, Hayao Miyazaki and Coco Chanel.

 

In up and coming talent, I look for…

Someone who is in touch with reality and has common sense.

 

What makes good design…

Owing to my background in a tough-guy varsity athletic club, I perceive design as another form of sport. For example, practicing somersaults can be really dangerous, so while using thick gymnastic mats and trampolines, you see an image of yourself in the air over and over and over again to develop and maintain a proper sense of space.

 

Excessive practice could be dangerous, so you can only give yourself a limited amount of time and you must concentrate.  Likewise, neither design nor ideas comes out of exhaustion, so you take a rest when you are tired.  I believe brains can be toned up just like muscles. I want to develop a design-oriented brain that has flexible spontaneity with stamina.

 

During work, I focus on creating an environment which allows you to deliver good design. Teamwork is also crucial so I care about my colleagues. Maybe all these come from my athletic-club background. I can’t not watch serial dramas. I also love cars and the Gundam series – I’m one of those regular Japanese kids obsessed with cockpits.

 

In a film about my life, I’d like to be played by…

Keanu Reeves or Mark Hamill (in his early years).

Image: Ichida Garden “Newspaper to New Paper” by Dentsu, Tokyo scooped a D&AD Yellow Pencil in 2009. The colourful and cost-effective packaging for a farm-grown fruit and veg vendor. Designer/art director: Yoshihiro Yagi.

 

I am inspired by…

Pictures I drew when I went to elementary school and title backgrounds of films I saw while I was working part-time at a video rental shop during my days at Kyoto University of Art & Design. I get inspiration from such things which I incorporate in my designs.

I also look into designs from old times as well as works by illustrators and graphic designers. Dick Bruna’s work has always inspired me.

 

In my industry, I admire…

Japanese graphic designer and art director, Kazunori Hattori.

 

A piece of criticism I’ve received was…

You talk too much!

 

Image: The Yoshida Hideo Memorial Foundation/Advertising Museum Tokyo “The Ultra Asian”. Under the art direction of Yorihisho Yagi, Dentsu developed the concept of ‘Life-Sized Asian’, and aimed to describe how “history, culture, technology and trends of Asia turn into the flesh and blood of an Asian”.