Five crazy years at Aki-Home (July 1st, 2014 to August 1st, 2019)  took me from Graphics Coordinator to Art Director. Working under the Marketing Manager, Shumpei Yoshizawa, as well as various other managing entities, our team worked tirelessly to create and streamline a brand for this start-up company. Aki-Home, a company under the corporate umbrella of Nitori Japan, specializes in furniture, home decor, and more.

 

In the beginning, the brand had no solid asset . We had no brand guide, font list, or shoppable website when I began my journey. There was a thirst for growth, but many voices

speaking over each other. The logo changed four times and direction was constant, but not consistent.  My team and I rode the rollercoaster of change and development, learning to think on our feet and work with what we had for three and a half years before things began to settle and shape into a discernible brand.

 

By early 2019, I found myself in the seat of art director, where I worked with the web designer, Matthew Upton, to create a solid brand guide.  From there, the Marketing Manager, Shumpei, and I created consistent packaging, store signage, a format for in-store-editable signs, and much more.

 

I am proud to say that I was very involved in building and supporting Aki-Homes brand identity. We all wore many hats. I did just about everything  from photo shoots and editing,  creating web assets and creating POPs, to designing and executing ad campaigns, visuals, and some copy. I even sold a sofa!