Business

Mari Hosho: A Journey from Information Science to Graphic and Interactive Design

NY Weekly Staff

October 22, 2023
1:09 pm

Mari Hosho, a name synonymous with innovation and creativity in the world of graphic and interactive design, has not only carved a niche for herself but has also redefined the way we perceive design. Her journey, from an Information Science major to a seasoned graphic and interactive designer, is nothing short of inspirational. This article delves into her remarkable career, the milestones that have shaped her, and the insights she offers to aspiring designers.

A Journey of Transformation

Mari Hosho’s career took a unique trajectory. She initially pursued an Information Science major, nurturing her interest in technology and coding. This path led her to become a project manager at one of Japan’s largest advertising agencies. It was during these seven years that the idea of becoming a designer began to take root. Mari, like many, believed that design was the realm of the naturally gifted or talented. However, her curiosity and the desire to explore creative avenues prompted her to apply to art schools in the United States.

In 2021, Mari embarked on a journey across the globe, leaving Tokyo behind, and landed in New York to study at Parsons School of Design. This marked the beginning of her career as a designer, and she has not looked back since. Her unique background in Information Science, combined with her newfound passion for design, set her on a path of innovation and exploration.

The Ignition of Creativity

What inspired Mari to pursue a career in graphic and interactive design was her love for travel and the rich diversity of cultures she encountered. Having lived in five different countries, she developed a keen eye for the variations in design and aesthetics that shape our everyday experiences. Her travels through Europe, the Middle East, and Africa led her to collect a plethora of design artifacts – posters, tickets, pamphlets, and packaging, each telling a unique story about its place of origin. This curiosity about the interplay between history, culture, and design ignited her desire to create her own designs and contribute to this creative tapestry.

Pivotal Moments in the Journey

One of the pivotal moments in Mari’s career was her introduction to the intersection of coding and design at Parsons School of Design. A teacher at Parsons School of Design, a designer known for her innovative approach to combining coding and design, taught Mari her first interactive class. This was a transformative experience that revealed the magic of merging technology with graphic design. It not only opened up new possibilities for creative expression but also allowed Mari to apply her coding knowledge in a unique and artistic manner. This newfound perspective on design opened doors to a world of innovation that she continues to explore.

Staying Ahead in the Ever-Evolving Industry

The field of graphic and interactive design is constantly evolving, and Mari Hosho ensures she stays up to date with the latest trends and technologies. She attends in-person design events such as TypeThursday in New York and keeps an eye on industry trends through newsletters, social media platforms like Instagram and Pinterest, and online videos. Additionally, she never stops questioning the designs she encounters in daily life, always asking herself, “What would I do differently if I were to redesign this?” This approach keeps her creative senses sharp and her work fresh and relevant.

Memorable Projects that Define Her

One of Mari’s most memorable projects was a branding endeavor during one of her design internships. Her team was tasked with creating a new visual system for a mental healthcare company. What made this project stand out was the radical transformation they brought about. The client’s original branding was serious and technology-oriented, but through a deep understanding of the company’s culture and intensive brainstorming, they reimagined the brand as something more organic, humane, and soft in its appearance. The client’s enthusiastic approval and the enduring success of the rebranding effort make this project a standout moment in Mari’s career.

Challenges and Triumphs

Mari’s career has not been without its share of challenges. One of her early struggles was visualizing concepts into images. While she excelled at identifying communication problems and crafting solutions, she found translating these solutions into visual representations to be a hurdle. Another challenge was the tendency to compare her work with that of other designers, leading to self-doubt and disappointment. She overcame these challenges through constant iteration, thinking deeply about her unique strengths, and focusing on what sets her apart as a designer.

The Creative Process

In her approach to the creative process, Mari emphasizes the importance of first-hand experiences and curiosity. She immerses herself in the world of her clients or projects, visiting their physical spaces, using their products, and delving into their culture. This in-depth understanding becomes the foundation for her creative work. Mari believes that the process of verbalizing her impressions and emotions helps her generate ideas, which she then sketches and iterates upon.

Tools of the Trade

As a designer who specializes in branding and interactive design, Mari utilizes a range of software tools and coding languages. She is well-versed in Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop, InDesign, and After Effects, as well as Figma. Her coding skills extend to HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. Her creative process often begins with sketches on paper using a black sharpie, which she later iterates on using digital design tools, depending on the project’s requirements.

Collaboration and Communication

Collaboration is a critical aspect of Mari’s work. Her background as a project manager and her experience working in a team have equipped her with valuable skills in navigating collaboration processes. She emphasizes the need to communicate the importance of design to non-designers. At times, non-designers may underestimate the role of design in communication, and it falls on the design team to highlight how design can enhance messaging and deliver desired results.

The Evolving Role of Graphic and Interactive Design

According to Mari, the role of a Graphic/Interactive Designer has evolved significantly in recent years. Designers are now expected to possess a broader set of skills and competencies, becoming what she describes as “T-shaped.” This means having expertise in one specialized area while also covering a wide range of other fields. This trend expands the possibilities for what designers can achieve and deliver. Mari has embraced this change by developing her expertise in branding while keeping up with coding, generative design, and emerging technologies.

Advice for Aspiring Designers

For those aspiring to start a career in graphic and interactive design, Mari offers two pieces of advice. Firstly, she recommends knowing your unique strengths and not getting overwhelmed by competition. Embracing your individuality and what makes you special can be a source of strength and inspiration. Secondly, she suggests staying true to your passion and curiosity. Remember that design is about creativity and exploration, so never lose the joy of self-expression and discovery.

Shaping the Future of Design

Mari is keenly aware of emerging trends and technologies that are shaping the future of design. She foresees a rise in branding that incorporates data and digital generative design. This approach makes visual systems more interactive and flexible while maintaining brand consistency. She also acknowledges the increasing role of AI in design generation but emphasizes the importance of adding a unique and human touch to avoid homogenization.

Design Styles and Influences

Mari is drawn to two contrasting design styles. The first is a clean, geometric, and sharp style that embraces digital aesthetics. This style, universal and yet endlessly creative, is exemplified by designers like Philippe Apeloig and Ikko Tanaka. The second style is more illustrative and carries a humane touch. Artists like Marc Chagall and Christoph Niemann inspire her in this regard. Mari finds her creative sweet spot in the delicate balance between these two styles, as seen in her admiration for Giorgia Lupi’s “Dear Data.”

The Essence of Exceptional Design

In Mari’s view, exceptional design is characterized by that “Aha!” moment it evokes. It happens when a design offers a unique interpretation of a problem, communicating it in a simple yet profound manner. The ability to create this moment of revelation is what distinguishes exceptional design from the ordinary.

Satisfactions and Motivations

The most satisfying aspect of Mari’s career is her love for the creative process. She enjoys the journey of brainstorming, sketching, and bringing something unique to life. Additionally, the ability to contribute directly to someone’s experience and see their reactions to her designs is a motivating factor that keeps her passionate about her work.

Balancing Creativity and Practicality

Balancing creativity with practicality is often a challenge in the world of design. Mari’s approach involves proposing multiple design patterns, each varying in its degree of practicality and creativity. This allows her to explore the creative boundaries while keeping the project grounded in its objectives.

Passion Projects

Mari has been involved in various personal projects, two of which she’s particularly proud of. One is a rebranding project for National Geographic, where she incorporated daylight data into the new logo, showcasing the diverse climates and natural environments around the world. The other project is a personal endeavor that involves collecting two-dimensional designs from cities she has visited. For her capstone thesis, she digitized part of this collection, creating a digital representation of her extensive traveler’s collage.

Long-Term Goals and Aspirations

Mari’s long-term career goals are rooted in merging her background as a project manager with her skills as a designer. She aims to inspire people and create a unique job description for herself that leverages her diverse skill set. Her dream is to work across the world, making a global impact with her innovative design work.

Handling Creative Blocks

Whenever Mari encounters creative blocks or moments of inspiration, she believes in stepping away from design and engaging in unrelated activities. Watching movies, reading books, traveling, or even going for a jog often rekindles her creativity. These breaks allow her to unconsciously mull over her creative challenges and, often, new ideas emerge.

The Importance of a Strong Portfolio

In Mari’s experience, a portfolio is the gateway for people to understand who you are as a designer. It’s a reflection of your skills, personality, and style. Her advice to aspiring designers is to understand what makes you unique, express it in a distinctive way, and, most importantly, have fun sharing your story through your portfolio.

Mari Hosho’s journey from an Information Science major to an influential graphic and interactive designer exemplifies the power of curiosity and the ability to transform one’s career. Her commitment to innovation, her passion for design, and her drive to inspire others make her a truly remarkable figure in the world of design. With a firm belief in the importance of staying true to one’s unique strengths and never losing the joy of self-expression, Mari Hosho continues to shape the future of graphic and interactive design, leaving her mark on the industry.

Mari Hosho: A Journey of Innovation and Design Excellence

Mari Hosho is a seasoned account producer and a distinguished graphic/interactive designer based in the vibrant city of New York. Her career has been nothing short of a remarkable journey, guided by a strong passion for branding, technology, and innovative design solutions. Mari’s experience spans multiple countries, including Japan, Vietnam, Indonesia, and the Netherlands, reflecting her international perspective and diverse cultural influences.

Educational Background

Mari’s educational journey has been instrumental in shaping her career. She holds an Associate’s degree in Communication Design from the prestigious Parsons School of Design in New York. This institution is renowned for its creative and innovative programs, making it the ideal choice for someone with Mari’s aspirations. Her Bachelor’s degree in Information Studies was earned at Keio University in Japan, where she also embarked on a transformative experience as an exchange student at Universiteit Leiden in the Netherlands. This blend of design and information studies formed a strong foundation for her future endeavors.

Professional Path

Throughout her career, Mari has ventured into various roles that have enriched her skills and insights. Her recent employment, from February 2023 to the present, places her at the International Rescue Committee as a Graphic Design Consultant. Here, she brings her expertise to the Signpost team, a community-led digital information service that supports refugees. Mari’s responsibilities encompass crafting a cohesive brand design system and designing user-friendly website interfaces and promotional materials to amplify the impact of Signpost worldwide.

Mari’s career also includes a valuable stint as a Graphic Design Intern at MBLM, a prominent branding agency based in New York. During her tenure from June 2022 to August 2022, Mari collaborated on a diverse range of design projects for clients from various industries. Her contribution extended to an internal rebranding initiative for MBLM, underlining her commitment to creating innovative and effective branding strategies.

From April 2014 to June 2021, Mari was a part of the dynamic team at Hakuhodo Inc. in Tokyo, Japan. Her role as an Account Executive and project manager exposed her to multifaceted projects, including promotional campaigns and branding efforts. These projects spanned both online and offline advertising, serving clients that included government entities and multinational corporations. Moreover, Mari played a pivotal role in international public relations for the Government of Japan, collaborating with global media outlets to promote Japanese innovations and initiatives on the global stage. This experience shaped her understanding of the intersection between design and strategic communication.

Mari’s Skills and Achievements

In addition to her extensive experience, Mari possesses a diverse skill set that enhances her capabilities as a designer. Her skills span branding, concept development, project management, research, user research, and wireframing. She is proficient in various design software, including Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, and After Effects, allowing her to bring creative visions to life. Her digital prowess extends to Figma, a versatile design and prototyping tool. Furthermore, Mari’s coding skills in HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and Processing have expanded her capabilities, making her a designer who can seamlessly integrate technology into her projects.

Notably, Mari’s work has not gone unnoticed in the industry. She received a nomination for the UX Design Awards in Fall 2023, reflecting her commitment to creating user-centered design experiences. She also earned an honorable mention from Awwwards, a platform that recognizes and celebrates outstanding digital work.

Mari’s Future Endeavors

As Mari continues to evolve and excel in her career, her dedication to innovation, creativity, and the fusion of branding and technology remains unwavering. Her global perspective, combined with her diverse skill set, positions her as a designer and innovator who can inspire others and shape the future of graphic and interactive design. Her dream is to make a lasting impact worldwide, resonating with her belief that design can transcend boundaries and inspire people from all walks of life.