table of contents
- This year's venue is the office of LINE Yahoo Communications.
- Session 1: 5ive × stans "Public Relations and Learning at a Design Company" / The power of public relations activities was beyond imagination.
- Session 2: SHIFTBRAIN × BEES&HONEY "Specialist or Generalist? Differences in Learning and Career Steps at Two Companies." / There is no single right way to learn.
- Session 3: FOURDIGIT × LINE Yahoo Communications "How to Nurture Designers? Differences Between Business Companies and Design Companies" / The Reality of Evaluation Systems
- Session 4: Design agencies and production companies in Kyushu "Behind the Scenes of Production in the Kyushu Area" / Kyushu people with an overwhelming love for their region
- Session 5: COPILOT × Nauts "Working Styles with Autonomous Distributed Teams" / Experimenting with New Ways of Working
- Session 6: Kota Hikichi x Chikara Sogitani "Learning in the AI Era" / The AI Debate Remains Unresolved
- A look back at the event through photos
- Special Feature: iDID CREATIVE CLASS Announcement
- What I felt as the organizer
- We have compiled feedback from all of our participants.
- Finally
This year's venue is the office of LINE Yahoo Communications.
The venue for this event was arranged by Mr. Shimomura of 5ive.LINE Yahoo CommunicationsWe borrowed Mr./Ms. [Name]'s office. The venue was in a building right next to Hakata Station, and it was held in a fantastic location with a panoramic view of Hakata city stretching far into the distance.
Session 1: 5ive × stans "Public Relations and Learning at a Design Company" / The power of public relations activities was beyond imagination.
This session featured Mr. Shimomura from 5ive and Mr. Tomohara from stans as speakers.
5ive shared their story about how hiring a dedicated PR specialist improved the company's overall performance. By assigning a full-time PR specialist to their team, they were able to allow their production team to focus on their core business.
And then there's the podcast distribution that both 5ive and stans are doing. The effect was beyond imagination. Apparently, they've seen an increase in hires who say, "I applied after hearing your radio show," and clients who say, "I felt reassured after hearing your voice and decided to entrust you with the project." Voice really does convey a person's character, doesn't it?
Participant reactions: Many people struggle with the problem of wanting to share their thoughts and experiences but not being able to stick with it. It seems that creating a system for consistency is key.
Session 2: SHIFTBRAIN × BEES&HONEY "Specialist or Generalist? Differences in Learning and Career Steps at Two Companies." / There is no single right way to learn.
A session between Mr. Imamura and Mr. Nagao from B&H, and Mr. Yamagami and Mr. Michiai from Shiftbrain.
The discussion about finding enjoyment in learning new things during the creative process, and how even disliked genres can become appealing once you understand their background, resonated with the audience, who expressed agreement. The specific anecdotes about how researching history and background deepened their understanding were particularly compelling.
Furthermore, their in-depth research approach for each project was truly impressive, and there were exclamations of admiration when they mentioned taking photos at museums and spending six hours talking to artisans.
Participant reactions: The designers and managers listened intently. They seemed to have reaffirmed the importance of on-the-job training (OJT).
Session 3: FOURDIGIT × LINE Yahoo Communications "How to Nurture Designers? Differences Between Business Companies and Design Companies" / The Reality of Evaluation Systems
We were joined by Ms. Mineo, Ms. Kaneko, and Ms. Kamine from INE Yahoo Communications, and Mr. Taguchi from Fourdigit, who took the stage.
What was impressive about this session was seeing the representatives from the production companies diligently taking notes. Many expressed interest in immediately adopting the system of evaluating performance across three axes—business contribution, team contribution, and individual skills—as well as the visualization approach using a skills matrix.
I was reminded that the challenge of eliminating the "black box" nature of evaluations is something that every company, regardless of size, faces.
Participant reactions: It was striking to see people meticulously examining materials at various points throughout the venue, where several monitors were set up. Their high level of interest was evident.
Session 4: Design agencies and production companies in Kyushu "Behind the Scenes of Production in the Kyushu Area" / Kyushu people with an overwhelming love for their region
This session featured presentations from four companies from Kyushu (D-Zero, Pinau, Fullscale, and Condense). It was the highlight session of the Kyushu event.
Starting with Mr. Ikemiya of D-Zero's story about building local communities over the past 25 years, and continuing with Mr. Matsumoto of Saga's story about his Arita porcelain app, Mr. Tomiyama of Fullscale's story about client education, and Mr. Condense's story about the growth of designers through addressing local issues, I was impressed by the unique characteristics that stemmed from everyone's love for their respective regions.
Participant reactions: We were delighted as organizers to hear positive responses from participants living in rural areas, such as, "We could do something similar in our region."
Session 5: COPILOT × Nauts "Working Styles with Autonomous Distributed Teams" / Experimenting with New Ways of Working
This session featured presentations from Mr. Funabashi of Copilot, and Mr. Hara and Mr. Minato of Nauts.
It started with a self-deprecating remark about being "a gathering of lonely old men," but the attempt to address the loneliness faced by freelancers and small business owners through community was insightful.
With the increasing trend of working independently of a company, many participants seemed to recognize the importance of these kinds of horizontal connections.
Participant reactions: This team has attracted attention since its inception. I felt a strong sense of interest in the diversification of work styles.
Session 6: Kota Hikichi x Chikara Sogitani "Learning in the AI Era" / The AI Debate Remains Unresolved
Finally, there was a discussion about AI and creativity between Mr. Sogitani of baigie and Mr. Hikichi, who worked on the Expo design system.
The discussion began with a story from X, who reacted to Mr. Sogitani's statement that "there will be people who can create wonderful things with just their aesthetic sense," by saying, "You can't understand anything unless you actually do it with your hands," and continued with a heated debate until the end.
We ran out of time and couldn't reach an answer, but I felt that the discussion itself symbolized the current state of the industry. Everyone is seriously thinking about how to deal with AI.
Participant reactions: Many people were engrossed in the story, but we ran out of time. We agreed to continue another time.
A look back at the event through photos
This event wouldn't have been possible without all the participants. We took photos not only of the presenting creators, but also of those actively interacting and listening to the sessions.
Special Feature: iDID CREATIVE CLASS Announcement
Announced by Mr. Nakamura from Wab during the event.CREATIVE CLASSThe venue was buzzing with excitement because it was a practical school where renowned creators from the industry served as instructors (lol).
Many people responded particularly positively to the concepts of "intermediate level" and "small class size," which reaffirmed my understanding of the high demand for learning in the industry.
What I felt as the organizer
This was my fourth time participating in iDID, and it made me realize once again the value of events.
What was particularly impressive this time was:
- Both first-time and returning participants actively interacted with each other.
- Everyone faces similar challenges, regardless of scale or location.
- Problems that cannot be solved alone can be shared if there is a community.
- Both experienced and young creators have a willingness to learn from each other.
- The high value of gathering in person (something I realize every time)
Feedback from participants:
"It would be great to have events like this regularly."
"It was helpful to hear about the initiatives of other companies."
"I was relieved to know that there are other people who are going through the same thing."
"I found lots of things I want to try starting tomorrow."
We have compiled feedback from all of our participants.
https://posfie.com/@iDID_team/p/HTT6cCv
Selected items
I'm so happy to see the excitement after the event, with people writing articles and continuing the discussion on podcasts.
Finally
Thank you so much to everyone who participated and to all the speakers!
Through these four events, I've come to realize that iDID has evolved from a mere event into a sustainable community event. I've come to appreciate once again how fortunate it is to have a space where we can step away from our daily work and discuss and share ideas about "design and learning." I hope to create more opportunities like this, and I hope iDID can contribute even a little to the growth of the digital creator industry.
We are already considering holding another event. For those who couldn't make it this time, we hope to see you next time!
I hope that the connections forged at this event will lead to new learning opportunities and discoveries.
