table of contents
1. WORK with ART
The stunning key visual, composed of typography reminiscent of architecture, immediately captivates the viewer. The coordinates at the bottom of the screen are also stylish. Particularly striking is the "melting" effect of the text interspersed throughout the top page. This motion is both pleasing to the eye and effectively serves as a sign indicating, "This is where the next content begins."The innovative and pleasing expressions act as a "hook," and as a result, they function as a design element as well.
The artistic flair is evident even in the way the "Projects" floor is presented. The floor-specific concepts, such as "liberation of perspective," "transformation of mood," and "balancing mind and body," are also intriguing. The website states that "working in this building stimulates the mind," and the website itself is designed to stimulate the mind. It was truly a masterpiece created by Bakemono-san.
Client: Nagasaka Corporation
Management: AXIS Inc.
Creative Direction & Design: Shunsuke Iseki
Development webGL: Tomoyuki Nakata (@yukiwebz7)
2. The coldest company in the world.
I was drawn in by the tagline, "The coldest company in the world," which, at first glance, seems to turn a negative statement on its head. Moreover, when you turn on "COLD MODE," the entire screen freezes, making it impossible to operate.This "somehow freezing" experience and tagline make it a memorable recruitment site, and it also makes you wonder, "What kind of company is a 'cold company'?"This catchy yet unexplainable expression is brilliant.
The illustrations are a great hook, and the body copy is exceptional; this is clearly the work of someone who knows the hiring process inside and out.
Produced by: RED Co., Ltd.
3. MBS RECRUIT
This is a recruitment website featuring an eye-catching cube-shaped key visual.The haphazard arrangement of content, including key visuals, effectively conveys the company's raw, unorganized "passion."
According to MASKMAN, who was in charge of creating the site, "We aimed to create a site that is not just for disseminating information, but a place where 'encounters' can be made with applicants," and "We were conscious of creating a social media-like browsing experience." Indeed, for a site aimed at young people, it should be easier to extract the necessary information from the diverse information available on social media. It makes an impact at first, and once they become interested, they start searching for the information they are looking for even among the diverse information... it is truly a site that is befitting of a recruitment site.
Client: Mainichi Broadcasting System, Inc. (MBS)
Project Team: MASKMAN Inc., Sachiko Katsuki, cross chop
MASKMAN's Staff:
Producer: Keigo Nakanishi
Director Mami Morioka
Designer: Naho Okawara
Direction Support Niina Satoshino
Design Support Yuhei Mukouda
4. Nanoniwa
The world created with slightly retro-style illustrations and animations is wonderful. The way these "character illustrations" appear throughout the site, such as on the hamburger menu and the "back to top" button, is a charming little detail. Also,The way the store list and floor map are linked, and the way the "people of the town" and "map" are connected in the Naniwanomiya Discovery Map, are functionally excellent. It's wonderful how you can grasp the overall picture of the town while reading articles from both a macro and micro perspective.
I also like the way the footer design gives it a three-dimensional feel. What's more, this site looks completely different when you visit it at night. It's a site where you can really feel the research and love put into "Nano Niwa."
Client：NTT Urban Development Corporation
Agency & Production: JR East Marketing & Communications, Inc. STARRYWORKS inc.
Planning, Creative Direction, Technical Direction：Koji Kimura
Planning, Direction, Project Management：Saki Onishi
Design: Sayoko Nishimura
Programming: Takuya Hata
Animation: Haruna Kyono
Illustrator：Yuki Maeda (partner)
Planning, Editor, Writing：Midori Nagase (partner)
Writing: Atsushi Takeuchi (partner)
Writing: Erika Murata (partner)
Photography: Yoshiko Watanabe (partner)
Photography：Shungo Takeda (partner)
5. DAIKUHARA Kintsugi & Antique
A muted, greenish-brown. Small photographs depict ripples on the water's surface. The horizontally flowing composition evokes the feeling of unfolding a scroll, or turning the pages with one's own hands. Product details are accessed via vertical scrolling, with text kept as small as possible. The shadows of a vessel placed in a dark room.I felt that the entire site was permeated with a sense of dullness, darkness, and stillness, yet these elements, while not conspicuous, shone with a definite presence.
The value that Shhh has adopted this year is "to deeply understand and give form to Japanese beauty," and I feel that the "dullness" and "darkness" of Japanese beauty will exert a strong presence that permeates not in the short term but in the long term, in this age of speed and ease of understanding.
Client: Daikuhara Seishi Co., Ltd.
Direction, Writing, Translation: Yu Shigematsu (Shhh Inc.)
Logo Design, Art Direction, Design: Katsuaki Utsunomiya (Shhh Inc.)
Photography: Shuhei Yoshida
Development: Kazuma Sakata (Good rings)
6. Kyoto Seika University Faculty of Humanities
This is a special website for the Faculty of Humanities at Kyoto Seika University. It features illustrations by Minami Kitamura throughout, and what's interesting is...This is where you'll find short, simple comic strips related to the "three learning themes" and "five courses" that the Faculty of Humanities focuses on.This serves as a hook to introduce each piece of content, immediately drawing you in.
It also conveys how the humanities are closely connected to culture, such as manga. The idea that your passions can become your learning themes makes the concrete examples of how to delve deeper into research very clear.
7. Fujifilm QuickSnap™
I never thought the "Utsurun-desu" (disposable camera) would make a comeback. Now that digital is the norm, perhaps there's a renewed demand for the "emotional" experience of taking physical photos and the unique texture that only analog can provide. The limitation of only being able to take 27 photos, which I didn't particularly notice back then, now evokes a different kind of feeling when I think about it again.
This website shows that things that were taken for granted by the generation that used disposable cameras like the "Utsurun-desu" are starting to take on a different kind of brilliance. And the fact that we can now save image data with apps is also great.Older products have come full circle culturally, and now they resonate emotionally.I think this "Utsurun-desu" website really captures that essence.
8. GarageYokotaBand
This is funny.This is the portfolio site of designer Taito Yokota, and everything, from his achievements to his diary entries, is composed entirely of "text."Moreover, the articles are sorted by day of the week, a truly unique format. According to Yokota, the background to this was that "the sense of tension towards work and life had diminished, and there was a feeling that every week was just repeating itself." Indeed, simply sorting by day of the week can give a different kind of brilliance to the impression of repetitive days.
Other related keywords for the diary entries, such as "mowing the grass" and "downwards," are displayed on the screen, and a social media-style summary of the article is shown on the right side of the screen. Related articles from the "same day of the week" are also displayed in the article details. It was an experimental site that offered a sense of new discovery.
Produced by: Yokota / GarageYokotaBand
9. PLAYFUL METAL: Metal that's even more fun.
It's a rhythmic website, but what's interesting is how it incorporates model photos into that rhythm. The photos switch randomly between front, diagonal, and side views, and round objects symbolizing metal also dance around. The sudden, Japanese-style typography of "Metal that makes you have more fun" is also a hook. It lives up to its claim of "playful design," and the entire site is playful.
This is a completely different approach from the "WORK with ART" introduced this time.The overall "motion expression" conveys a sense of musicality.That's good.
10. fanfancy+ –
Am I the only one who finds the KV composition, copy presentation, and motion effects all incredibly innovative? They've used the recently released variable font "Hyakuchidori," and each gimmick—from the exquisite distance of the mouse tracking to the MENU hover action—feels fresh and new. It's not about having just enough functionality; it's about freshness, fun, and excitement packed into the motion and gimmicks. "Expressing what you love is different for everyone." This phrase really resonated with me; it was such a fun website!
It's finished! 👀
How did you like our summary site for July 2025?
To pick out a few from this site,
- The strength of the slogan "The coldest company in the world," plus the intriguing concept, experiential aspects, and well-crafted copy that make you want to learn more.
- The chaotic, social media-like nature of "MBS RECRUIT".
- Differentiating itself from "DAIKUHARA Kintsugi & Antique" with a quiet brilliance brought about by dullness, darkness, and stillness.
- The appeal of the "exclusiveness" of the "Utsurun-desu" camera, which has come full circle.
- An experimental approach to "GarageYokotaBand" portfolio, where the entire portfolio is text-based.
- The use of motion as a rhythm in "PLAYFUL METAL".
That was a new discovery that left a strong impression on me. Hmm, this was interesting again.
Thank you for reading to the end this time as well!
See you again next month.
This was the iDID editorial team!
