Tag: AQ

  • Design Sprints in Japan

    Sure, I mention the Tokyo-based design studio AQ a lot in part because they’re good friends of mine, but it’s no secret that they’re also incredibly talented at what they do — the fact that they’ve been at it for so long and continue to grow is a testament to that. They recently shared an…

  • Starting a Business in Japan

    What does it take to start a business in Japan as a foreigner? Elizabeth Mueller did the research, and put together this incredibly clear and detailed guide to all of the steps you’ll need to cross in order to make it happen. It also features interviews with my buddies Mark McFarlane (Tacchi) and Chris Palmieri…

  • New Year Love from AQ and KDa

    I don’t receive New Year cards (nengajo) like I used to — although I still enjoy looking at a lot of them, courtesy of Spoon & Tamago and 8-4. In fact, I only received two this year, but they were both from people I love so much. Up top is the card sent by design crew AQ,…

  • A Primer on Japanese Typography

    AQ‘s Eiko Nagase has written a fantastic article on using Japanese typography, that you should read now. It’s also going to lead to an upcoming book on the topic, A Primer on Japanese Typography, that you can pre-order here.

  • Hi and Goodbye

    Earlier this year, the fine folks behind the “moment sharing site” Hi (né Hitotoki) shared some big news: they would shut down the site on September 1, as part of a novel archiving project (here’s what Craig Mod had to say about the “Hitotoki Archives” project). We’re just a few days away from the site shutting…

  • Digging Through the Archives

    At long last, my archives are back. Most of them at least. Some of you may recall that back in early 2014, I had the great misfortune of the web host I was using pulling the rug from under me, which meant that my entire website — which dated back to 2002 — suddenly disappeared.…

  • Drawing for Life

    Adrian Hogan breathes drawing. Adrian is yet another person I’ve met through PauseTalk – yes, I tend to meet the most interesting people through my PauseTalk series, which is the main reason I started doing it all these years ago. And he draws. A lot. Adrian is a freelance illustrator based here in Tokyo, and…

  • What Has Happened

    Let me start by saying that I’m writing this not to add noise to all the useful info getting out there, but because I’ve been contacted by countless concerned people about what happened with me, and what is going on. Here’s my story. As I had mentioned in a recent post, we were heading for…

  • Codex 13

    Well, I wanted this to be the “lucky” episode 13 of the Codex, but it took me quite a few tries to get the recording done because of glitches. But here it is, the first Codex of the year, and it also includes a Codex Coda courtesy of Chris Palmieri, the founder and head of…