KATSUNORI AOKI
Creative Director, Founder, Butterfly Stroke

Spacious three floors, plenty of sunlight, trendy furniture jostles easily with quirky toys. Butterfly Stroke may seem like a typical well-to-do design studio, but there is a reason why Aoki-san named his company after what is considered the most demanding swimming style. BTF aims to circumvent the traditional constraints of made-to-order work by giving its designers the freedom to create striking, memorable characters that attract clients. Build and they will come—Sony, Nike, Honda, Benetton and many others did.

NAOMI HIRABAYASHI
Plug-in Graphics

Born in Tokyo. After graduation from Musashino Art University, she started working as an art director/graphic designer for Shiseido Co., Ltd. In 2002, she was granted an opportunity to go to England to temporarily work for MadeThought, a design studio in London. After returning to Japan, she engaged herself in designing many ads for different products and creating a number of package and book-binding designs as a freelancer. The works she created have acquired her Tokyo ADC prize, NYADC GOLD, British D&AD, as well as many other awards.

SATORU YAMASHITA
Creative Director, +81 Magazine

A native of Tokyo, he founded DD Wave Co. in 1990. The first issue of +81 Magazine saw the light of day in 1997, with Yamashita-san as its creative director. From 2001 to 2007 he also held the post of senior editor. His other responsibilities included editing +81 voyage, executive post at DD Wave, and a professorship at Toyo University's business school. A 12-year old, +81 is a bilingual creative visual arts magazine distributed in 20 countries, with numerous contributors throughout the world.

YUICHI MIYASHI, NAOHIDE SUZUKI
Art Director, Graphic Designer, Tycoon Graphics

Since founding Tycoon Graphics in 1991, Miyashi-san and Suzuki-san have followed their creative pursuits into fields spanning architecture, music and fashion. Their elegant logo designs grace Tadao Ando’s Omotesando Hills in Harajuku and Doujima Hotel in Shinjuku. Other works include art direction for amadana, advertising campaign for Kanebo, CD jacket designs for Puffy, Towa Tei and Bump of Chicken and many others.

PASHA ALPEYEV
Design Ambassador, Cut&Paste Tokyo

KENTARO KATO
Account Manager, MTV Japan

Kentaro also serves as one of our Design Ambassadors for Cut&Paste Tokyo.