Design Director / Tone and Manner / Office Design
Corporate | Anicom Holdings, Inc | 2005 - Present
ani + com
Anicom Holdings started when Komori Nobuaki, who had been a young exec in Japan’s top ranking life insurance company, talked with his brother, a veterinarian, and realized what a blue ocean the pet market was here. Holdings is the parent company of the insurance side as well as an international capital investment company. The name comes from Komori-san’s love of the written word, esp the etymology of certain kanji (Chinese characters). Human in Japanese is “Ningen” which is made up of two kanji: “person” and “between.” It is Komori-san’s firm belief that what lies between people and makes them more than beast is communication. Thus Anicom is an amalgam of ani (anima; moving or living things) and com (communication; that which allows us to share ourselves and history with one another, thereby making society and culture. )
The Shinjuku honjo, which is the fourth building the company has occupied as a main office is designed around the concept of communication as the base for human society.
Throughout the top floor of the Sumitomo Fudosan Shinjuku Grand Tower in Nishi Shinjuku, Tokyo is a physical representation of the history of human language. The entrance to the offices, seen above, is a rock wall with “cave paintings” recreated to show the first written communication and art. Next is a series of stone and clay tablets, papyrus scrolls, and the advent of pen and ink.
The concept when the building was made to have as much open space to “see through time and culture” and have a free working environment. (They say “free” but what they mean is you can’t nap at your desk…)
Anicom has a baker’s dozen of branches now across Japan and China as well as several pet shops, hospitals, themed cafes and event spaces. As I have known Komori-san for over 15 years now and developed the company’s overall brand and PR departments, I’ve was also tasked to define and then design the visual tone and manner of each of these venues. This is a walk through the main office, my favorite of the many that I’ve had the pleasure of working on. My role in this one was concept, art direction and production management. As well as hand making many of the props.
Sumitomofudosan Shinjuku Grand Tower.
Concept art for the entrance. I art directed this in conjunction with Okamura Construction and GenX Designs, whom I had known from their work on Disney Sea.
My own scribble on the office layout. These got very detailed and most are not for public eye or are lost to time. This was just my own notes; good because I can barely read it now.
Cave paintings and Cuneiform tablet
The kitchen area with glass fridge. Fruits and veg are made available to staff for smoothies. Don't forget the coffee too.
Stone tablets and pieces of parchment representing the passage of time and technological leaps in communication. There is a certain Grail tablet that I snuck in there... Very few have noticed that which Dr. Jones procured for me.
The tablet wall
Installation
Greek on stone
Oh rats... it broke.
One of many of the display tablets all made from styrofoam.
This glass meeting table with a rock protruding through it I custom designed and built for the corner room that over looks Mt Fuji.
Many of these rooms, all in glass, have been used as backdrops for a number of Japanese movies and TV shows.
Meeting rooms are all time periods and some of them happen to describe quite accurately the meetings taking place.
Lights in the break area facing west Tokyo
Beauty shots!
A regular day in the office. No sleeping at your desk.
Looking down from midway across the 803 square meter office.
More glass tables. Almost 20 meeting spaces on this floor. It wasn't enough.
The financial accounts room. Designed to look a bit like the monitor room from Nolan's Batman movies.
The office design book, BP featured our design in their magazine.
A cool shot of the Dark Room, where stock trades take place
Excerpt from the article