Alumni Messages

Release date:2023.03.01

I wanted to be praised - "That's an interesting idea!"

FURUKAWA Akira

Hakuhodo Inc.

  • 2018 Graduated from the Department of Industrial Design, School of Design
  • 2020 Finished the Master's Program at the Department of Design Strategy, Graduate School of Design
  • 2020 - Present  Activation Planner, Hakuhodo Inc.
Related department, course
  • Industrial Design Course(Undergraduate)
  • Human Life Design and Science Course(Graduate)
  • Department of Industrial Design
  • Department of Design Strategy

My current job

I am in the business of solving corporate challenges such as "making a local cuisine boom again," "formulating a policy to remove anxiety and loneliness at the time of the disaster," "making a 'new way to eat' of a dish that everyone knows popular," etc., with ideas to improve product sales and enhance the image of the company. Every day I present my ideas to my team members with great excitement, and I go through an emotional yo-yo at their reactions. Even after the project was realized, I went through an emotional yo-yo at the public's response.

How I spent my student life

People have always said, "You think of such funny things!" I took pleasure in making the people in front of me laugh. I was so gung-ho about April Fool's Day that I made a script and directed it as a group. The same attitude applied in my university classes and presentations, and I repeatedly went through a trial-and-error process to create outputs that would be interesting. Thanks to many classes in which, I was able to share my inner thoughts with people through presentations. I learned many things, such as how to express and devise ways to make what I feel is "interesting" seem interesting to others.

Messages for prospective students

Copying homework answers in their entirety. Sleeping in class and getting yelled at. I did these two things and was totally rejected by all the universities I first applied to. Even though you are a student preparing for an exam, you will want to sleep when you have a full stomach, and there are cartoons and dramas you will want to watch. But I think it's really cool that you endure that and get your head down at your desk. Keep playing your favorite music or the radio, and keep up the steady, cool effort!!!