How the internet and Guy Ritchie shaped D&AD President’s Award winner Koichiro Tanaka’s career

Every year, D&AD’s sitting President gives the D&AD President's Award to a creative whose contributions to our industry have been nothing short of extraordinary, with a repertoire of work that has pushed the boundaries of creativity. This year, Kwame Taylor-Hayford, co-founder of the creative agency Kin and the first D&AD President from the US, chose Koichiro Tanaka – the Black Pencil-winning creative director and founder of Projecter, the studio he established in 2004.

Now known for being one of the world’s top digital innovators in the creative space, Tanaka’s journey started in film production in 1997, when he got his first taste of a film set working as a director’s assistant. He notes one of the formative experiences of his career happened on the second project he worked on, where he had to direct over 200 extras to move from one side of a field to another. “I was so nervous and was struggling to speak,” Tanaka says. “Even now, when I watch crowd scenes in feature films, I remember that moment. That first job taught me the importance of meeting professionals in the industry, and of speaking up.”

It was while working in production that his perception of craft in a commercial filmmaking context started to shift. He remembers feeling particularly inspired after watching a BMW advertisement directed by Guy Ritchie starring Madonna, Ritchie’s wife at the time. “Prior to this, most commercial films on the internet were of very low quality and felt casual and light,” he says.

Tanaka was struck by the “Hollywood-level production and high quality” of the BMW film. When he was approached to work on an advertisement for Nissan the following year, he knew he wanted to bring a similar tone. The project, Trunk, earned him his first-ever accolade: the Grand Prix at the Taoyuan International Art Award (TIAA), as well as his first D&AD Pencil.

The onset of the internet

The industry recognition established him as an emerging leader in commercial filmmaking, but at the time in Japan, creative industry roles were rigid and siloed, which felt limited to Tanaka. “The person who had direct contact with the client was typically the creative director at the advertising agency, while the producer or director at the film production company was responsible for creating the content,” says Tanaka. “In the case of that Nissan advertisement, I was the producer and played a key role in producing the content. However, I was also able to communicate directly with the client due to the use of new media, which made the structure somewhat different.”

Having always had an innovative spirit, Tanaka realised then that the internet was ushering in a new era of working collaboratively, one in which someone in his position could oversee content creation while also maintaining direct client contact. He recognised early on that the internet had fundamentally changed communication between creatives and clients, and decided to tap into this new order with his own venture.

Tanaka started Projector when he was 31 years old, fuelled by “nothing more than energy and ambition”, he recalls. Each project he worked on presented its own set of challenges. His work was released online rather than through traditional media channels, which meant there was no control over how the public would receive it. It could either be embraced or completely ignored. The rules of the game had changed, so he developed a different mindset for validating the success of his projects, namely by looking beyond the industry. While he took note of successful advertising campaigns, which helped him maintain a unique perspective and foster his own creativity, he was also wary of becoming overly influenced by these examples. Instead, he turned to modern and contemporary art, as well as films outside the advertising context, for inspiration and ideas.

UNIQLOCK for Uniqlo

These new influences were evident in what remains one of Uniqlo’s most famous campaigns to date. Launched in 2007, UNIQLOCK combined fashion, music and dance into a viral online experience for the Japanese brand. The campaign not only promoted the clothing – it ensured the brand was front of mind for people, particularly bloggers, a key target audience at the time.

When asked about the project, Tanaka says he still finds himself frequently reflecting on it. “I felt like there was more to consider with the UNIQLOCK," says Tanaka. “After its success, I received numerous interview requests where people wanted to analyse the project. For the first time, I had to articulate the concept in words. Since the original direction was based on a non-verbal concept, attempting to verbalise it later felt limiting and I felt it could lead to different interpretations.”

This was a relatively new exercise for Tanaka, who rarely had to explain his concepts and approach before that point – not even to clients. “In Western culture, clear verbal communication and detailed definitions are often seen as positive, helping to clarify ideas and expectations. In contrast, the Japanese style of communication does not always prioritise complete verbalisation; sometimes, leaving gaps for interpretation is considered valuable,” says Tanaka. “This can create a sense of mystery in communication. In the context of Japanese brands, this mystery often fosters a bond between clients and creators.”

Innovating and learning have been common threads throughout Tanaka’s career journey, and now he’s back to being a student with his latest project, ‘ONCE’ – a modular shelf for compact Japanese living that is effortlessly assembled, expandable, and usable from either side.

It has pushed him to learn new skills to ensure his shelves are well-constructed and to experiment with different materials. Stepping into the role of an interior design brand founder, Tanaka notes, is different from anything he’s ever done before, but he is relishing the challenge. “Right now, I feel like a first-year intern or a first-year university student,” he says. “Everything is new and I’m still finding my way.”