In 2021, Kodansha launched a new global brand with a purpose to Inspire Impossible Stories.

The creative work and brand direction were led by the world-renowned design agency, Gretel.

It was an incredible experience to represent Kodansha USA Publishing throughout the process. My role involved translating design guidelines into production-ready templates, developing a workflow for in-house and freelance talent, and serving as a brand advocate to ensure consistent application across customer touch points.

As part of the larger Where Manga Meets campaign, Kodansha House was a month-long celebration for fans, hosted in New York City. The event featured interactive exhibits, artist appearances, movie nights, and more—a dynamic brand activation experience.

With creative direction and event production led by Hornet, I collaborated closely with partners to launch the main landing page and related event pages. I also designed supporting graphics and dove deep into sourcing manga images for the Calendar of Events.

kodansha.us is a reading hub for both longtime fans and new manga readers, offering free chapters, product details, and an online store. By providing more free content, we aim to lift sales, combat piracy, and increase brand awareness—many fans recognize our titles but don’t always realize Kodansha is the publisher.

As project lead, I managed stakeholder communication, external development, feedback collection, and the feature roadmap. While Gretel designed the overall site, I filled in missing pages and collaborated on UX for e-commerce. Though the final release had challenges, we worked with a consultant to guide development to an adequate solution.

To strengthen discovery, we've expanded product details (ISBNs, release dates, purchase links) and improved SEO through better metadata, link exchanges, and backlink tracking. Future plans include adding contributor lists, content notes, and trigger warnings. A companion app for offline reading is also under discussion, though not yet scheduled.

I contributed to various creative projects, including KUP Staff Swag (using Misaki Kido’s logo), illustrations for Home Anime Club (all vector work except mascot Kacey by Hiro Mashima ), and making an Initial D car air freshener (“tofu” and “old car” were not available scent options). For the English covers, I replicated the Japanese design, applying the EN logo I made and making subtle adjustments.

For the 10th Anniversary logo, I merged elements from print and digital manga logos, incorporating gold accents to highlight the milestone.