Tokyo, February 8th, 2023

monopo is a Tokyo-born creative agency delivering design-driven solutions through digital experiences, branding, advertising and video production. The agency started in Tokyo in 2011 but has expanded across the globe since then, with offices in London, New York and Saigon. monopo challenges the barriers of culture and language, always with a collaborative approach.

Tran Minh Villageois is an Art Director at monopo Tokyo. In an interview with TIA, he described how his interest in drawing and computers drove him to become a graphic designer and went through the exciting creative culture of monopo. He also described his design process from beginning and highlighted the many opportunities for people to enter in the field of design.

To kick things off, could you tell us a little about Tokyo?

I grew up in Paris my whole life but I’ve been living in Tokyo for the last year after I fell in love with Japan during an internship. The first thing I did when I got back to Japan was to eat a steaming bowl of real ramen, a must-do experience if ever in Japan. Otherwise, a typical Japanese evening for me would be to go to an Izakaya (Japanese pub) and end up at karaoke 🙂

How did you first become interested in design?

In truth, my interest in becoming a designer came quite late. However, as a child I was always passionate about two seemingly opposing fields: drawing and computers. I always carried my sketchbook with me and drew whatever I found interesting in the day to day, in books, magazines, or something I watched on TV. And the rest of my time was spent on computers playing games and having fun with all the different types of brushes that were on Paint (in those days). As I grew up, I realized very quickly that it was going to be difficult to make a living as an artist, so I thought to find a field that catered to my passion for art and for computers. That’s how I ended up becoming a graphic designer.

As an Art Director at monopo Tokyo, which have been up until now the biggest challenges?

I would say communication. My Japanese is not the best, so it is sometimes difficult for me to express my artistic intentions through words. Words are important when working in a team but in fact I do think that communicating through visuals is even more powerful and important as a designer. In the creative world, no matter what language you speak or where you live, we all speak the same language of human experience and visual expression. I learnt to find ways to communicate beyond words and break down barriers of language that were a big challenge at the beginning.

Can you explain to us about Collective Creativity?

Collective Creativity is a concept that has been anchored into the values and vision of monopo, although interestingly each monopo member has their own definition of this concept and how it applies to the work that they do. For me, collective creativity shows how the differences between everyone are not a barrier but in fact a strength to be creative and craft something unique together. Like a prism, we all have different perspectives of the same concept. We all have different personalities, different backgrounds, and cultures, so no matter what your role is at monopo you will come to feed into being creative, together. This is the essence of collective creativity.

From vision and research, can you describe your design process from the beginning?

It will depend on the client and the type of project, but generally, at the beginning of my process, I start with some brainstorming. I write down everything that comes to my mind when I read the brief and I try to structure my notes by putting keywords to each idea I find. Once this is done, I will spend time looking for references on the internet, or even rumbling through books or archives that I find in old bookstores. Then I am equipped with the inspiration and starting points to explore my design direction.

The perfect client brief: Does it exist?

I don’t think there is a perfect client brief as each client has different needs and sometimes they don’t even have a concrete idea of what they want. In this case, we can help craft that brief together with the client and it’s up to us to ask the right questions in order to understand the real intentions of the client and the creative problem to solve. The worst scenario for a designer is when a client tells you to do whatever you want as a blank canvas as its hard then to visualize solutions with a problem or goal in mind. I would say my favorite brief is when a client already has a vision and even includes references of what they want in the brief, as bor what they may be expecting.

How do you work with and lead people who are not like you?

I’ve never really asked myself this question, but I think that working with people who are different to me is a real advantage in the creative process. If I were to team up with someone who thought exactly like me or agreed with every idea I had, I think we would struggle to settle on something inspirational. I’m glad that my colleagues are very different than me.

Which types of clients do you find especially interesting ?

I’m interested in clients who want to change mentalities by breaking societal codes or who have an environment-related project. As an art director, I would like to work with a client than is open to me communicating messages that relate to true human experiences or even social issues that are shared by societies across the globe.

Do you think someone can get into the field without educational experience in a school environment?

Yes, absolutely! Today everything is available on the internet, and for (almost) free. There are so many online courses, videos and resources available on the internet these days that allow us to learn anything we want, even the most specific things. I also believe that just because a person comes out of a top school doesn’t mean that they are necessarily better than the others in the field.

If I had any advice to give an aspiring designer, it would be to practice, practice, practice. Start by giving yourself challenges to do every weekend or even shared projects with friends who share the same passion. Learning on your own is good, but I think its by sharing your knowledge with others that makes your growing progress even faster.

What trends do you foresee in the battleground to retain relevance for 2023?

In an ideal world, I wish brutalism could be the norm.

How would you describe a great working environment?

In my opinion, a good work environment is to be surrounded by open-minded people who will motivate you in your daily work by giving you self-confidence without any judgment or prejudice. I feel lucky to have found such an environment where I feel fulfilled.

What does a monopo night mean?

monopo night is a community-driven party held at our Tokyo office every second Friday of the month. We hold the event less frequently in London and New York but do aim to keep the monopo night tradition in all monopo cities. The organizers change every month, and they are responsible for creating a new theme each time. We welcome all kinds of people to attend from clients to creators, friends, families etc. If you are ever in Tokyo, please feel free to reach out for an invitation 🙂

How do you explain what you do for a living to a child ?

I think I would say something like : ”I make drawings on computers. You can see my drawings on the internet at and on Tiktok”

Thanks Tran!

• Learn more about monopo Tokyo at https://monopo.co.jp/
• Follow monopo on social media:

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• Follow Tran Minh Villageois on social media:

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Art DirectorCollective Creativitydesign processgraphic designerInteractive