Kaori Sohma is an award-winning graphic designer, director, and founder with more than +15 years of leadership and design experience in the advertising, branding, and media industries.
She characterizes her work as intersecting the working souls of Muller Brockmann, Saul Bass, and William Eggleston. Her focus lies especially in expressing complex emotional states with playful humor, reduced to simple geometric form, light, and movement. The work is also a subtle homage to her Japanese heritage, philosophy, and aesthetic, playfully intertwined with American pop culture.
“Kaori is an imperfect perfectionist who cherishes and expresses momentary simplicity in all its zen-like wonder." - Travis Spangler, Say the Magic Words.
Currently, Kaori is active as a freelance creative in New York City. Previously she was at Vox Media, NBCUniversal, and Viacom (now Paramount) as a head of branding & design.
相馬 香織
ニューヨークのパーソンズ美術大学、BFAコミニケーションデザイン／映像科卒業。MTV NETWORKSに所属するVH１CREATIVEでコンセプトからデザイン、アニメーション、編集、プロダクションの映像、フィルム制作におけるプロセスを習得、大きな撮影のディレクターも努める。のち、LIFELONG FRIENDSHIP SOCIETYを他３人と設立、デザイナー・ディレクターそしてビジネスパートナーとして活躍。 その後独立、数年フリーランス活動後、NBCUniversal にてクリエイレィブディレクターとして任務。７年の間３つのネットワークのブランディングのローンチを合計４回リードし、１００以上のオープニングタイトル、マーケティングのデザイン・アニメーション・撮影・音楽のディレクションをこなした。2022年にはVox Mediaで会社が初めて試みるストリーミングチャンネル、The Vox Channelのローンチ、ブランディング、コンテンツ制作を手掛けた。
どんなプロジェクトでも、人の温度が伝わるような、素材感のある作品を丁寧に仕上げる制作アプローチを心がける。
HONORS & AWARDS & RECOGNITIONS
Promax / BDA : Gold, Silver and Bronze winner
Clio Awards : Bronze winner
The One Club for Creativity / ADC Awards : Motion & Film Craft Juror
Le Book : Juror
International Color Photography Awards : Juror
Ideas in Motion hosted by Fable App : Guest Speaker
SVA MFA Fine Arts / Women in Animation : Guest speaker
FIT Communication Design : Final review guest critic
Pratt Institute of Design : Guest Speaker
AIGA Design Archives : The N Rebrand, Logo Design
PRESS / PUBLICATIONS
Daily Brief / Promax BDA
Spoon Tamago
Shoot Online, USA
Motionographer.com
CMYK Magazine, USA
Design Is Kinky : Semi Permanent 04 Australia
Jeremyville Sketchel : Artist bag design collection
Elle, Japan
8X8, Japan
H Magazine, Spain
EXHIBITIONS, FESTIVALS & SCREENINGS
One Day on Earth, screened at United Nations : Film contributor
A Rift of Sunshine for you in the Head - Maxalot Gallery, Barcelona, Spain
BDA/Promax 20/120 “Chance” : New York CIty
Smilefacuet video collections : New York City 2003-2008
Group Show, te + te: New Handmade Co-curated with Spoon & Tamago : Brooklyn NY
Apparel for Graniph : Tokyo, Japan
Naked : New York CIty
Apparel for As Know As : Tokyo, Japan