When did you start participating?
Kaneko:It's pretty much from the very beginning.
Nakamuro：I was the last one to join, so I was in before I entered.
Shigematsu:But actually, we did not have a proper meeting, so we first met with Mr. Kaneko, and then all four of us finally got together for a meeting.
Nakamuro：I see. I thought you were more like a newcomer.
Kaneko:Well, a newcomer is a newcomer (laughs).
Nakamuro：I guess the pecking order is unshakeable, after all (laughs). Even though these four members are working together for the first time, they seem to be very cohesive. As expected of Mr. Shigematsu.
Shigematsu:No, no. It's like I did my role properly.
Nakamuro：Indeed. After all, Mr. Kaneko is the "chairman" (laughs).
It's a word you don't hear very often outside of the J-League (laughs). When did the term "IAC" first appear?
Nakamuro：As I recall, Mr. Shigematsu asked me if this project was only for students. I think that's how the idea for "IAC" began. I think that is where the idea for "IAC" began.
What is your role in this project?
Kaneko:I am a producer (laughs).
Nakamuro：That's right (laughs). (laughs) But he is someone who organizes various things and moves them forward. I have worked with Mr. Shigematsu on other projects as well, and he does a very good job of coming up with a specific solution for a certain objective.
It must have been difficult to decide on the name "IAC"?
Kaneko:Yes, we had quite an exchange.
Nakamuro：We discussed many things, but I had a book in my house that described American traditions for students. According to the book, in the 1950s, there was an attempt to create a kind of purchasing department for students, such as "THE COOP" at UCLA, and it was called the "International Association of Clothing Designers. It was an organization called the International Association of Clothing Designers. I thought this was a great idea and immediately shared the photos with everyone, and they said, "Oh, maybe that's what this is all about.
Shigematsu:That's right. We started out with the idea of making things for students, but we thought it might be more appropriate to expand the scope of the project and work within that context. We decided to call it the "International Association of Creators" to reflect the fact that we would be making a variety of products.
Nakamuro：We went through a lot of back and forth to get to that point.
Kaneko:I guess so. But thanks to all the work we did, we were able to see the purpose of this project more and more, and I think that was a good thing.
By the way, this logo is a very strange font. Is this original?
Yoshida:No, it is the original one. There is a company that makes very distinctive typefaces, and this is their font. It's a basic typeface, but it has some quirks.
Shigematsu:You said you didn't want to create an original font, but rather use what is available.
Yoshida:Yes, it depends. It depends on the case, but fonts are very well thought out and there are many types, so if it is just a small change to an existing one, we often choose one of the existing ones.
Nakamuro：This one also has a distinctive "A" shape and so on. Also, it was very nice when it became a woven name.
What kind of image did you have in mind when you created this logo?
Yoshida:IAC" is a group of creators, so I thought of a classy feel as a base, and I also imagined the logo of an overseas art museum or gallery.
Nakamuro：Did the color mean anything to you?
Yoshida:This color scheme is the kind of coloring we often see overseas. It's a simple shade, so it's easy for people to remember, and it's a better symbolic color than black.
Shigematsu:And "IAC" = "International.
Yoshida:Yes, I do. So to put it simply, it has a foreign feel. I had recently been doing art direction for a monthly magazine, so I had been doing a lot of research on European fonts, so that also helped.
