It is true that Epic Marble Project is a group led by musicians, but it is also a group that continues to progress with the aid and help of artistic individuals. Today, we sat down with graphic designer, Robin Masashi Oshiro, who has designed various posters for our events and business cards that many of our staff members carry in hand. We conducted an interview to learn about his motivations and the secrets behind his creative works.
Tell us how you joined Epic Marble Project
Originally my friend (Shintaro) introduced me to Daizo, who was looking for someone to design a poster for Shockwave, an event he organized. This was my FIRST experience designing for someone having an event at this scale, so it was quite memorable. I still remember the day I met Daizo. At Blenz Coffee across SFU Downtown campus late at night, he told me how he wanted the poster to be designed.
Tell us about yourself
My name is Robin Masashi Oshiro. I started emphasizing my middle name when I introduce myself... because I like it! Currently I am an Emily Carr Design student and my hobbies are graphic design, typography, graphic art, ...and I should be active physically as well.
Some of the people I respect are Josef Muller-Brockmann, and Kenya Hara.
I listen to soul/r&b. My favorite movie is Kofuku no kiiroi hankachi, and my favorite book is soul music lovers only by Eimi Yamada, respectively.
Tell us about your position and the projects you were involved in.
Were there any difficulties?
In a way, the EMP was my first "client" who asked me to design two posters for events Shockwave and Summer Spark. The challenge was to find a point where the client's visual ideas about what they should look like and my graphical style and skills met.
What about concepts and themes?
Concepts and themes were informed every time, such as 'impact', 'neon light'.
What did you think worked out / did not work out?
Both Shockwave and Summer Spark posters captured energetic/active emotions and mood successfully, I believe, but both lacked in typographic excellence, as well as visual sophistication. The business card design showed some progression.
What is your goal as Graphic Designer in EMP?
Since I'm still a student, I'm consistently and actively learning new things. I want to apply my learnings and achievements in whatever I design for EMP.
Thank you for your time Robin. We look forward to your other designs in the future.
