{"id":23209,"date":"2020-03-12T14:29:32","date_gmt":"2020-03-12T14:29:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/design.ncsu.edu\/graphic-design\/2020\/03\/12\/ami-sueki-and-the-creation-of-a-design-language\/"},"modified":"2023-04-19T17:57:25","modified_gmt":"2023-04-19T21:57:25","slug":"ami-sueki-and-the-creation-of-a-design-language","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/design.ncsu.edu\/graphic-design\/2020\/03\/12\/ami-sueki-and-the-creation-of-a-design-language\/","title":{"rendered":"Ami Sueki and the Creation of a Design Language"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a><\/h2>\n

Ami Sueki and the Creation of a Design Language<\/h1>\n

Get Lost. Explore. Discover.<\/h2>\n

Make this your mission when you choose to visit the website of the Atlanta-based creative studio, Zoo<\/a>. You will be greeted by the absurd. Your senses will be overwhelmed. And despite all reason, you will want to dive deeper.<\/p>\n

Standing in front of a crowd of students in Burns Auditorium, Sueki pulls up one of the latest projects directed and produced by the team at Zoo \u2013 the music video for \u201cVirgil Discount\u201d by 2 Chainz & Skooly.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is what we represent,\u201d says Sueki. \u201cWe like the dark. We like the fun. We like the colorful.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

Finding a Voice to Call Your Own<\/h2>\n

Like many creatives, Ami\u2019s journey began with uncertainty. After graduating from the College of Design in 2014 with a Bachelor\u2019s degree in Industrial Design, Ami went to work for Coca-Cola in Atlanta. At first, working in the corporate world seemed like the furthest thing from where she imagined herself.<\/p>\n

However, it was at Coca-Cola where she learned about what makes a creative successful.<\/p>\n

“I now know how to talk to clients, how to talk to vendors, how to write a brief, how to write a scope of work, how to manage finances, how to talk to people in marketing, just how to talk to people in general. There are different languages for everyone. You have to alter how you talk and how you present depending on who you’re talking to. It\u2019s so important, because at the end of the day, it is designing but it’s also working with people. If you can’t sell your idea, you’re not going to make it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Three years later, Sueki and her team have created a brand that speaks its own language. By mixing corporate marketing strategies with striking photography, wild ideation and a philosophy of unflappable creative individualism, Zoo is not meant to make sense to everyone.<\/p>\n

Those who speak Zoo\u2019s language have become the firm\u2019s biggest evangelists. With clients in hospitality, fashion, music and consumer goods \u2013 Sueki has found that being uncompromisingly unique can be a strength for industries plagued by redundant brand voices.<\/p>\n

It also opens up opportunities to venture outside of agency life.<\/p>\n

Food, Freedom and Belonging<\/h2>\n

\u201cWe have our clients, but we also get to make up our own projects because we feel like it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Zoo has recently undertaken its own unique experience for the public. Nakamura.ke<\/a> is described as \u201can unprecedented, immersive dining experience showcasing high-end glow-in-the-dark food & drink, folklore, and storytelling, created by award-winning chefs & designers.\u201d<\/p>\n

Housed inside a renovated shipping container, Nakamura.ke began as a pop-up ramen shop in Atlanta. It has recently wowed adventurous patrons in Los Angeles and Charlotte, and has its sights set on going to Mexico City and New York City next.<\/p>\n

For Sueki, the design process can be applied everywhere, including her personal life.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am fortunate to have a really great team with me. People have a hard time finding a place to belong. If you follow what you love doing, and not think \u2018this isn\u2019t going to make money, this isn\u2019t the way to be professional, this isn\u2019t design.\u2019 If you\u2019re brutally honest with yourself and self-evaluate, you can find a place.\u201d<\/p>\n

This post was originally published<\/a> in College of Design Blog.<\/em><\/p>","protected":false,"raw":"

\"\"<\/a><\/h2>\n

Ami Sueki and the Creation of a Design Language<\/h1>\n

Get Lost. Explore. Discover.<\/h2>\nMake this your mission when you choose to visit the website of the Atlanta-based creative studio, Zoo<\/a>. You will be greeted by the absurd. Your senses will be overwhelmed. And despite all reason, you will want to dive deeper.\n\nStanding in front of a crowd of students in Burns Auditorium, Sueki pulls up one of the latest projects directed and produced by the team at Zoo \u2013 the music video for \u201cVirgil Discount\u201d by 2 Chainz & Skooly.\n\n\u201cThis is what we represent,\u201d says Sueki. \u201cWe like the dark. We like the fun. We like the colorful.\u201d\n
<\/div>\n \n

Finding a Voice to Call Your Own<\/h2>\nLike many creatives, Ami\u2019s journey began with uncertainty. After graduating from the College of Design in 2014 with a Bachelor\u2019s degree in Industrial Design, Ami went to work for Coca-Cola in Atlanta. At first, working in the corporate world seemed like the furthest thing from where she imagined herself.\n\nHowever, it was at Coca-Cola where she learned about what makes a creative successful.\n\n\"I now know how to talk to clients, how to talk to vendors, how to write a brief, how to write a scope of work, how to manage finances, how to talk to people in marketing, just how to talk to people in general. There are different languages for everyone. You have to alter how you talk and how you present depending on who you're talking to. It\u2019s so important, because at the end of the day, it is designing but it's also working with people. If you can't sell your idea, you're not going to make it.\u201d\n\nThree years later, Sueki and her team have created a brand that speaks its own language. By mixing corporate marketing strategies with striking photography, wild ideation and a philosophy of unflappable creative individualism, Zoo is not meant to make sense to everyone.\n\nThose who speak Zoo\u2019s language have become the firm\u2019s biggest evangelists. With clients in hospitality, fashion, music and consumer goods \u2013 Sueki has found that being uncompromisingly unique can be a strength for industries plagued by redundant brand voices.\n\nIt also opens up opportunities to venture outside of agency life.\n

Food, Freedom and Belonging<\/h2>\n\u201cWe have our clients, but we also get to make up our own projects because we feel like it.\u201d\n\nZoo has recently undertaken its own unique experience for the public. Nakamura.ke<\/a> is described as \u201can unprecedented, immersive dining experience showcasing high-end glow-in-the-dark food & drink, folklore, and storytelling, created by award-winning chefs & designers.\u201d\n\nHoused inside a renovated shipping container, Nakamura.ke began as a pop-up ramen shop in Atlanta. It has recently wowed adventurous patrons in Los Angeles and Charlotte, and has its sights set on going to Mexico City and New York City next.\n\nFor Sueki, the design process can be applied everywhere, including her personal life.\n\n\u201cI am fortunate to have a really great team with me. People have a hard time finding a place to belong. If you follow what you love doing, and not think \u2018this isn\u2019t going to make money, this isn\u2019t the way to be professional, this isn\u2019t design.\u2019 If you\u2019re brutally honest with yourself and self-evaluate, you can find a place.\u201d"},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Ami Sueki and the Creation of a Design Language Get Lost. Explore. Discover. Make this your mission when you choose to visit the website of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"source":"ncstate_wire","ncst_custom_author":"","ncst_show_custom_author":false,"ncst_dynamicHeaderBlockName":"","ncst_dynamicHeaderData":"","ncst_content_audit_freq":"","ncst_content_audit_date":"","ncst_content_audit_display":false,"ncst_backToTopFlag":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[5],"class_list":["post-23209","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-_from-newswire-collection-271"],"displayCategory":null,"acf":{"ncst_posts_meta_modified_date":null},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/design.ncsu.edu\/graphic-design\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23209","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/design.ncsu.edu\/graphic-design\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/design.ncsu.edu\/graphic-design\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/design.ncsu.edu\/graphic-design\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/14"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/design.ncsu.edu\/graphic-design\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=23209"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/design.ncsu.edu\/graphic-design\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23209\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":24672,"href":"https:\/\/design.ncsu.edu\/graphic-design\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23209\/revisions\/24672"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/design.ncsu.edu\/graphic-design\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=23209"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/design.ncsu.edu\/graphic-design\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=23209"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/design.ncsu.edu\/graphic-design\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=23209"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}