I started a habit of walking when the coronavirus pandemic hit. Since then, when I go for a walk, I enjoy an online service that deliver reading experiences under the title “Listening to literary content.” In this column, I’d like to share with you my thoughts that came to mind when I listened to a novel by Ito Ogawa Tsubaki Stationery Store.

The story describes a bizarre personal life of a woman who works as a letter writer while operating a stationery store. When asked by her client to ghostwrite a letter, she starts by trying to gain deep understanding of the recipient she is not allowed to see in person. Then she works on writing the letter, counterfeiting the client’s handwriting as if it was written by the sender himself. In each chapter of this novel, a one-of-a-kind human drama unfolds between the sender and the recipient.

As a designer involved in creative work, I felt impressed by the psychological description of this ordinary woman who takes pride in her job as a ghostwriter. At the same time, however, I asked myself whether we, as designers, have done enough to evoke emotion and empathy in our clients as this woman does by creating one-of-a-kind experiences through synchronicities of different personalities.

Through my listening experience, I was reminded as a professional designer that this is the way professional work should be. Why don’t you read (or listen to) this novel, if you like?

Hiroshi Sakagame
Context Design Dept.
Senior Director