What is the business perspective required for a web director? -- Interview with Mio Nakai just before "Web Industry Evol
Posted: Tue Apr 22, 2025 9:09 am
On Tuesday, January 26th, Mynavi Creator will be holding an online seminar, Web Industry Evolution Practical Course #02, titled "What is the business perspective in client work that web directors need to keep in mind?"
The second installment of the "Web Industry Evolution Practical Course" will focus on how to maintain a business perspective when working with clients on projects such as "planning proposals" and "quotes," which are issues that every web director has struggled with. Freelance web director Mio Nakai will be the guest speaker, and she will be talking about the industry email list know-how required when taking on work from clients.
In this interview just before the event, we asked Nakai about his career so far, his current job, and the future of web directors .
Profile Introduction
Mio Nakai,
Team SPEC. / Member of the Japan Direction Association
After gaining experience in print media design as a DTP designer, he became a web designer. He is currently engaged in web direction work. He is skilled in designing and renovating websites from a marketing perspective based on persona and customer journey design and access analysis. He
became a freelancer in June 2019, and mainly works full-time, but also personally directs the creation of new services and cooperates in launching web production departments. In addition, as a private activity, he has been a member of the Japan Direction Association since 2018. He is a lecturer, promotes meetup planning, and works as a seminar staff member.
Self-taught and career change led to a career as a web director
-- I heard that you started your career as a DTP designer. Specifically, what kind of media did you design?
Nakai: My career started when I was 19 years old and I was working part-time at a pachinko parlor, where I was asked to make posters. One day, the manager suddenly gave me a job, saying, "You can use a computer, right?" (laughs).
There was a Mac in the store, and it was equipped with a printer that could print in B0 size and laminating equipment. From there, I desperately learned Illustrator and Photoshop on my own and created pop art and posters for each event. In the end, I was even involved in the DTP design of the insert flyers and the videos that were shown on the vision outside the store.
When did you make the switch from that to the web?
Nakai: It was around 2010, in my late 20s. Even though I had been doing DTP design up until then, I ended up only making what was needed there, so my skills didn't expand any further. So I thought I'd try something a little different, and thought a web-related job would be good, where I could utilize the skills I had at the time. However, even though I wanted to change jobs to a company that could do web-related work, I didn't have any experience, so it didn't go well... Somehow, I managed to get into a company that operated an e-commerce site.
At first, I uploaded product images and created banners, but one day someone said, "I want to have my own EC site," and I thought this was my chance to make some progress, so I raised my hand. I taught myself CSS and other skills required to create a website, and launched a new site by myself. That was the first time I had any experience with the web.
Armed with this achievement, I once again started looking for a new job and joined a web consulting company for small and medium-sized businesses as a web designer. However, while I was working as a web designer and getting to see the website production site up close, I gradually started to feel more and more strongly that I wanted to become a web director.
- You joined the company as a web designer, so why did you decide to change careers to become a web director?
Nakai: I think the biggest factor was being able to experience the work of professional designers at our partner company involved in web production. I realized that I couldn't compete with them with just the knowledge I had gained through self-study.
The second installment of the "Web Industry Evolution Practical Course" will focus on how to maintain a business perspective when working with clients on projects such as "planning proposals" and "quotes," which are issues that every web director has struggled with. Freelance web director Mio Nakai will be the guest speaker, and she will be talking about the industry email list know-how required when taking on work from clients.
In this interview just before the event, we asked Nakai about his career so far, his current job, and the future of web directors .
Profile Introduction
Mio Nakai,
Team SPEC. / Member of the Japan Direction Association
After gaining experience in print media design as a DTP designer, he became a web designer. He is currently engaged in web direction work. He is skilled in designing and renovating websites from a marketing perspective based on persona and customer journey design and access analysis. He
became a freelancer in June 2019, and mainly works full-time, but also personally directs the creation of new services and cooperates in launching web production departments. In addition, as a private activity, he has been a member of the Japan Direction Association since 2018. He is a lecturer, promotes meetup planning, and works as a seminar staff member.
Self-taught and career change led to a career as a web director
-- I heard that you started your career as a DTP designer. Specifically, what kind of media did you design?
Nakai: My career started when I was 19 years old and I was working part-time at a pachinko parlor, where I was asked to make posters. One day, the manager suddenly gave me a job, saying, "You can use a computer, right?" (laughs).
There was a Mac in the store, and it was equipped with a printer that could print in B0 size and laminating equipment. From there, I desperately learned Illustrator and Photoshop on my own and created pop art and posters for each event. In the end, I was even involved in the DTP design of the insert flyers and the videos that were shown on the vision outside the store.
When did you make the switch from that to the web?
Nakai: It was around 2010, in my late 20s. Even though I had been doing DTP design up until then, I ended up only making what was needed there, so my skills didn't expand any further. So I thought I'd try something a little different, and thought a web-related job would be good, where I could utilize the skills I had at the time. However, even though I wanted to change jobs to a company that could do web-related work, I didn't have any experience, so it didn't go well... Somehow, I managed to get into a company that operated an e-commerce site.
At first, I uploaded product images and created banners, but one day someone said, "I want to have my own EC site," and I thought this was my chance to make some progress, so I raised my hand. I taught myself CSS and other skills required to create a website, and launched a new site by myself. That was the first time I had any experience with the web.
Armed with this achievement, I once again started looking for a new job and joined a web consulting company for small and medium-sized businesses as a web designer. However, while I was working as a web designer and getting to see the website production site up close, I gradually started to feel more and more strongly that I wanted to become a web director.
- You joined the company as a web designer, so why did you decide to change careers to become a web director?
Nakai: I think the biggest factor was being able to experience the work of professional designers at our partner company involved in web production. I realized that I couldn't compete with them with just the knowledge I had gained through self-study.