This may be a Dribbble Meetup first! The folks at Goodpatch are planning a joint Dribbble Meetup between their two offices in Tokyo and Berlin on November 28th. The meetups will take place simultaneously and they’ll have a video feed connecting the two events. It should be an exciting day of design, drinks, pizza, and laughs. They’ll also be hosting an Analog Playoff, so bring your design skills. Use their meetup page to RSVP for either location.
Now, let’s find out about the design scenes in Tokyo and Berlin!
Tell us what you love about Tokyo/Berlin.
I love almost everything about Tokyo: the urbanism, the great food, the big contrast between traditional culture and pop culture.
It is a place full of sub-cultures, microtrends, and a lot contradictions. As a designer, I love the fact that you can find inspiration from your everyday life. The city stretches out forever; it even feels boundless at times.
There is always some event going on and I feel a lot of energy from so many talented people gathered in one place. I also believe Tokyo is changing at a very high speed. It is completely different from what it was 6-7 years ago.
The IT scene expands and collapses as tides of the ocean. There is always a feeling that something is gonna happen soon… Definitely an exciting place to live and work in the creative industry. It is also very stressful though.
Berlin has a lot of different layers. A couple of years ago Berlins claim was “Arm aber sexy” which means “poor but sexy.” That has changed a bit because more and more people are moving to the city in order to experience the special atmosphere and the rents are getting higher. Berlin has become a hub of hipsters, artists, and entrepreneurs crowding Germany’s capital with a vibrant and contagious presence. The city is constantly changing, multicultural and almost never sleeps.
Tell us where you work, in relation to the rest of Tokyo/Berlin.
Riccardo: I work as Designer in Goodpatch, a UI centered design company with offices in Tokyo and Berlin. The Tokyo office is located in Shibuya Uguisudanichō, less then a 10 minute walk from the JR Station. But thanks to our proximity to Daikanyama, the office is outside the typical chaotic environment of Shibuya. It’s a great location. And there is a wide choice of nice cafes and restaurants to have lunch. The studio itself is airy and casual. Seating is non-assigned and there’s plenty of couch space as well. Once a week, one of the other designers brings in her Italian Greyhound and he runs around searching for anything semi-edible. We have two spaces across the street from each other. I spend most of my time at the studio that sits right above a 7-11. It is covered in aluminum foil and has a massive skylight. That may sound like a weird combination, but it works.
Simon: Our Berlin Studio is located in the Mitte district, close to Kreuzberg, which is called the heart of Berlin. The streets are very vibrant around our Office. Together with a bunch of other Startups, we are working in the 2nd backyard of a typical and large Judendstil building.
Tell us about the Tokyo/Berlin design scene.
Riccardo: Tokyo is a great place to meet talented people from design industry due the large number of advertising agencies, design-oriented startups, and software houses. Of course, the fashion and game industries are also big players. In general, it’s very easy to connect with people and expand your network, thanks also to design communities such as TGD, a partner for this Dribbble Meetup.
There is a huge art scene, full of events where you can present your work and get some exposure. Recently UX/UI design talks and workshops are becoming a monthly event for many people. Goodpatch hosts one of the more major events, UI Crunch, a UI/UX methodologies talk in partnership with DeNA Tokyo, where creatives from the industry present their case studies.
Simon: The Design scene in Berlin is big and very international. A new start-up is founded around every 20 minutes or less. There are a lot of regular meet-ups and events where you can find interesting and talented people. Design events and art exhibitions are organized frequently. Nowadays Berlin’s creative scene is lively, keen to experiment and professional as never before. Also more venture capital then ever is flowing into Europe, especially Berlin. Furthermore you have a broad range of different design disciplines here like Fashion Design, Game Design, iOT and a lot of design thinking agencies.
Choose three shots from Tokyo/Berlin Dribbblers you admire, and tell us what you like about each one.
TOKYO
Halloween by NOGA, above left.
I love the simplicity, the consistency and the unique colour palette of these icons. The quintessence of Japanese “Halloween pop culture”.
Beckoning Cat -with a Drawing app by Nemury, above center.
Nemury is the master of simplicity, he use to draw using an iPhone drawing app, his work is always essential and colourful. I love this “Maneki Neko”, the welcome cat statue you can find at the entrance of the shops in Japan
Flat Menu UI by Masanori Mitsuhashi, above right.
Flat is an app that lets you start an anonymous conversation with co-workers, without names, titles and hierarchy! Mitsu-san used an incredibly warm palette, great attention to the details and interactions. Definitely a great UI.
BERLIN
Alarm Clock concept by Andreas Frank, above left.
Alarm Clock concept called “Levie”. Very beautiful, minimalistic and clean work on the interface. Love the mood which came from the light below.
Wunderlist for Apple Watch by Zander Brade, above center.
Strong transformation of Wunderlist’s mobile and desktop version to a very small display size.
Pull to Refresh by Dmytro Prudnikov, above right.
This is actually a gif animation. Nice use of colors and a great attention to detail on pull-to refresh interaction.
Can’t make it to Tokyo or Berlin on November 28? Find Riccardo and Simon on Dribbble.
Enjoy reading about the Tokyo and Berlin design scene? Check out Austin and Melbourne, then go meet designers from your own great city at the next meetup.
Big thanks to Riccardo Dribbble Meetup organizer Riccardo, sponsors Goodpatch, Prott, and Tokyo Graphic Designers and our Global Meetup Partners Creative Market, InVision, and Shopify.
Find more Meetups stories on our blog Courtside. Have a suggestion? Contact stories@dribbble.com.
