HIROYUKI TAHARA

Hiroyuki Tahara

Designer & Developer | Web, Graphic, Product, Branding, Mentorship

Designer & Developer crafting brands, websites, and products.
I work across visual identity, digital experiences, and industrial product design—combining creative thinking with hands-on execution.

I specialize in:

UI/UX & Web design
Front-end development (HTML, CSS, JS, PHP, WordPress, Git etc.)
Branding & Visual identity
Product design, 3D modeling & Motion graphics
CRO and improvement proposals based on data analysis

Skilled in Figma, Adobe CC, and cross-disciplinary collaboration. Currently active as a design mentor, helping younger creatives grow in skill and confidence.

Work Experience

2016.04 – 2019.12: Car Designer Subaru Corporation
Contributed to both production and concept car development, playing a central role in SUBARU’s next-generation design evolution.
Designed the wheels for the 2020 Legacy, achieving aerodynamic performance that exceeded the target by over 1 point—delivering both visual appeal and functional innovation.
Led the rear design of the VIZIV Performance Concept (Tokyo Motor Show 2017) and the front design of the VIZIV Tourer Concept (Geneva Motor Show 2018), which was shortlisted in the top 10 of the 2018 Car Design Award (Concept Car category).
For the VIZIV Adrenaline Concept (Geneva 2019), contributed to component design and collaborated with a video production company to create a promotional animation video for the show.
Conducted UX research in North America through field studies and group interviews. Extracted key user insights to propose a new design framework for future vehicle development, tailored to market demands.
Filed several patents for next-generation advanced driver-assistance systems, designed to succeed the current EyeSight technology—reinforcing SUBARU’s innovation in safety and automation.

2020.04 – 2021.11: Design Instructor TCA Professional Training College
Taught classes of 15-20 students in both basic and advanced design programs.
Delivered practical instruction using Adobe Creative Cloud tools—mainly Photoshop and Illustrator—tailored to different skill levels.
Helped students build professional portfolios and prepare for job placement in the automotive and manufacturing industries.
The advanced class achieved a job placement rate close to 100%, with graduates securing positions at major domestic and international manufacturers.
Also collaborated with the curriculum team to align class content with industry expectations and real-world design practices.

2021.03 – 2023.12: Web Designer / Coder Interrock.inc
Designed and developed 2-3 websites per month for small to mid-sized businesses, while also producing promotional materials such as logos, business cards, flyers, and banners—delivering a wide range of visual assets to support each brand.
Handled both front-end and light back-end tasks, including CMS integration, dynamic features using JavaScript, and implementing forms and content submission functions with PHP.
Helped clients grow their businesses by improving online visibility—some projects achieved top search rankings and media coverage despite starting with virtually no web presence.
Improved CVR and UX through A/B testing and analytics tools such as Google Analytics and Tag Manager.
Developed design templates using no-code tools (STUDIO, Webflow, Flamer, Wix) and proposed new plans and workflow optimizations.
Played a central role in a 10-member production team, overseeing design execution, managing timelines and quality, and ensuring smooth collaboration across team members.

2024.02 – now: Design Mentor DMM.com Group
Provide 1-on-1 online mentoring for aspiring designers.
Over a 16-32 week period, mentees develop core skills in web design — including Figma and Adobe tools, basic coding, server maintenance, and SEO fundamentals.
Many have successfully transitioned into freelance work, new full-time roles, or applied their skills to current job tasks.
Support is delivered through Slack and shared spreadsheets, with a strong focus on goal setting, personalized learning plans, and ongoing practical feedback.
Trained next-generation creators in workflow optimization with generative AI and the use of modern design tools such as Canva and Adobe Express.

Education

2009.04 – 2012.03: OKAYAMA TECHNICAL HIGH SCHOOL Department of Design
Studied three design disciplines: Visual Communication Design, Product Design, and Environmental Design.
Developed basic skills in Adobe tools and presentation techniques while exploring design from both technical and conceptual perspectives.

2012.04 – 2016.03: TCA Professional Training College Car Design Course
Specialized in automotive design, clay modeling, and digital sketching.
Gained hands-on experience with 3D CAD tools such as Autodesk Alias and Maya.
Proposed a concept car in industry-academic collaboration projects and received the Top Designer Award.
As a representative graduate speaker, delivering a presentation on the Car Design Department to an audience of 4,000 during the entrance ceremony.

2015.11 – 2016.01: The Campbell Institute Wellington English COURSE
Completed a short-term study abroad program focused on improving English communication skills through daily conversation and local immersion.
Immersed in cross-cultural learning and international collaboration.

2020.03 – 2020.10: INTERPLAN IT SCHOOL Web Design Course
Acquired practical skills in HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, along with UI design using Figma and CMS implementation with WordPress.
Studied foundational knowledge in server setup, SEO, and web marketing to understand the full lifecycle of website creation.