BackAidan McFarlaneCreative direction and design
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About

Design across Japan and APAC.

I design brand, campaign, content and e-commerce work, adapting visual systems and copy for different markets and channels.

My background includes in-house, agency and independent projects connected to Japan, Singapore, the UK and wider APAC.

I can join at brief definition, creative direction, design development or production, adapting the process to the market, channel and deliverables already in play.

Discuss a projectView current CV
Base
Fukuoka, Japan
Languages
English (native) 路 Japanese (professional) 路 Korean (intermediate)
Radio M corner storefront on a quiet street in SeoulMasked festival performer moving through a street crowd in JapanBlack-and-white view of the curved architecture at Dongdaemun Design Plaza in Seoul
Photography by Aidan McFarlaneExplore photography & writing

Direct, agency-delivered and portfolio work for recognised international brands.

  • Sony
  • Amazon
  • JINRO by HiteJinro
  • Mitsubishi FUSO
  • Pfizer
  • JETRO
  • CASIO
  • Canopy Hotels
  • Planisware
  • Perfect One
  • Loop
  • Juniper
  • ChildLife Essentials
  • Janat Tea
  • CEIC
  • Narutomaki

Experience

Selected professional roles.

Selected in-house, agency, contract and independent roles, listed in reverse chronological order.

  1. Wild Tame Co. Ltd

    Creative Lead & Strategist

    Mar 2026-present

    Creative strategy, campaign planning and production

  2. OuterOrbit

    Founder & Creative Director

    Feb 2024-present

    Independent creative direction, brand systems and cross-market design

  3. LIFE PEPPER Co., Ltd

    Design & Content Director 路 Contract

    Feb 2025-Apr 2026

    Campaign direction, content and international-market design

  4. WPIC Marketing + Technologies

    Lead Designer, Japan 路 Contract

    Oct 2024-Jul 2025

    Japan-market design and e-commerce creative

  5. Amazon

    Channel Content Designer, APAC 路 Contract

    Mar-Oct 2024

    Channel content and APAC communications

  6. Modis Design

    Bilingual Coordinator, Design, Copywriting & Marketing

    May 2021-Jun 2022

    Bilingual design, copywriting and marketing coordination

Software and production toolkit

  • Figma
  • Adobe Illustrator
  • Adobe Photoshop
  • Adobe Lightroom
  • Adobe After Effects
  • Adobe InDesign
  • Adobe Premiere Pro
  • Microsoft PowerPoint
  • Slack
  • Google Workspace

Education and professional development.

Formal qualifications, international study and selected professional training.

Education and international study

University of Leeds
MA Advertising and Design 路 Distinction
University of Central Lancashire
BA (Hons) Modern Languages (Japanese and Korean) 路 Oral Distinction in Korean
Korea University
International study
Kanda University of International Studies
International study 路 JASSO scholar
Hankuk University of Foreign Studies (HUFS)
Summer programme
Jeonbuk National University
Summer programme 路 attended under the former English name Chonbuk National University

Professional development

Google UX Design Certificate
Google
Getting Started with Google Analytics
Google
International Marketing
Yonsei Business School
AI for Creativity
University of Michigan
Digital Design Bootcamp
Creative Alliance
Fundamentals of Digital Marketing
Google

Questions about background and fit.

Aidan is based in Fukuoka, Japan. His background includes in-house, agency and independent projects connected to Japan, Singapore, the UK and wider APAC.