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James Bowskill

A.C.O. Inc. / Creative Director / CCOTokyo, Japan

James Bowskill

A.C.O. Inc. / Creative Director / CCO

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British-born and raised, I've been living in Tokyo since 2001 where I’m currently Creative Director at A.C.O. Inc.

Personal Achievements

A.C.O. Inc.21 years

Creative Director / CCOPresent

Jan 2012 - Present

Step 3: Backed by a strong team now able to focus on big branding concepts, communication strategies and gaining a deeper understanding of client needs. 3 years remote working from London gave me a chance to get a new perspective on creativity and now I'm back in Tokyo I can put that to use here alongside our growing team.

Art Director

Jan 2007

Step 2: More direct work with clients pitching for big global sites, and designing award winning apps. Focus on UI design and strong visual concepts. Designing Toyota’s global website in 2007 was a turning point. Learnt management skills and presenting to C-level audiences.

Designer

Feb 2003

Step 1: Three years learning the ropes of the Tokyo design industry figuring out Japanese on the go. First designer to be employed. Lots of work through the big ad agencies, late nights, tight deadlines, confusion, cursing. Learnt a load.

Shane English School2 years

English Teacher

Jul 2001 - Jan 2003

My gateway to Japan — 18 months teaching English to Japanese students of all abilities from 5 – 85 yrs. Taught hundreds of people from all walks of life and learned a lot about communicating across languages and cultures.

MyKnowledgeMap1 year

Designer

Sep 2000 - Jun 2001

First job after graduating. Interactive design for a startup e-learning company in York, U.K., founded by ex-IBMer Rob Arntsen. Mix of HTML and Flash-based design using Macromedia Dreamweaver/Fireworks/Flash (that was before Adobe monopolised design tools — ah, happy days).