I’m Yohji Ohtsubo—a multidisciplinary Business Designer working at the intersection of marketing strategy, branding, and design. With over 20 years of experience, I specialize in translating complex business challenges into structured strategies and tangible creative outputs that drive both growth and brand value.
Business Designer / Marketing Strategist
Currently, I serve as a Marketing Leader at ASICS, where I lead category marketing across training and running apparel, following earlier roles in tennis and volleyball categories. My responsibility spans from annual business planning to execution, with full ownership of KPI architecture, campaign design, budget control, and cross-functional leadership.
I approach marketing as a business system rather than a communication function. With strong expertise in P&L management, I design data-informed strategies that directly contribute to gross profit growth. My experience includes managing annual budgets of up to JPY 150 million, optimizing promotional investment, and leveraging metrics such as CPA, LTV, and conversion modeling to balance short-term sell-out with mid- to long-term brand equity.
In digital marketing, I work across CRM-linked campaigns, SNS performance optimization, EC traffic design, and omnichannel journey orchestration. My strength lies in connecting strategy, numbers, and creative execution—ensuring that ideas survive contact with reality.
Branding & Experience Design
I specialize in branding that creates emotional resonance while delivering measurable business outcomes. My work ranges from category rebranding and brand concept development to creative guideline design and experience orchestration across digital, retail, and community touchpoints.
In 2025, I led the rebranding of the ASICS training category in Japan, aligning local strategy with global direction and establishing creative guidelines that unified communication across DTC, wholesale, digital platforms, and in-store execution.
I have also maximized the value of partnerships with world-class athletes—including Novak Djokovic and the Japan men’s national volleyball team—by translating competitive narratives into integrated campaigns, retail experiences, and community-driven activations. I focus on turning brand vision into lived experiences that people can feel, not just see.
Designer / Design Farm–Ready
Before moving fully into strategy, I built my foundation as a fashion and apparel designer. I spent over a decade delivering high-impact creative work across luxury and commercial fashion, including roles at Yohji Yamamoto and Onitsuka Tiger, as well as running my own independent design studio in Belgium.
At Yohji Yamamoto, I handled the entire creative and technical process—from concept development and textile selection to pattern making, draping, and final fitting. At Onitsuka Tiger, I worked closely with Italian designers to develop menswear and womenswear collections presented at Tokyo Fashion Week, leading concept planning, visual storytelling, and sample-to-production management.
This background allows me to operate comfortably within design farm–style environments, collaborating deeply with designers, engineers, marketers, and external partners. I understand how ideas are made real—down to materials, construction, timelines, and cost structures—and I bring that literacy into every strategic decision.
Education & Continuous Growth
I have completed a Postgraduate Certificate in Digital Marketing (Pass with Merit) at the University of Liverpool, a member of the Russell Group. Through this program, I strengthened my academic grounding in digital strategy, analytics, sustainability, and ethical decision-making, while sharpening my ability to connect theory with real-world business practice.
Learning, for me, is not an accessory—it is infrastructure. I continuously refine my thinking to remain effective in environments where markets, technology, and consumer expectations evolve faster than organizational structures.
My Philosophy
I work where strategy meets making.
I believe strong business design emerges from clarity of thought, respect for craft, and accountability to numbers. My goal is to create systems, brands, and experiences that are not only compelling, but durable—balancing analytical rigor with creative intuition to generate sustainable value.
About
*Illustrated by Yu Nagaba
About Me
Hello, and thank you for visiting my portfolio.
I’m Yohji Ohtsubo—a multidisciplinary Business Designer working at the intersection of marketing strategy, branding, and design. With over 20 years of experience, I specialize in translating complex business challenges into structured strategies and tangible creative outputs that drive both growth and brand value.
Business Designer / Marketing Strategist
Currently, I serve as a Marketing Leader at ASICS, where I lead category marketing across training and running apparel, following earlier roles in tennis and volleyball categories. My responsibility spans from annual business planning to execution, with full ownership of KPI architecture, campaign design, budget control, and cross-functional leadership.
I approach marketing as a business system rather than a communication function. With strong expertise in P&L management, I design data-informed strategies that directly contribute to gross profit growth. My experience includes managing annual budgets of up to JPY 150 million, optimizing promotional investment, and leveraging metrics such as CPA, LTV, and conversion modeling to balance short-term sell-out with mid- to long-term brand equity.
In digital marketing, I work across CRM-linked campaigns, SNS performance optimization, EC traffic design, and omnichannel journey orchestration. My strength lies in connecting strategy, numbers, and creative execution—ensuring that ideas survive contact with reality.
Branding & Experience Design
I specialize in branding that creates emotional resonance while delivering measurable business outcomes. My work ranges from category rebranding and brand concept development to creative guideline design and experience orchestration across digital, retail, and community touchpoints.
In 2025, I led the rebranding of the ASICS training category in Japan, aligning local strategy with global direction and establishing creative guidelines that unified communication across DTC, wholesale, digital platforms, and in-store execution.
I have also maximized the value of partnerships with world-class athletes—including Novak Djokovic and the Japan men’s national volleyball team—by translating competitive narratives into integrated campaigns, retail experiences, and community-driven activations. I focus on turning brand vision into lived experiences that people can feel, not just see.
Designer / Design Farm–Ready
Before moving fully into strategy, I built my foundation as a fashion and apparel designer. I spent over a decade delivering high-impact creative work across luxury and commercial fashion, including roles at Yohji Yamamoto and Onitsuka Tiger, as well as running my own independent design studio in Belgium.
At Yohji Yamamoto, I handled the entire creative and technical process—from concept development and textile selection to pattern making, draping, and final fitting. At Onitsuka Tiger, I worked closely with Italian designers to develop menswear and womenswear collections presented at Tokyo Fashion Week, leading concept planning, visual storytelling, and sample-to-production management.
This background allows me to operate comfortably within design farm–style environments, collaborating deeply with designers, engineers, marketers, and external partners. I understand how ideas are made real—down to materials, construction, timelines, and cost structures—and I bring that literacy into every strategic decision.
Education & Continuous Growth
I have completed a Postgraduate Certificate in Digital Marketing (Pass with Merit) at the University of Liverpool, a member of the Russell Group. Through this program, I strengthened my academic grounding in digital strategy, analytics, sustainability, and ethical decision-making, while sharpening my ability to connect theory with real-world business practice.
Learning, for me, is not an accessory—it is infrastructure. I continuously refine my thinking to remain effective in environments where markets, technology, and consumer expectations evolve faster than organizational structures.
My Philosophy
I work where strategy meets making.
I believe strong business design emerges from clarity of thought, respect for craft, and accountability to numbers. My goal is to create systems, brands, and experiences that are not only compelling, but durable—balancing analytical rigor with creative intuition to generate sustainable value.
Education & Certifications:
University of Liverpool – AWARD CERTIFICATE
Technical Certifications:
University of Liverpool – Digital Marketing PGCert
Enterprise Design Thinking Co-Creator
Enterprise Design Thinking – Team Essentials for AI
Foundations of User Experience (UX) Design
Certified Food Hygiene Supervisor (Japan) / 食品衛生責任者
Certified AI and IoT Junior Consultant (AIJC)