Skydea is an English-speaking design team based in Tokyo. We love to help bridge this unique culture and language with the West.
Cross-Cultural Design & Strategy for Websites and Mobile Apps
Our experiences in working with Japan and the West inform our designs. We embrace cultural diversity and seek to bridge divides.
Empathy
Different place,
different lives
Understand your ideal customer — and how your product or service might fit into their lives. Our Japan team has lived and worked in Japan as well as Western countries (primarily the US), and can leverage that experience to bridge cultures.
Experiencial Tastes
Designed to Build Trust
Japan is notable for often having, from a Westerner's perspective, "walls of text" on a website. But the need for solid communication and a sense of being "heard" is real. The most modern, compelling Japanese designs still tell the story, but sometimes simply in smaller font — and never over-explaining.
Your Creative Partner
(who knows what it's like to work in Japan)
We're expats. We know what it's like being a foreigner in Japan, and how tough it can be to integrate into a different culture. Our team of designers is keenly aware of the differences between Western UI design and local design styles.
We might be a good fit if you're any of these:
01
Japanese Government Agencies
Are you looking to help or reach foreigners in Japan? To explain in ways that they might more intuitively understand? We're happy to assist.
02
Looking to Enter Japan
Is your company expanding into Asia, with Japan as a potential launch site? Customer behavior and expectations can be very different here, and we can help you navigate.
Works linking Japan & the World
FAQs
How much do design services typically cost?
Our project costs vary widely depending on scope and complexity. We've worked on projects ranging from $10,000 to $100,000+. For a custom quote tailored to your needs, let's chat about your project.
What's the typical timeline for a design project?
Project timelines can range from 4-16 weeks, depending on the scope. A standard website design might take 8-12 weeks, while a comprehensive branding project could extend to 16 weeks or more. We'll provide a detailed timeline after understanding your specific requirements.
Do you offer English-Japanese bilingual design services?
Of course! We provide English-Japanese website localization, content creation, and UI/UX design optimized for different markets.
Can you assist with marketing Japanese products or services to a Western audience?
Absolutely, we're happy to help you convey the value of your product or service to an international market. Whether it's with a rebrand for a global audience or a single product landing page, we love assisting companies expand their market reach.
What is it like to work with Skydea?
We are remote-first and take a project-based approach, though we do offer flexible engagement depending on your needs.
Our bread and butter are web design and app design (or the current fancier term, product design), but our team is happy to help with any creative solution your business might need. If it's off our radar, we'll happily refer you to one of our trusted partners.
Where does Skydea's expertise lie?
Our expertise lies in launching and growing startups; one of our co-founders has worked for over a decade in Silicon Valley. We've also designed, built, and launched a handful of products and services within just the past few years.
We've also worked with large corporate clients, which means we understand you may have a fixed budget that requires rounds of approval, as well as a small design team that could use some senior guidance. Our team has previously worked with the likes of Rakuten, ActiVision, and various other brand names under NDA.
As a Tokyo design agency, we also have a unique perspective on the Japanese audience and their cultural differences compared to Western ones. Our mostly American creative team is well aware that even graphic design can be vastly different in Japan. One passion of ours is to bridge the cultural gap and help connect Japanese companies with customers outside of Japan.
Does Skydea work only with Japanese clients? Or also internationally?
We are a Japanese corporation, but we deliver creative services to organizations in Tokyo and internationally.
Does Skydea speak English or Japanese?
Both! Our team's common language is English, but some of our members interface in Japanese.
Do you provide ongoing support after the project is complete?
Yes, we're always here to support after the project ends. We provide training for your team to manage and update the design as needed. If you come across an issue, just ping us - we'll help, free of charge. (Of course, if it's a larger overhaul, we can quote it as a new project.)
Can you work with our existing development team?
Absolutely! We collaborate with in-house development teams all the time. We're happy to create detailed specs and assets, as well as interface directly with your dev team to make sure things go as smoothly as possible.
What size of companies do you typically work with?
We're comfortable working with organizations of all sizes, from fresh startups to global brands. Our client roster includes early-stage startups, growing SMBs, large corporations, and internationally recognized names. For startups, we often serve as their interim design team, bringing expertise they might not have in-house yet. Larger organizations typically engage us for specific projects where they need specialized design resources or when they prefer to outsource design work entirely. We're happy to integrate with your existing processes, whether you're a two-person founding team or a multinational corporation with complex approval structures.