We interviewed Kellen Hatanaka a Toronto-based illustrator and designer. Kellen is the author of Work: An Occupational ABC, an intelligent and imaginative children’s book that is an alphabetical tour through the coolest jobs you can imagine.



1. What’s your design philosophy?

I definitely feel responsible for everything that I put out into the world so my goal is to make every piece, my best work. In terms of execution, I try to strip the subject down to the most simplified form while clearly communicating the subject to the audience.

2. What projects are you currently working on?

I just finished my second book with Groundwood Books called Drive: A Look At Roadside Opposites and I am currently working on my third book Tokyo Digs A Garden written by Jon-Erik Lappano. This will be my first storybook, which I am very excited about.

3. How did you come up with the idea for Work: An Occupational ABC?

I came up with the idea for Work in a very round about way. I was trying to come up with some new pieces for a design show in Toronto called Creative Type and came up with the idea to draw a mountaineer climbing up the side of the letter M. I liked the relationship between the massive heavy letter and the little person interacting with it. I submitted the mountaineer and a butcher slicing a B to the show. From there it only seemed natural to complete the alphabet. Choosing the occupations for each letter was one of the toughest challenges. I wanted the jobs to be visually exciting while steering clear of more “traditional” jobs. Work is something we all have to do and it becomes a large part of our lives. I hope to show kids that there are many career possibilities out there and inspire them to follow a career path they are proud of and can enjoy.

4. What sort of design improvements would you like to see in everyday life?

What I would love to see is a shift in the perception that design is only important for certain clients and applications. Great design is important everywhere. I stumbled across a quote by the designer Art Paul, which I think sums up my feelings on design perfectly. “Good design principles should apply to bubble gum wrappers as well as museum posters.” It’s very unfortunate that good design often is passed off as “too cool” or “too smart” for the average person. The reality is that even if someone can’t tell you why something is well designed, they can feel it. Good design makes the world around us less visually polluted. I think we can all benefit from that.

5. Who are some people that inspire you?

I find inspiration in so many different places. There are many artist and designers that I admire and am inspired by. I am also greatly inspired by sports- football especially. I love stories about unlikely heroes who come up big against all odds. A great example was this past super bowl when a relatively unknown, undrafted player, Malcolm Butler, made a miraculous interception to win the game when it seemed nearly impossible to stop the their opponents, the Seattle Seahawks, from scoring. I am also lucky to have a tight knit group of extremely talented friends who keep me motivated. They are definitely the people that inspire me most.

Thanks Kellen! Looking for more from Kellen? Visit his website and check out Work: An Occupational ABC and Drive: A Look At Roadside Opposites.

