In 1984, Tamotsu Yagi brought his 18 years of multifaceted design experience to California from his native Japan to become the art director for ESPRIT, a San Francisco-based apparel manufacturer. The combination of Japanese sensibilities with West Coast dynamics proved to be successful and influential. The development of the ‘ESPRIT Graphic Look’ under Yagi’s direction was internationally celebrated. He retired from ESPRIT in 1990 and established Tamotsu Yagi Design as an independent multi-disciplinary design studio in San Francisco. Clients include Apple Computers, Intel Corporation, Grand Hyatt Tokyo, Four Seasons Tokyo, and Benetton. Signage direction and design for Yoshio Taniguchi’s architecture have been recent projects. Yagi’s approach is to design with active curiosity combined with strong aesthetics and artistry. He has been honoured by the induction of over 100 examples of his work to the permanent collection of the SF MoMA.