Born in Dallas, I grew up in New York and Tokyo, spending my formative years immersed in two cultures which gave me a distinctive and rich experience. In Japan, I graduated with a degree in computer science from Keio University. After several years of working in Tokyo, I moved to Southern California accepting a series of jobs utilizing my computer knowledge and language expertise in Japanese and English. Realizing the strong desire to be in a creative field, I decided to enroll in the Design Communication Arts Program at UCLA Extension, completing the courses in 2011. Gaining experience through internships at the Getty Museum Design Studio and Bloch+Coulter Design group, I currently work as a freelance graphic designer on various projects.

Apart from the love of visual arts and design, my other passion is dance, specifically, Argentine Tango. I have now been teaching, performing, and organizing Tango events for 7+ years, locally and internationally. Tango plays with space and movement, the relation and conversation with another person, melting into music and creating moments that vanish. Although the focus is more on body and movement, many aspects relate to Graphic Design such as; space, geometry, attention to detail, and creating story for audience. For more information, please visit my Tango website.
http://www.naomihottango.com

Balancing my cultural backgrounds of East and West, with the creative outlets of Graphic Design and Dance, I would like to keep inspiring more joy for life.

Thank you,
Naomi Hotta