Can you pay millions for 'drawings of unknown authorship'? The 'shortest route' to the right answer: naming your designer, breaking the taboos of the architecture industry

“My store interior cost 20 million yen. But I don’t actually know who designed it, or how much of that money went to the creative work.”

If you feel that way right now, it is not because you lack knowledge.
You are simply caught in the 'structural opacity' that the architecture and design industry has kept hidden for years.

From the 1st to the 15th installment, we have shared essential insights for creating good stores, such as the 'magic of lighting' and the 'science of comfort'.
Thanks to your support, we have received a great response, and every day, passionate owners and talented designers gather with us.

However, I must tell you a cruel truth here.
No matter how much wonderful knowledge you possess, if the 'ordering mechanism' remains outdated, your ideal store will be swallowed by the waves of budget and disappear.

This time, we will cut into the taboos of the store design industry.
Why does your budget disappear into 'brand name fees'?
And why is the 'designer nomination system' advocated by ODG the shortest route and the correct answer for the coming era? I will write everything about it here.

1. Where did half of your budget disappear to? — The true nature of opaque 'expenses'

Generally, when you request work from a large architectural firm or a general design office, the estimate provided includes a large amount of 'indirect expenses'.

Imagine this.
The 20 million yen you transferred 'to make your store better'.
If you look at the breakdown in detail, you will find a surprisingly large amount of 'costs unrelated to design' added on.
Travel and entertainment expenses for sales representatives, maintenance costs for luxurious showrooms, printing costs for impressive brochures, and management fees for multiple layers of subcontractors and sub-subcontractors...

These are costs that do not improve the quality of the space by even a millimeter.
It is not rare for the compensation reaching the creators who actually draw the blueprints and sweat to manage the site to be only a few percent of the total budget.

We consider this to be “exploitation of creativity” and a “betrayal of the owner’s vision.”

With the same budget, the owner could have used more authentic marble.
With the same level of passion, the designer could have spent more time thinking about one-of-a-kind custom work.
ODG was born to minimize this friction of “wasted margins”.

2. The worst mismatch and tragedy caused by 'drawings of unknown authorship'

In many design offices, the 'representative designer' who acts as the sales window is separated from the 'staff designer' who actually does the work.
Even though you were attracted by the brand name, the drawings that actually come out are drawn by an assistant who never heard your vision directly...
Such scenes are an everyday occurrence in this industry.

Can you entrust an investment of millions or tens of millions to 'drawings of unknown authorship'?

A store space is not just a box.
It is only when the owner’s philosophy of life and the philosophy of the service provided reside in the details that a 'soul' is breathed into it.
The “science of comfort” discussed in the 15th installment and the “magic of lighting” from the 14th installment only take shape through the designer’s firm conviction and subtle attention to detail, such as 'why this angle is set here'.
It is too risky to entrust the one store you have staked your life on to a cog in an organization whose name and face you cannot see.

▽ Click here for the articles from the 14th and 15th installments

3. The 'telephone game' of the architecture industry kills the owner’s commitment

There is another fatal flaw in ordering through traditional pyramid-structured organizations. It is the degradation of information caused by the 'telephone game'.

The owner's passionate vision passes from the sales representative to the director, from the director to the junior designer, from the designer to the construction manager, and from the construction manager to the craftsmen on-site...
As it passes through this long chain, the original passion and delicate nuances are whittled away by 'compromises' made in the name of efficiency.

'I actually wanted to highlight the texture of the brass here, but before I knew it, it had become just paint.' 'The lighting angle, which should have been crucial for comfort, was changed to prioritize ease of construction.'

We have witnessed these tragedies time and time again.
That is precisely why ODG insists on the 'shortest distance'.
The designer who captures the owner's vision leads the project all the way to construction ordering, communicating directly with the craftsmen.
This 'mechanism for turning ideas into reality while maintaining the original intensity' is the essential condition for creating a thriving business.

4. The 'Revolution' of ODG: Cutting out intermediate margins and maximizing creativity

The mechanism of ODG (O-Design Group) is extremely simple.
We have thoroughly eliminated opaque sales representatives, high office maintenance costs, and excessive advertising expenses.
Instead, we directly and smartly match owners with top-tier freelance or independent designers who are active on the front lines.

We are not just a 'convenient referral site'.
As we have explained, a group of professionals who know the ins and outs of the industry act as strict curators, carefully selecting only talented designers worthy of being named—designers you can trust with your life—and turning them into a platform.

The 'wasted margins' saved through this smart process are all returned to the quality of the space itself.
With the same budget, simply by going through ODG, the grade of materials increases, the craftsmanship shines, and the density of the design jumps.
This is the essence of the structural reform we are bringing to the store design industry.

5. [Industry First] Naming your designer. A mechanism that connects talent and owners by the shortest distance

'I love the worldview this person creates.'
'My ideals are packed into this person's past work.'
The owner personally chooses the designer they are convinced by.
This 'nomination system' is what dramatically increases the success rate of a project.

ODG brings together a diverse range of specialists who are not bound by any specific style.

• A designer who has mastered the 'use of materials that resonate with the five senses,' the theme of our 15th installment

• A professional in spatial composition who is like a magician at making small properties look spacious and open

• A creator who knows the ins and outs of attracting customers in the SNS era, balancing photogenicity with functionality

When the owner's 'vision' and the designer's 'area of expertise' are connected by the shortest distance, a 'co-creation' that transcends a mere transaction is born.
It is the moment when the designer's determination to 'create this store under my own name,' rather than hiding behind the anonymity of a company name, accelerates the owner's dream.

6. Using the 'surplus funds' generated by the smart process to create an even higher-grade store

Let's run a concrete simulation here.
The 15-20% cost that was opaquely deducted as 'miscellaneous expenses' or 'design management fees' by traditional construction companies.
For a 20 million yen project, that is a large sum of 3 to 4 million yen.

What could you do with this amount of money?

• Upgrade kitchen equipment to top-tier models to dramatically increase operational efficiency.

• Introduce a sophisticated lighting control system for all seats, as discussed in Part 14.

• Upgrade furniture from generic off-the-shelf items to custom-made pieces tailored to the space.

• Or, allocate the budget to advertising and promotion at the time of opening to ensure a solid start in attracting customers.

Which is the smarter management decision is obvious.
Are you taking out a loan to pay for unnecessary margins?
Or are you investing the full amount in 'value' that is directly passed on to your customers?
ODG always wants to be on the side of the latter.

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7. To designers: A place to shed the company brand and fight with your own 'name'

And to you, the designer reading this article.
Who are you drawing plans for right now? To meet your company's sales targets? Or just to get approval from your boss?

Buried in an organization, your own name fading away.
Why not put an end to those days?
ODG is a place where your 'talent' itself is the product.
The pressure of being specifically requested by an owner who says, 'I want you to do it,' should also be your greatest joy as a creator.

The compensation that used to disappear into intermediate margins is now justly returned to your skills.
Take the lead on-site and bring your ideals to life without compromise.
Here, there is an environment where you can fight proudly as a professional.

8. Summary | Construction ordering is not a 'cost,' but a brand's 'resolve'

Creating a shop is betting a part of your life.
That is why we do not want to waste a single drop of that 'passion'.

Will you continue to follow old industry customs and keep paying for opaque systems because 'that's just how it is'?
Or will you choose the best talent yourself and realize your ideal space without wasting a single yen?

The choice is already right in front of you.

The knowledge we have accumulated since the first installment is all for the purpose of 'creating the best shop in the smartest way possible.'
The first step starts with
saying NO to 'drawings where you don't know who drew them'.

△Please also take a look at this as well ^^

'Who will you create the future with?'

If you felt that this content was 'the form of ordering I was looking for,' I would be very happy if you could support us with a 'Like' (lol)

If you are currently feeling uneasy looking at an interior estimate, try checking the 'master' of those drawings once.
Can you see the 'face' of the person who drew them there?