Because it's art, there are walls it can overcome.

This series follows Dentsu Inc. 'Company Design' team as they uncover the secrets behind 'vibrant companies' with 'originality.' In the 14th installment, we delve into the core of the challenge faced by Heralbony, a welfare experimental unit based in Iwate that handles the art business.

President Matsuda, twin brothers who run the art business, has an older brother four years his senior who has symptoms including congenital intellectual disability. It was precisely his brother's existence that led to the idea of branding artists with disabilities.

In the art world, where the power of the work itself is everything, there should be no room for discrimination or prejudice. Yet, reality is different. Works are evaluated through countless filters: gender, age, nationality, educational background, awards, disability, and more. This often leads to significant undervaluation. What stood out in our interview with President Matsuda was his use of the word "fair." It's not simply about wanting to rescue the socially disadvantaged. President Matsuda states he wants to create the catalyst for transforming society into one where things we find beautiful, cute, or wonderful receive proper recognition, thereby generating social value.

The company's inclusive nature likely isn't unrelated to the president's roots in Iwate and the fact that its headquarters remain there today. And what kind of future does he envision beyond this universal philosophy? That's another aspect we definitely want to explore in this interview.

Written by: Kazuhito Goto (Dentsu Inc. BXCC Bureau)

I wanted to change the unfair society

"Personally, because my mother was a social worker, I'd been following Heralbony's work," Goto began. President Matsuda responded with a gentle expression. "Thank you. For me, the catalyst for founding the company was visiting a welfare facility in Iwate during my second year after graduating. There, I witnessed firsthand the talent of artists with intellectual disabilities."

What's remarkable about President Matsuda is that he didn't associate welfare solely with compassion or caregiving. Instead, he conceived the idea: "Couldn't we propose this talent to society as value, under the umbrella of a brand?" "It wasn't about wanting to save people with disabilities or anything like that. First, I thought about how we could connect the inherent beauty there to society as value. "Here were these wonderful artists creating amazing works right before my eyes. If we could digitize them and present them beautifully to the world, wouldn't this become a win-win business for everyone?"

President Matsuda says that from a young age, watching her brother four years her senior up close, she felt a deep sense of injustice—the world just wasn't fair! "At home, I took my brother's unconventional actions and creative thinking for granted, finding them wonderful as part of daily life. But step outside, and he lived within the confines of being labeled 'disabled,' facing prejudice and discrimination. That felt deeply wrong to me."

Writer Kiyoshi Yaegashi (affiliated with Rumbini Art Museum) and Mr. Matsuda
Taka Matsuda: Representative Director and CEO of Heralbony Inc. After working as a planner at Orange & Partners, a planning company led by Kundo Koyama, he became independent. Together with his twin brother, Buntou, he founded a welfare experimental unit with the mission "Shine your brilliance." Operating from bases in Iwate and Tokyo, they challenge the status quo in the welfare field. Oversees Heralbony's creative direction. Recipient of Forbes 30 UNDER 30 JAPAN. Winner of the Environment Minister's Award at the Japan Open Innovation Awards.

"Having studied planning and conceptualization in university, I remember feeling this outrage—'The world isn't fair!'—and then suddenly thinking, 'Wait, maybe this is an opportunity?' Art stems from an individual's unique personality, right? Or it comes from the ability to immerse oneself in work requiring immense time and concentration that ordinary people can't replicate. Shouldn't the talents of artists with intellectual disabilities be valued more?"

What makes President Matsuda's approach unique is framing art within the context of design licensing. "You know how certain designs instantly come to mind when you hear 'famous brand design'? I thought, if we could introduce artists with exceptional talent for creating those kinds of design patterns to the world, it could become a viable business."

President Matsuda explains that pattern design tends to be closely linked to the "daily routines" of people with intellectual disabilities. For example, the talent to endlessly draw only polka dots. He focused on artworks created through repetitive expression, viewing them as "a world that can only be drawn because of intellectual disability."

Viewing Art Through the Lens of Design

"When you hear 'art,' you probably think of one-of-a-kind paintings or sculptures, right? Of course, those have value too. But if you consider it as a design pattern, the range of applications suddenly expands. It could be a bag, or a T-shirt. You could even use it for construction site fence designs. It could become product packaging. I realized we could take works we think are good, use them as designs, and spread them throughout the world."

Pure art and business are often seen as polar opposites. This holds true in advertising too. You can almost hear someone saying, "Listen, kid. We're not creating art pieces. We're making ads to sell products!" Yet, President Matsuda's words were startling. "Art has power. The power to move people's hearts and generate the flow of money."

The Matsuda brothers in childhood. From left: President Taka Matsuda, older brother Shota, and Vice President Futo.

Innovation is born in the frontier

Innovation is born in the outskirts, says President Matsuda. "Iwate may have few listed companies and seem barren for business. But precisely because of that, an energy to create something wells up. We take what's born there to Tokyo. We broadcast it to the world. That is the work and responsibility I bear."

In President Matsuda's words, I sensed a kind of "robust foundation" rooted in the region. Heralbony's business involves organizing artworks by artists with disabilities onto a platform. For this, the artist's own will, family cooperation, and a culture that recognizes their talent are crucial. Creating such a culture is better suited to regional areas than urban centers where trends shift rapidly. I became convinced that Heralbony's current vitality stems precisely from its ability to cultivate this culture within its base in Iwate. Brand the culture that emerges, then monetize it. Monetization requires mass appeal, which is why expansion into urban areas comes only at that stage. It's a very sound approach.

However, in the business world, the sequence of ideas is often reversed. First, how to make money. Then, how to build a brand for that purpose. The cultural aspect is just a byproduct if it happens. But can you really build a brand that will be loved for the long term that way? What should be cherished is the culture itself. What sustains Heralbony's culture is the local environment, the connections between people, the feelings one person has for another, and the shining individuality of each person. It made me realize these fundamental things all over again.

Group photo of Heralbony members with Mount Iwate in the background

The crucial thing is putting the artist first

At Dentsu Inc., I feel we're entering an era where even creators need production skills. But fundamentally, for artists, the producer is crucial, right? Even a genius ukiyo-e artist in the Edo period would have been just someone painting pictures without a publisher to produce their work.

"As a company stance, we always prioritize the artist first. We place the artist first, value them, and consider them above all else." According to President Matsuda, they even have a set order for who bows in apology when trouble arises. "For example, if there's a possibility a piece might not meet the deadline, we don't rush the facility or the artist. Instead, we go to apologize to the client ourselves. By having detailed contingency plans for any unforeseen issues, we aim to always prioritize the artist and the facility first."

The company also publicly discloses its profit-sharing ratios for welfare facilities and artists. "The profit-sharing rates are: 40-50% for original artwork, 30% for one-shot licenses, 10% for temporary fencing art, 8% for product licenses (5% for our company, 3% for the welfare facility and artist), and 5% for our own merchandise sales. Fairness and transparency are our utmost priorities."

The inaugural exhibition "Heralbony: Starting from Zero" at Kyobashi BAG -Brillia Art Gallery-, which opened in October

A gentle world is a fair world.

Rina Asakawa, who handles public relations for Heralbony, states: "It's not about contributing to or supporting artists or society. My own curiosity and respect for the work and the artists are the biggest reasons I'm passionate about this job." President Matsuda nodded and added:

"That's right. We see ourselves as being supported by people with intellectual disabilities—in a sense, we're the ones being supported. So we avoid using terms like 'support' or 'assistance.' We want this to be a business about the artists' art and design, rather than one where the 'disability support' aspect is emphasized." This statement reveals how they place the artist's talent at the very heart of their business.

Finally, I asked what President Matsuda meant by the phrase "gentle world," which he often uses. "I think it means a fair world. It's unfair when people with disabilities aren't 'unable' to do something, but rather 'unable' because society puts up too many barriers. I believe art is an effective means of removing those barriers." This made the true meaning of Heralbony's slogan, "Let your brilliance shine," very clear.

The company name comes from "Heralbony," a mysterious word written in a notebook by Shota, the president's older brother by four years, when he was young. It embodies the desire to create value in the world from things that might seem meaningless at first glance.

Heralbony's homepage is here.
The corporate site is here.
The brand site is here.

Season 2 of the series where Dentsu Inc.'s 'Company Design' team explores the secrets of 'vibrant companies' possessing 'originality.' Episode 14 introduced 'Heralbony,' an art business company headquartered in Iwate.

Season 1 of the series is here.
The "Company Design" project site is here.

[Editor's Note]

What struck me most about President Matsuda's words was his statement: "Personally, I'm not particularly fixated on art." I couldn't believe my ears. But as I listened further, his true meaning became clear. Enabling people—not just those with intellectual disabilities—to do what they couldn't do before is difficult.

For example, President Matsuda's older brother, who is four years his senior, finds it incredibly difficult to greet others normally. "But if society could add value to that person's authentic self, I think it would create a very kind world. It's okay if there are hotels or restaurants where the staff can't greet you properly. You hear rumors about them being really unfriendly. But the service is comfortable, and the food is delicious! That kind of thing. I want to provide the world with things that affirm people just as they are."

Through the interview, I think I began to grasp the meaning of "fair" that President Matsuda repeatedly emphasized. It's not about extending a helping hand to the weak. It's about wanting a society where people who can create valuable things are fairly evaluated and properly respected.

Talking about a "gentle world" in terms of spirit or morality is easy. President Matsuda is tackling the challenge of making it function as a societal system. Art itself isn't the goal. Nor is it about making money, of course. It's purely a means to realize a "gentle world" where people with intellectual disabilities can live authentically.