This week, award-winning creative agency Yamamoto celebrates 45 years of moving mountains for their clients. Founded in 1979 by the late Peter Seitz, Hideki Yamamoto, and the late Miranda Moss, what was then called Seitz Yamamoto Moss pioneered the emerging field of brand design and identity. Over the years, Yamamoto has become a full-service creative agency. With brand still at the heart of their offering, Yamamoto has expanded most recently into journalism-based brand storytelling and emerging technology, including AI and AR initiatives to round out the already integrated capabilities of the agency.
“As we reflect on Yamamoto’s 45-year history, we’re grateful for the groundwork laid by Seitz, Yamamoto and Moss,” said Kathy McCuskey, CEO of Yamamoto. “We’re a curious, creative and courageous group, proud to be carrying forward such a powerful creative legacy. Yamamoto wouldn’t be what it is today without the foundation of their talent and visionary leadership. We look forward to continued growth for another 45 years.”
The creative culture of Yamamoto was born out of a desire to make brands more visible and impactful. In the early days, that meant approaching something as mundane as a corporate identity and elevating the typography, color scheme, logo, voice and tone to a level of artistry that was revolutionary at the time. Today, Yamamoto brings that same passion and precision to brand work that is creative, effective and culturally relevant.
“The goal of the creative department is to make our clients proud and make their competitors jealous,” said Michael Stelmaszek, Chief Creative Officer.
The entrepreneurial spirit of the founders also lives on in how the agency continues to evolve. Today, Yamamoto has a robust digital practice that includes ecommerce, web design, digital marketing and spatial computing. Yamamoto is also assembling an AI team to take advantage of the latest in emerging tech.
“Our group is extremely future forward, but we don’t believe in technology for technology’s sake,” said Jon Trettel, Chief Digital Officer. “Everything we’re building is designed to solve specific business problems for our clients.”
Since 1979, Yamamoto has been reinventing, elevating and amplifying brands around the world. Over the past four years, the agency has won recognition across industries and disciplines from a variety of award shows, including AdFed, Healthcare Advertising Awards, Effie Awards, MUSE Creative Awards, Telly Awards, NYX Marcom Awards, and NYX Video Awards. In 2024, Yamamoto was named one of the Twin Cities Best Places to Work by Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal. Yamamoto is a member of the Doner Partners Network, both of which are part of Stagwell (NASDAQ: STGW), the challenger network built to transform marketing.