What Braden Ioi Made This Year

We asked Canadians “What did you make this year?”

This is Braden Ioi’s story. 

Looking at Braden Ioi's life, you'd think it was a dream. You can often find the multidisciplinary designer, who lives on Vancouver Island, surfing the swells or skateboarding the streets of Tofino with the gorgeous Canadian Rockies as his backdrop. The clincher? Braden isn't only pursuing what he loves, he's also working.

Inspired by the natural beauty around him, the 31-year-old sole proprietor combines his background in graphic design with hands-on industrial techniques for screen printing and making ceramics. The result? Useful products that balance Braden's creativity, craftsmanship—and passions.

Despite early pressures to follow a traditional college path, Braden was always drawn towards creative pursuits.

“I think my version of success may be a little different than my family's. I was always more adventurous in how I wanted to find my success or career. Because I went to different schools for graphic design, 'art school dropout' was always the joke. But I always felt there wasn't a direct path in art school. What it did was open my eyes to all the tools I could use. But it didn't mean I had to use them in the way the school told me to get a job.”

Braden's key to business success is adhering—truly—to a work-life balance, as the video below shows, shot in his hometown of Tofino. Work and life can energize each other, says Braden. If you're running your own business, you inevitably make mistakes. By pairing that with also getting away from it all—in Braden's case, jumping on his surfboard—helps reboot the mind and achieve success.

Braden's approach must be working because brands—from local to global—are tapping into his adventurous ethos. His portfolio includes clients like Vans, Patagonia Vancouver, Tacofino, and Tofino Brewing Co., who've hired him to design products and graphics. Braden also credits his grandfather for giving him a strong work ethic and teaching him how to make things himself—which he takes great pride in.

"My grandfather, Hideyuki, was from a time when you did everything yourself. You did your own oil changes. You built your own front deck. You fixed everything. A big memory I have from my childhood is redoing the porch with him. He was the Mr.-Fix-It, Do-It-Yourself inspiration in my life.”

Braden's latest work showcases his commitment to "slow" craftsmanship. These products are "small-scale, mass-produced," and made by hand using DIY industrial manufacturing. But it took Braden a long time to realize that you can't rush the process.

“At the beginning, when work was inconsistent, it was really hard for me to say 'no' to anything. All that ended up doing was tiring me out and driving me into the ground. So, over the past year, I've really focused on spending more time on my own things.”

Called Speaking of the Weather, Braden's new personal collection has items ranging from functional to wearable to sculptural. Products are made in small batches and sourced locally, whenever possible. For instance, Milk-Ware is a line of ceramics stylistically informed by glassware of the past—each piece is individual and unique and meant to be used every day.

“Running my own small business has come with a lot of mistakes and failures. I think that learning from those is very similar to learning new steps in surfing or any kind of board sport. So, as a result, the business is kind of a symbiotic relationship between my work and my play.”

Braden's message to small business owners, the self-employed, and employees alike: Don't give up on your dreams. It's possible to do something you love as your business and never have it feel like work.

What did you make this year?

This story is part of a series celebrating the meaningful lives people build beyond their finances, focusing on creating a life you’re proud of. 

Explore the full collection by clicking here.

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