PROJECT
HAKKO SEIKATSU
Redefining a Historic Kyoto Tsukemono（Japanese Pickle） Brand with a New Business Venture at Kyoto Station.
WHY
Kyoto’s traditional wisdom
and fermentation culture,
to everyday life.
Nishiri is a long-established company of traditional Kyoto pickles, now a popular brand sold in various department stores all over Japan. The development of pickles using “labre lactic acid bacteria” was derived from plants discovered from “suguki” (a Japanese turnip-like vegetable) of Kyoto pickles. With the development of pickles, the brand is now well-known, promoting a healthy lifestyle with fermented foods. Although pickles have always been a staple in Japanese meals, this custom has been gradually disappearing through time. We questioned how we could modernize Kyoto’s long-established company of fermented foods for the people of today.
HOW
Efficiently incorporate
fermented foods
into everyday life.
We rebranded Nishiri’s brand “Hakko Seikatsu” (meaning “Fermentation Lifestyle” in Japanese). These are fermented foods using healthy vegetable lactic acid bacteria called “labre lactic acid bacteria.” As by the brand name, fermented foods and everyday life are brought closer together, developing their products in renewing their long-established company. As a part of this process, we are amid developing products such as “AMACO,” which has a lineup for daily meals such as lactic acid fermented drinks, and sauces used without cooking. We designed the logo using kanji that can be recognized and read easily, with bubbles as a motif showing the process of fermentation.
The word “fermented life” is used with an easily read font Mincho type, to clearly show the brand identity as a healthy lifestyle using fermented foods. By creating a logo surrounding the words with bubbles of fermentation in motion, it dynamically expresses how the body changes through fermentation and how the brand itself is constantly changing.
NISHIRI holds an image of a long-established shop of pickled foods. To create a new image as a brand of healthy fermented foods, we designed the package to emphasize a sense of both Japanese and Western eclecticism. We are using mainly fonts from the letterpress printing era called “Plantin,” as we wanted this brand to be a design of both Japan and Europe To make better use of the illustrations the brand initially used before the rebranding process, we separated the typography and illustrations. We carefully thought of how the products would be on shelves, making sure the illustrations and title, or only the illustrations, are facing the customer. The gift box represents bubbles, where the package design is shown through cut out holes placed at random on the surface.
WILL
As an industry,
to hold a history of
over a thousand years
in Kyoto.
At “Hakko Seiktatsu AMACO stand,” you can find Kobo Nishiri installed in Kyoto station. It is now a popular spot for tourists and business people from around the world, where they can stop by to quickly try out its famous lactic acid fermented drinks. We are looking into creating more opportunities for people to feel more accustomed to fermented foods, as we continue to develop similar stands all over Japan. Among established companies in Kyoto, to inherit the traditions into the future, we understand that it is necessary as a philosophy to change in line with the times. NISHIRI has protected Kyoto traditions of fermented foods and Kyoto pickles. We aim for this company to last over a thousand years, working on corporate transformations through brands and products, for “Hakko Seikatsu” to lead our modern lifestyle.
INFORMATION
- What
- HAKKO SEIKATSU
- When
- 2017
- Where
- Kyoto, Japan
- Client
- Scope
- Branding / Branding stationary / Logo / CI Guideline / Packaging / Pamphlet
- Award
- WOLDA Award of Excellence(2018)
CREDIT
- Art Direction
- NOSIGNER (Eisuke Tachikawa)
- Graphic Design
- NOSIGNER (Eisuke Tachikawa, Ryota Mizusako, Toshiyuki Nakaie, Ayano Kosaka)