PROJECT
SUZUKO
Premium Kidogawa salmon roe brand from Fukushima. Post-disaster fishery revival symbol developed under Kyoto Kitcho head chef supervision.
WHY
To overcome harmful
rumors and revive
Fukushima’s food industry.
The Great East Japan Earthquake and the nuclear power plant accident that occurred in 2011 caused tremendous damage to Fukushima Prefecture’s fishing industry. Nearly 10 years have passed since the accident, and while the number of people supporting the Fukushima food industry has increased, there are still many people who question the safety of the food.
The same is true for the Kido River in Fukushima Prefecture, one of the largest salmon fishing areas in Japan, where the fear of invisible radiation has caused consumers to refrain from buying salmon. However, no radiation was detected in the salmon, which spent the majority of the 3 to 5 years between release and landing in the Pacific Ocean, far away from Fukushima. Despite being a safe fishery product with very little risk of contamination, the price of salmon roe from Kido River has fallen to the lowest level in Japan due to harmful rumors.
In addition, the release of juvenile salmon was interrupted for five years after the earthquake, resulting in a drop in catches, and the torrential rain disaster caused by Typhoon Hagibis in 2019 further pushed the industry into a tailspin. Is there any way to overcome the devastation and revive Fukushima’s sluggish fishing industry?
HOW
The ultimate salmon roe,
symbolizing the dawn of
Fukushima.
Together with the Yoake-Ichiba in the shopping district in front of Iwaki Station, we have developed the ultimate salmon roe marinated in soy sauce, “SUZUKO,” seasoned by top chefs. In order to deliver the best tasting salmon roe from Kido River, we asked Kunio Tokuoka, executive chef of Kyoto Kitcho, to supervise the recipe. The rare salmon roe, whose haul has declined to one-twentieth of what it was before the earthquake, was carefully selected according to our own selection criteria and given a special seasoning to make it the ultimate dish. At the same time, we worked to create a system that would enable the fishery cooperative to develop its business independently and sustainably by enabling the staff of Kido River Fishing Port to reproduce the cooking process.
In terms of design, we created a brand that appeals to both taste and safety. Gold cans were used to give a sense of luxury befitting the ultimate product, and they shimmer beautifully, just like red caviar. The logo represents the salmon roe of the Kido River as the sun. By superimposing the image of the dawn on the salmon roe from Kido River, whose reputation has declined significantly due to the nuclear accident, the logo expresses the hope for the revival of the fishery industry in Fukushima. We also designed a certificate of guarantee to show that the product has passed safety certification tests. The calm tone of this certificate gives a sense of security and trust.
WILL
Raising a smoke signal
for revival
and bringing about dawn
for the fishery industry
in Fukushima.
The Yoake-Ichiba, where SUZUKO was co-developed, has become an important place for the people of Iwaki as a symbol of recovery from the earthquake. SUZUKO, which was born in the midst of adversity, also aims to become a symbol of the revival of the fishery industry in Fukushima, which was one of the best fishing grounds in Japan. We hope to make the salmon roe, which has fallen to the lowest price in Japan, into Japan’s top brand, and that one day Kido River will surpass its pre-disaster status as a famous salmon roe production area. We hope that this will serve as a smoke signal for the revival of Fukushima’s safe fishing industry.
INFORMATION
- What
- SUZUKO
- When
- 2020
- Where
- Fukushima, Japan
- Client
- Scope
- Branding / Branding Strategy / Logo / Packaging / Pamphlet / Photograph / Web and Front End / Promotion Strategy Support
CREDIT
- Art Direction
- NOSIGNER (Eisuke Tachikawa)
- Graphic Design
- NOSIGNER (Eisuke Tachikawa, Tomoro Hanzawa, Ryota Mizusako)
- Web Design
- NOSIGNER (Eisuke Tachikawa, Tomoro Hanzawa, Ryota Mizusako)
- Development
- NOSIGNER (Naoki Hijikata)
- Photograph
- NOSIGNER (Ryota Mizusako, Yuichi Hisatsugu)
