/ISSUE 01
/ MARCH 2020
/ ICONS
/ IN BRANDING
K A S H I W A
S A T O
A I K O N-
J I N
WWW.AIKONJIN.COM
01
Introduction
佐 藤 可 士 和
KASHIWA SATO
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Editor’s Note
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Contents
Introduction
0 4 0 5
ABOUT
KASHIWA SATO
C O N T E N T S
Delve into the world of Japan's leading graphic designer and brand architect: Kashiwa Sato
1 1 1 3
0 6 0 7
Sato shares his ideals and secrets behind the success of making memorable icons
QUOTE Understand Sato's views on design and its place in today's world
1 4 1 7
0 8 0 9
ICON=?
OVERVIEW Description of the threee examples given in the previous article: UNIQLO, Fuji Kindergaten and Artia 400
INTERVIEW Design Boom finds out more on Sato's ideals towards design and his own lifestyle
1 8 1 9
SELECTION A curation of some of Sato's best works from interior design to architecture
ISSUE ONE
01
About
Introduction
S A T O ' S
T I M E L I N E
1 9 6 5
1 9 8 9
Born in Japan, Tokyo
From Tama Arts University Department of Graphic Design
B Y
1 9 8 9 Worked at the marketing company for 11 years
W A L T E R K N O L L . D E
IN CONVERSATION WITH CREATIVE DIRECTOR KASHIWA SATO
Kashiwa Sato likes to keep it simple – just as long as it’s not boring. The designer sits in the conference room of his agency, Samurai Inc., in Tokyo, in the middle of a long table made of fine, light-colored wood. The table is so wide that people sitting opposite one another can barely reach each other’s hands. Apart from that, the room – framed by sliding glass walls – is empty. No pictures, no objects, nothing that could be a distraction. “Whoever comes in here should focus on the discussion,” says Sato and smiles mischievously. The 53 year old Tokyoite, dressed in a dark T-shirt and light pants, is one of the best known Japanese creative directors. Global companies such as the clothes designer Uniqlo, the car manufacturer Honda and the fashion label Issey Miyake treasure his talent for omission. When working on flagship stores and corporate headquarters, he boils down the design so dramatically that only the essence of the brand can shine through – and be understood the world over. “By leaving things out, priorities become clearer,” says Kashiwa Sato, pushing aside imaginary weight with his hands for emphasis. “What remains is stronger and lasts longer.” He has just designed the new headquarters of the pharmaceutical company Pharma Inc.* in Tokyo –
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01
About
Introduction
2 0 0 0
2 0 0 6
KASHIWA SATO
2 0 1 1
Established own design studio SAMURAI INC.
took over all communication strategies of UNIQLO and rebranded it globally
Awarded the "Most Outstanding Facility' for Fuji Kindergarten
with chairs, armchairs and sofas by Walter Knoll. He found a kindred spirit in the furniture maker 9,000 kilometers away in Herrenberg: “Walter Knoll has managed to tread the fine line between linearity and finesse perfectly,” says Kashiwa Sato. When, like him, your core principle is minimalism, you need high-quality furniture that makes an impact in a room and pleases the senses with its perfection.
source of medicine. It therefore seemed obvious to use natural materials, especially wood.
ejected.” If just ten percent of an object is new – that is already very good. “It’s enough to provide that small stimulus. Like a muscle,” says Sato and pinches his upper arm. “Without any stimulus it cannot grow either.”
“What’s important to you?” – This is Kashiwa Sato’s favorite question to ask his clients face-to-face." After twenty years as head of an agency and graphic designer, he never gets tired of sitting at the drawing board. But above all, he likes to discover through dialog what a company needs and how it sees itself. “A pharmaceutical company wants to restore health, i.e., promote vitality. That’s why I chose vitality as the basis for the entire concept.” The source of vitality is found in nature, as is the
“In design, there is always the question of how much to preserve and how much to change,” says Kashiwa Sato, while turning a handleless Japanese ceramic cup over in his hand pensively. In every artefact there is a basic function, an archaic form that must always stay the same. “People are the same all over in the world. As living beings, we function according to a basic biological rhythm. We have the same taste in music, colors and smells. There is something archaic that connects us all.” Walter K. also works with time-honored, triedand-tested design principles. Staff there take archetypes very seriously. “And when new developments come along, they masterfully go about finding a balance.”
Kashiwa Sato created inspiring stimuli at Pharma Inc. in the form of eight Japanese characters, which stand for different areas of the building. Stylized in the form of kumiki, the traditional three-dimensional wood art, they adorn walls and lights. That is how a simple and remarkably effective design was produced. Clear and warm thanks to the light Japanese cypress wood and soft lighting. Valuable thanks to lovingly executed Japanese craftsmanship. Reduction, innovation and quality in perfect balance: “That’s how minimalist design works,” says Kashiwa Sato. And how it eventually becomes a source of power.
His guiding principle: someone who wants to create something eccentric while disregarding the archetypes is bound to fail. “A concept must not stray too far from the known path, otherwise people feel overwhelmed and it is immediately
ISSUE ONE
01
Introduction
Quote
"The starting point for branding is to grasp the essential value of the product or entity that you’re ultimately branding."
HAKURYU FLAGSHIP PRODUCT CLIENT Miwa Yamamoto Co. Ltd. CREATIVE DIRECTOR Kashiwa Sato CREATIVE AGENCY Samurai Inc.
FROM: CREATIVE DIRECTOR SATŌ KASHIWA: AN EYE FOR THE ICONIC
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01
Quote
Introduction
KASHIWA SATO
SAMURAI INCUBATE CLIENT Samurai Incubate Inc. CREATIVE DIRECTOR Kashiwa Sato CREATIVE AGENCY Samurai Inc.
"Sometimes an outsider can see that essence more clearly than people on the inside."
SEVEN-ELEVEN REBRAND CLIENT Seven-Eleven Japan Co., Ltd.
NIPPON.COM | CULTURE Interview by KIYONO YUMI
CREATIVE DIRECTOR Kashiwa Sato CREATIVE AGENCY Samurai Inc.
ISSUE ONE
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Ideals
Interview
GETTING PERSONAL WITH KASHIWA SATO: " 01
Please, could you tell us briefly about your background? I was born in tokyo [1965]. when I was a kid, I was very good at drawing, talking and inventing new games with other kids – these three characteristics were the seeds of what would eventually become my passion and profession. after graduating in graphic design from the tama art university I went on to work at hakuhodo for eleven years as an art director managing more than fifty clients for them. over those years, I gradually came to think that I could expand the possibilities of design and art direction particularly in terms of branding – so in 2000 I started my own office, samurai, which offers a holistic approach to corporate and visual identity, product development, space design, architecture, website and image creation.
PHOTO / Takumi Ota
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02
KASHIWA SATO
Interview
Ideals
How would you describe your work to someone who hasn’t seen it before? A N I wear many hats; art director, creative director, brand architect and communication director.
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Do you still work as a ‘hands on’ graphic designer?
I N T E R V I E W Yes, because often our clients expect that I will work directly on their projects.
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What attracted you to designing brand identities? W I T H I enjoy creating the very core of a communication.
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What advice would you give to a young, aspiring designer?
K A S H I W A Do not be too egotistic and do not be too mindless – don’t follow every request from the client. another thing would be that when working with larger companies try to work directly with the top management, the people who can make the important decisions.
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Do you think it’s important for a designer to be able to draw? S A T O Yes, because often our clients expect that I will work directly on their projects.
ISSUE ONE
02
Interview
Ideals
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What is the best piece of advice you have ever been given? Mr. takuya onuki, who was a mentor to me while I was at hakuhodo told me ‘always keep your eyes and mind cool’.
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What are your thoughts on specialization vs. generalization?
B Y A N D Y B U T L E R
The most important thing for us is to keep in mind the customer’s view point. too much specialization prevents you from observing the important points of view that customers have.
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If you have a choice, what would be your dream project?
0 8 J A N U A R Y 2 0 1 4 Any project with social significance, with a client who I can relate to and share their vision. I enjoy working with clients who have a global perspective.
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Besides your work and design, what are you passionate about?
W W W . D E S I G N B O O M . C O M
I am enthusiastically devoting myself to my six-year-old son’s improvement of karate.
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what is the worst piece of advice you have ever been given? For me no advice is ‘bad’. you can learn something from everyone and everything – if you listen carefully. ultimately you decide what advice you will act on.
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Interview
Ideals
ICON = LOGO
ICON = SPACE
KASHIWA SATO
ICON = METHOD
KASHIWA SATO: BRANDING IS LIMITED BY TRADITION AND COMMON SENSE Many of us hope to represent and build a brand with longevity, purpose, and authenticity. An iconic brand.
BY SARAH WILLIAMS 816nyc.com
And yet what makes a brand iconic is often misunderstood. It’s not marketing dollars or sponsorships, number of products sold or global reach. I had the great honor of attending the March 22 talk “Iconic Branding: Insights from Design Maven Kashiwa Sato” at the Japan Society. Kashiwa Sato founded and serves as art director for Japanese branding firm Samurai, Inc. Select projects he’s led include:
– Creative direction of global brand strategies of Uniqlo –Branding project of Seven-Eleven – Creative direction of OECD/CELE award-winning Fuji Kindergarten – Guest artist of ARITA 400 project exhibiting at ‘Meson de Objet’ 2016 to introduce Japanese culture globally. The breadth of his experience is a testament to the philosophy brand as icon. As he described:
ISSUE ONE
02
Icon=?
Ideals
ICON =
L O G O
GLOBAL BRANDING OF UNIQLO CLIENT Miwa Yamamoto Co. Ltd. CREATIVE DIRECTOR Kashiwa Sato CREATIVE AGENCY Samurai Inc.
BEYOND THE GRAPHICAL Branding adapts beyond digital representation, color scheme, and message. Branding is the space you inhabit. For Sato, although he had never tackled a project like it before, space was the driving force for his design of the Fuji Kindergarten. He attributes his branding success to listening. Sato spent six months attending kindergarten classes at the existing school and others, and noticed that were you to remove the toys and games, one kindergarten classroom became indistinguishable from those at any other grade level.
FUJI KINDERGARTEN
CLIENT School Corporation Minna no Hiroba CREATIVE DIRECTOR Kashiwa Sato CREATIVE AGENCY Samurai Inc.
Based around the concept “Architecture of kindergarten itself is one gigantic playground,” he contrived a building with a large wooden roof where children could learn and play. He quipped that it was not his intention to ever build “a donut,” but the design suited the project beautifully. From his process emerged something both unique and iconic.
ICON =
BY SARAH WILLIAMS
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M E T H O D
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Icon=?
Ideals
KASHIWA SATO
VISUAL PIVOT POINT Popular Tokyo fashion brand Uniqlo approached Sato with what some might see as a daunting request: “We want to take our brand international.”Sato began by crafting an iconic logo from the meaning of specific Japanese characters. Distinctive signage, placards, vehicle wraps, and more appeared across major cities, beginning with the launch of their first international store in SOHO, New York, then spreading to Paris, Moscow, and beyond. Because “logo” goes beyond the actual physical illustration. It becomes the visual pivot point from which comes the representation of the brand anywhere it appears. It’s the typeface, the color scheme, the placement and arrangement of those visual elements that take a brand beyond “Hey, we’ve got a logo” to “We have a robust visual brand.”
ICON =
S P A C E
KASHIWA SATO: BRANDING IS LIMITED BY TRADITION AND COMMON SENSE
DISSIMILAR ARTIA 400 GUEST ARTIST Kashiwa Sato
TOOLS AND TECHNIQUES Not so much understood is branding as method—not just the physical or visual embodiment of the brand, but how it was built. As guest artist for the Arita 400 project, marking the 400th year of the delicate Japanese art of painting on porcelain, Sato was tasked with expressing Arita in a modern way. His frustration grew as he tested different tools and techniques before finally returning to the one used by Arita artists—a brush that soaks up an immense amount of paint, allowing them to continuously work. His reinterpretation began with plates, and was so well-received that he then expanded it to mugs, vases, Japanese lunch boxes, and more. ISSUE ONE
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Overview
Works
I C O N S : U N I Q L O R E B R A N D I N G
A N
O V E R -
D I S S I M I L A R A R I T A 4 0 0
V I E W F U J I
K I N D E R G A R T E N
TAKEN FROM www.kashiwasato.com
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Overview
Works
KASHIWA SATO
U N I Q L O R E B R A N D I N G Logo Rebranding, Communications Strategy Kashiwa Sato took charge of all global branding communication activities for Uniqlo, a global leading fashion brand from Tokyo, starting with the opening of the flagship store in 2006, ‘UNIQLO SOHO NEW YORK.’ To realize the unique creative and design foundation of Uniqlo, he established the core branding concept “super rationality with aesthetic consciousness,” which summarizes Uniqlo’s value proposition to the world: high-quality products at affordable prices. Kashiwa also created a visual identity by modifying Japanese katakana and original fonts, and organized expert teams of architects, interior designers, and graphic artists to design and promote the same tone and feel for each of the flagship store in London, Paris, Shanghai, Tokyo, and Berlin. This total communication strategy, which was directly connected to Uniqlo’s overall business management, lifted the Uniqlo brand globally. The logo of Uniqlo’s very first global flagship store in Soho, New York City, utilized the vivid red of the original Uniqlo
logo, and katakana and English to express how Uniqlo transforms casual wear originating in Europe and the US to Japanese tastes. The overall graphic design, comprised of the logo and original fonts, was the core of the communication strategy, which was used on “under-construction” panels, yellow cab roofs, and a variety of media to encourage awareness of the logo and of the Uniqlo brand. Kashiwa also organized a global professional creative team with Masamichi Katayama of “Wonderwall,” who designed the interiors of many of Uniqlo’s flagship stores, and Yugo Nakamura of ‘tha ltd’, who designed their websites. He also worked with Markus Kiersztan in New York, the creative collective at “Surface to Air” in Paris, and other creative partners to localize the Uniqlo brand and then spread it in such cities as Paris, London, Berlin, Moscow and Shanghai, and to present the most current Japanese pop culture to the world. Uniqlo’s T-shirt brand, UT, was the main concept of the Harajuku flagship store when
it opened in 2007. Kashiwa produced the concept and named it “UT”. He also created the ”T-shirt in a bottle,” which conveyed “the future convenience store of T-shirts.” For +J, Uniqlo’s collaboration with world famous fashion designer Jil Sander, Kashiwa and Sander chose to open the flagship store in Paris and to announce the +J brand launch on the first day of Paris Fashion Week. This communication strategy resulted in strong coverage from international media and fashion journalists and helped Uniqlo gain recognition as a global brand. In addition to his work on the strategy for thermal inner wear to clearly position its quick-dry function, ”Heat Tech,” Kashiwa went beyond the framework of a conventional creative director by demonstrating a new possibility for the company’s relationship with design through a series of exercises that directly connected management with creative work.
CLIENT UNIQLO Co., Ltd.
CREATIVE DIRECTOR Kashiwa Sato
CREATIVE AGENCY Samurai Inc.
ISSUE ONE
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Overview
Works
PHOTO / Takumi Ota
D I S S I M I L A R A R I T A 4 0 0 Rebranding
YEAR 2016 – NOW
MATERIALS Arita Porcelain
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“ARITA 400project was launched in 2016 to commemorate the 400-year anniversary of Arita porcelain and to further propel Arita porcelain into the international limelight. Kashiwa Sato collaborated, as a guest creator, with several porcelain producers in Arita. The concept of Kashiwa’s work was “DISSIMILAR”, where he used the ‘splash paint’ technique to express a fusion of extremely different or opposite images, namely “design by logic”, based on elaborate design, and “design by accident”, based on chance. These works were first exhibited at the Maison & Objet fair in Paris in January 2016 and at Tokyo’s Isetan Shinjuku in the following October. Invited to lend his unique approach to design for ARITA 400project, Kashiwa honored Arita’s iconic image with an inventive twist on art, design, and method. His creative prowess and the application of his approach across each product have opened the doors for others to embrace a whole new world of Arita porcelain. In 1616 Korean potter Yi Sam-pyeong discovered porcelain clay near Mount Izumi in Arita and started to make porcelain ware. According to history, this Arita porcelain was the first porcelain to be made in Japan. It is now known the world over for its lucid whiteness and intricate hand-painted designs, and has been prized throughout Japan and by European aristocracy and royals from the 17th century onward. ARITA 400project was launched in 2016 to commemorate the 400-year anniversary of
Arita porcelain and to further propel Arita porcelain into the international limelight. Kashiwa Sato collaborated, as a guest creator, with several porcelain producers in Arita. In his first project with local porcelain producer KIHARA, Kashiwa splashed paints as a base design, and then placed geometric gold leafing on the porcelain surface to create thirteen 60cm plates. These works were first exhibited at the Maison & Objet fair in Paris in January 2016. Kashiwa also designed the display booth, using “motion typography” to create a coherent space in which to demonstrate his idea. Kashiwa went on to work with eight other porcelain producers. Using gosu, a cobalt pigment used to create shades of indigo blue, which is made from a secret recipe handed down from generation to generation, he created a special method to splash paint on to the porcelain. The concept of Kashiwa’s work was “DISSIMILAR” the fusion of extremely different or opposite images: chance and inevitability, chaos and tranquility, past and future, timeless and fleeting, and innovative and traditional. This is design both by accident and by logic. This reflects a desire to preserve the best of Arita porcelain techniques and its great history, while also presenting a new innovative image of Arita porcelain heading into the future. Kashiwa presented a totally new perspective of methods of creation with his “iconic branding”, an inventive twist on art, design and craft, within the context of local and global, and what is now a world of increasingly diverse values.
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F U J I
KASHIWA SATO
Overview
Works
K I N D E R G A R T E N
Architecture, Graphic Design Kashiwa Sato proposed to an innovative renewal project for Fuji Kindergarten to create the grand concept that the “Architecture of kindergarten itself is one gigantic playground.” And he gave new vision to the architecture as one medium for fostering every child’s creativity. Taking advantage of existing big Japanese elm trees on the site, Kashiwa proposed a circular building with a wooden roof on which the children could run and play everyday. The shape was more than a design choice; the middle area was allocated to a central courtyard to foster communal togetherness. Kashiwa also created the playground equipment, which was embedded in the architecture itself. His idea respected and reinforced the overall objective to make the kindergarten a “new interface of learning”. The idea that the ‘‘kindergarten is one gigantic playground” came from the thoughts and enthusiasm of Mr. Sekiichi Kato, chairman of Fuji Kindergarten. The project realized new possibility for a kindergarten education in Japan, where the birth rate is falling, by offering not just a cold “box” but a warm “place” surrounded by abundant nature, such as trees, soil, and fresh air. To take advantage of the nature on and surrounding the site, Kashiwa collaborated with Takaharu and Yui Tezuka, the husband-and-wife architectural team YEAR 2004
MATERIALS Print Graphics
known for designing multi-use spaces that incorporate nature. Their building’s concept: “the space where no one is alone”. Many innovative ideas used in the kindergarten adhered to this concept. Ultimately, the circle shape building represents “infinity.” The roof serves as a second playground for children with more built-in equipment. They can run and play freely and then return to ground level by taking a slide or rope ladder. Even the water drainage system was designed for the children’s enjoyment; rainwater collected from the rooftop streams down in “waterfalls”. Kashiwa created paper cutout-like fonts and characters for the logo, the website, and the children’s T-shirt, which is not part of a typical kindergarten uniform. Representing the future of early childhood education under the concept of “Architecture of kindergarten itself is one gigantic playground, which fosters every child’s creativity,” this project was highly acclaimed internationally, earning the 2011 award for “Most Outstanding Facility” from the OECD Center for Effective Learning Environments (CELE) and numerous other global architectural and educational awards.
MATERIALS Architecture
ISSUE ONE
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Works
Selected Works
SELECTED WORKS | LIST OF FEATURED PROJECTS
Words and Photos From
SAMURAI INC. www.kashiwasato.com
2 / 0 / 0 / 7 N A T I O N A L
A R T
C E N T R E
| REBRANDING
2 / 0 / 0 / 2 O Z O C
| ARCHITECTURE | REBRANDING CLIENT World Co., Ltd. CREATIVE DIRECTOR Kashiwa Sato CREATIVE AGENCY Samurai Inc.
CLIENT Independent Administrative Institution National Museum of Art CREATIVE DIRECTOR Kashiwa Sato CREATIVE AGENCY Samurai Inc.
2 / 0 / 0 / 7 I M A B A R I
| REBRANDING CLIENT Saga Prefecture CREATIVE DIRECTOR Kashiwa Sato CREATIVE AGENCY Samurai Inc.
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T O W E L S
03
Selected Works
Works
KASHIWA SATO
2 / 0 / 1 / 5 B E A U T Y
E X P E R I E N C E
| BRANDING
2 / 0 / 1 / 0 S E V E N - E L E V E N
| REBRANDING | INTERIOR DESIGN CLIENT Seven-Eleven Japan Co., Ltd.
CLIENT Beauty Experience Inc. CREATIVE DIRECTOR Kashiwa Sato CREATIVE AGENCY Samurai Inc.
2 / 0 / 1 / 6
CREATIVE DIRECTOR Kashiwa Sato CREATIVE AGENCY Samurai Inc.
N AK A M U R A
S H I K A N
| INTERIOR DESIGN
2 / 0 / 1 / 1 C U P N O O D L E S
| REBRANDING CLIENT Nissin Foods Holdings Co., Ltd. CREATIVE DIRECTOR Kashiwa Sato CREATIVE AGENCY Samurai Inc.
M U S E U M
CLIENT Narikomaya CREATIVE DIRECTOR Kashiwa Sato CREATIVE AGENCY Samurai Inc.
2 / 0 / 1 / 8 T A K E D A
P H A R M A C E U T I C A L
| INTERIOR DESIGN CLIENT Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited CREATIVE DIRECTOR Kashiwa Sato CREATIVE AGENCY Samurai Inc.
ISSUE ONE
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