Japanese Design
APartMENT by UMA
APartMENT is a residential property development in Kitakagaya, a former industrial area of Osaka, Japan. It is part of the Kitakagaya Creative Village Project, an initiative to turn an area, left unused since 1988 following the withdrawal of Namura Shipbuilding Co., into a creative hub. With recent investment many of the warehouses and sprawling factory buildings have been turned into creative spaces...
Tokyo Bousai by Nosigner
Tokyo Bousai is a disaster preparedness pack compiled by The Tokyo Metropolitan Government that outlines the steps to take in preparation for and in response to an earthquake or other major disaster in Tokyo and the surrounding area. The pack was sent out to over 7.5 million households and was designed by Nosigner working in collaboration with Dentsu Inc. It features maps, stickers and leaflet, and a...
Organic Fertilizer of Awaji Island by UMA
島の土 / Island of Soil is an organic fertiliser created to help develop good quality soil and draw out and compliment the natural power of the land. The range is made using livestock feces and processed vegetable scraps from animals raised and produce grown on the Japanese island of Awaji. It comes in two varieties, a poultry manure and sawdust mix, and a rapeseed...
Karuizawa 1984 by The Metric System
Karuizawa 1984 is a vintage Japanese single malt and single cask whisky imported and bottled exclusively for the Norwegian market. The first batch, a run of 577 bottles, sold out immediately. Karuizawa’s packaging, created by Scandinavian graphic design studio Metric Design, effectively conveys the age and provenance of the whisky, is sensitive to the Western market, and aware of and largely...
Antéoise by UMA
Antéoise is a creme dacquoise range from Anténor, a Japanese patisserie established in 1966 that creates French style cakes, cookies, tarts and variety of other confectionery. Antéoise’s brand identity and packaging treatment, developed by Osaka based graphic design studio UMA, draws on the range’s flagship positioning, high quality ingredients and the craft employed in its creation, the heritage and experience of Anténor, the streets of Kobe, and the...
Tanoshii Ramen Bar by Mast
Ramen is a Japanese meat broth and wheat-noodle soup that originated in China and is now embraced internationally. While many enjoy instant versions, the best is said to be prepared over days and is the product, and some would say the art form, of a creative and experienced chef. These are the values of Tanoshii. As the first dedicated ramen bar...
Laji Hair & Make by UMA
Laji is a hair and make-up studio located in the city of Osaka, Japan, with a distinctive interior design developed by dot architects. It features chipboard dividers and mirror frames, pegboard panels, strip lighting, exposed concrete ceilings, brick walls and utilities, concrete cast with wood surface texture, red stained floors as well as custom furniture created by Ryohei Yoshiyuki. It is a...
Hotel Cycle by UMA
U2 is a cyclist-friendly retail and hospitality destination, located in the Japanese city of Onomichi, made up of shops, bakeries, restaurants and hotels. Design studio UMA were recently commissioned to develop a visual identity for U2’s Hotel Cycle as part of a larger brand identity project that covered a variety of spaces, packaging and signage within the complex. UMA’S brand identity solution...