| Spikes Asia, 2014 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Design | CRAFT: TYPOGRAPHY | Bronze Spike |
CLIENT YAHOO JAPAN
PRODUCT FONT RAISER
ENTRANT YAHOO JAPAN CORPORATION TOKYO, JAPAN
TYPE OF ENTRY CRAFT
CATEGORY TYPOGRAPHY
TITLE FONT RAISER
PRODUCT/SERVICE FONT RAISER
ENTRANT COMPANY : YAHOO JAPAN CORPORATION TOKYO, JAPAN
ADVERTISING AGENCY : YAHOO JAPAN CORPORATION TOKYO, JAPAN
SHINYA UCHIDA YAHOO JAPAN CORPORATION CHIEF CREATIVE OFFICER
DAIKI MATSUMURA YAHOO JAPAN CORPORATION CREATIVE DIRECTOR
HIROSHI ISHIMORI YAHOO JAPAN CORPORATION CREATIVE DIRECTOR
TAKUYA HASEGAWA YAHOO JAPAN CORPORATION CREATIVE DIRECTOR
YAHOO! JAPAN CANNES PROJECT TEAM YAHOO JAPAN CORPORATION
RINTARO SHIMOHAMA CREATIVE DIRECTOR
SHINYA WAKAOKA CREATIVE DIRECTOR
NAOKI NISHIMURA CREATIVE DIRECTOR
MITSUTAKA UENOYAMA AMANA INC. PRODUCER
HARUMI IKEDA PHOTOGRAPHER
MIZU IWASAWA RIZING INC. RETOUCHER
YU TANAKA CINQ CO./LTD PRODUCER
MIZUHO TOYOSHIMA CINQ CO./LTD PRODUCTION MANAGER
TAKEO HATAI LE PIVOT MOTION DESIGN
JUNICHI OGURO SOUND DESIGN
Brief Explanation
The challenge was to find a local specialty that represents its identity and also survived the disaster. Finding something local people can be proud of was crucial as our objective was not only to raise fund but also to restore people's confidence to continue their business. Once we found the perfect resource, which was the local sense of design, then out challenge turned into how we can share it to the world.
Describe the brief from the client:
Font Raiser is a self-promotion project. As a leading e-commerce company in Japan, Yahoo! JAPAN was seeking for a way to support livelihoods of local shop owners in northern Japan. The region has been struggling to recover from the aftermath of great east Japan earthquake in 2011. Sales of the local shops have fallen drastically since the massive tsunami destroyed tourist attractions, neighborhoods, and their local specialties. Our goal was to raise fund to support the region and also restore confidence of these shop owners by utilizing our digital expertise and their local specialties.
Description of how you arrived at the final design:
As we looked for a local specialty in the region we came to realize that signboards hanged in front of local shops were great treasures. The fonts on these signboards were unique and charming because they were handmade by the shop owners. Once we found this great resource, we collaborated with the shop owners to re-produce them. We analyzed few characters of each font and reconstructed them to create a complete set of brand-new fonts. Once we brought new life to the old fonts we made them available online so anyone can enjoy its unique design.
Indication of how successful the outcome was in the market:
We introduced the unique fonts of northern Japan on Font Raiser website with a tool any users can design their own signboard. We also sold the fonts online to raise fund for the local shops we support. The fonts inspired designs of various products including t-shirts and bags. Font raiser created a huge buzz online and became a viral sensation. And most importantly, it helped restore confidence of local shop owners with the help of their own creativity.