HARA DESIGN INSTITUTE

Hara Design Institute designed the Morisawa Calendar again this year. The theme for 2021 is Ki No Tsurayuki's Sunshoan Shikishi, poems on presentation paper. The poems display the beautiful sculptural curves of Japanese kana script derived from the structural forms of Chinese characters. In contrast to the emphasis on lifesize reproduction in the previous year, this year's calendar contrasts the colored paper of the original with a printed background color to convey a sense of the season.

The page for May shows this waka poem.
Stretching out his robe to dry as the days get longer, each shower of rain makes the grass greener
Lively brushstrokes echo the intermingling images of the beautiful poem.

Colorful visuals celebrate GINZA SIX's first large-scale remodeling since its original opening in 2017. Geometrical graphics based on the letter "R," for "Renewal," and the contrast of vivid red and blue colors mark two milestones--GINZA SIX's fourth anniversary and this large-scale remodeling. The renewal will eventually incorporate over forty new stores, including Eataly, which is scheduled to open on the sixth floor in summer 2021.

Sales campaign celebrating GINZA SIX remodeling/4th year anniversary:
Friday, February 26 - Monday, May 31, 2021

This book is a revised and enlarged edition of the Kenya Hara special feature in Design Note magazine No.86 published in July 2019.
It provides 34 extra pages on Hara's latest work, including detailed coverage of concepts and background on projects, such as the Message from MUJI--"Pleasant, somehow" campaign and rebranding for basic skin care brand mtm labo. The book also covers projects Hara is currently working on, providing a glimpse of what is to come.
The new book is available at bookstores and online stores.

Hara Design Institute handled the Yamato Group's new visual identity. The group's logomark, a black cat carefully carrying a kitten in her mouth, is part of Japan's cultural heritage, universally recognized and loved. It is seen so often that it can almost be considered an element of landscape design. Given its significance, we put a lot of effort into refining the logomark without losing its essence. We also designed an "advanced" logomark for use by new group businesses driven by cutting-edge technology and by the logistics platform that is constantly thinking outside the box, unconstrained by conventional approaches to logistics. Our brief was to express the brand's inherent value visually, and we are convinced of the great potential for future success that these new logomarks represent. Introduction of the logomarks will begin on April 1, with the switchover taking place gradually over time. A video and the new 2021 logo website can be viewed at the following links.

- The video lasts about two and a half minutes, and includes narration to enhance communication.

YouTube link
https://youtu.be/R9tmXatfWAo

- The new 2021 logo website is a single-scrolling one page design that incorporates explanations and three short videos.

New 2021 logo website
https://www.yamato-hd.co.jp/english/pr/logo2021/

The WINESCAPE JAPAN--KOSHU website presents Koshu wines with a focus on their status as "homegrown Japanese wines." Hara Design Institute handled planning and production.

Koshu wines are made from Koshu grapes, an indigenous Japanese variety of grape. After winning numerous international contests, their reputation for quality is well-established, and name recognition is growing among wine importers around the world. However, few people have a clear idea of the kind of places and culinary and cultural settings in which homegrown Japanese wines are enjoyed.

Quality wine can be enjoyed simply for its taste and bouquet, but getting to know the natural environment and culinary culture in which it is nurtured gives a clearer picture of the wine and a greater understanding of the source of its reputation.
The website presents a collection of 'winescapes,' photographed and filmed at locations throughout Japan, documenting the country's wide ranging seasonal changes, delicate climate, lifestyles, homes, and scenes of luxury.

This website allows wine lovers throughout the world to appreciate scenes depicting Koshu wines in their native setting.

WINESCAPE JAPAN--KOSHU website:
http://winescapejapan-koshu.com

MUJI Tokyo Ariake opened in December 2020 with the largest sales floor area of all MUJI stores in Japan's Kanto area. It carries almost all MUJI products and provides new services only available at the new store. Hara Design Institute was responsible for designing signage and for creating logos, icons, and a tabloid store guide.

The store is filled with house and home related services. To ensure that customers can easily find the place that they are looking for, each of the different groups of services is represented by a clear icon, which is included in signage. A new logo for MUJI Bakery was also produced and incorporated into the main visuals.

An example of the MUJI Plain House, for which Kenya Hara served as creative and artistic director, has been constructed in-store, and under the "Let's Talk about Houses" slogan, Ariake is communicating new ways of thinking about living space.

Stores have warm whites as their basic coloring,
combined with natural stone and wood according to function,
to produce spaces that convey softness of textures.

A coherent design policy was applied to even the smallest details,
including recessed baseboards between floor and walls,
and custom-designed stools, organizer shelves, and other fittings,
ensuring an uncompromising approach from packaging to customer areas.

A movie focusing on the beauty of Asian women symbolizes the thinking of a brand focused on the authentic beauty of skin. Black hair and lightly nuanced skin color come alive under the delicate lighting, a scene consistent with the images of the brand's packaging and stores.
Photographer Yoshihiko Ueda shot the movie.

The mtm labo website has a minimum of elements, accurately communicating information about the brand and its products, and designed to guide users smoothly along the path to the product they are looking for. By bringing together the optimum combination of design approaches, the website is aligned with the brand's worldview.

See the mtm labo website:
https://www.mtmlabo.com/

Cosmetics brand mtm labo analyzes subtle differences between skins, optimizing skincare products by custom blending for each individual's unique skin.
Hara Design Institute handled visual identity and the design of packages, advertising, stores, and websites for mtm labo's rebranding project.

The mtm labo logo incorporates motion inspired by a balance scale,
expressing the custom-blending process that distinguishes the brand.

Translucent, deep green packages
express the power of life hidden in nature.
Package designs are based on two distinctive, contrasting shapes:
a tall, slim shape and a short, solid shape.

Advertising employs meticulous photography of the plants that provide extracts for custom blending, presented so as to echo the forms of the bottles.

The MUJI to GO mobile store began operating in September 2020. Hara Design Institute was responsible for the concept and the vehicle conversion design.

MUJI to GO is a converted bus based at MUJI NAOETSU, a large store that MUJI recently opened in Niigata Prefecture, Japan. It provides mobile sales of foods and daily necessities to people living in hilly rural areas who find it difficult to visit the store.

MUJI to GO travels round local markets, civic centers and district community spaces. Rather than simply selling products, it functions as a venue that links people together.