store from japan

Developing the brand and logo for Store From Japan was one of my favorite projects. I was inspired by the maneki-neko (beckoning cat), which adorn many storefronts in Japan. These cats are said to bring good fortune and wealth to businesses.

The challenge was to design a maneki-neko in a way as to not appear cheesy and cliché. To accomplish this, the elements of the maneki-neko were simplified, and constructed entirely out of round, basic shapes. The result was a clean graphic with a touch of kawaii (cute). The writing on the gold coin, which traditionally says “fuku” (luck), was changed to “nyan” (meow), a fun bonus to anyone familiar with the Japanese language.