TYPE
Brand Identity
YEAR
2016
CLIENT
Happy Samurai
AGENCY
Hayward Design
Happy Samurai provided a brief to create an engaging identity with a likeness to Ginza - a district of Tokyo. They wanted it to feel like a noodle bar had been lifted straight from Tokyo and placed in the UK.
Authenticity was at the heart of the Happy Samurai business plan. With many ingredients shipped in from Japan for the ‘as it’s meant to be’ taste. The identity had to match. This was Ginza Noodle Bar comes to the UK.
INSPIRED BY GINZA
The idea for Happy Samurai was born from Ginza.
The bright colours and hustle and bustle of the region served as inspiration for the look and feel.
BOLD TYPOGRAPHY
Mixing bold Latin and Chinese characters.
Layering typography on top of each other and using bright colour combinations helped to create a busy aesthetic.
MAKING IT BUSIER
We used strong combinations of colour and motion graphics to recreate the flashing lights of Ginza.
Mounted inside of the restaurant tables, TV screens show clips of Japanese game shows, anime and more. To increase brand exposure we developed motion graphics which could be used in between clips. These were also used in digital advertisements.
THE SAMURAI
A happy character to hold it all together.
Based on an illustration by one of the business partners the happy samurai was created to proudly wear all of the brand colours on his hachimaki (鉢巻).
