Koyo is a fictional brand and a result of my free imagination, inspiration, and experiment. I sometimes work on these kind of projects to get my creative juices flowing. It's fun to explore new ways of delivering brand identity for brands I am most passionate working with.
I decided to work on brand identity for up-cycled furniture brand, as I am deeply concerned with conscious consumerism and giving pre-loved items new life. This brand identity is a reflection of my values. With this creative project I was on a mission do discover typography, color, and visual theme that would resonate with a mature audience, who enjoys one-of-a-kind pieces and vintage vibe.
I wanted to explore so many different layers with this one. There were about 2 dozens of key words to describe the essence of this up-cycled furniture brand and believe me it was so difficult to choose just 6.
Kōyō originates from Japanese and literally stands for “autumn leaves”. This season of the year is associated with nostalgia, maturity, and poetry. It is also the time when nature goes to sleep to be awakened next spring again.
The intention of this brand was to evoke these feelings. It serves as a reminder that life goes in cycles. I wanted to emphasize that Kōyō gives old, pre-loved, and imperfect furniture another elevated life.
The inspiration
The importance of typography
With every project I am working on, a special attention always goes to typography. It is basically the tone of voice of any brand as if it was speaking aloud. Typography research is a tedious and intuitive process, and it is so fun!
With Koyo, the choice fell on classic, adorned, and sophisticated type paired with clean, simple and undecorated font to create visual contrast. It was done to communicate the "old soul" behind the origins of the brand and its vision.
It is essential to use brand's typography correctly and consistently throughout all communication with the audience. This will aid in gaining recognition, differentiation and loyalty of its customers.
