Kyogashi Festival
Branding package for a three-day confectionery festival in Kyoto, Japan.
The Kyogashi Festival is a vibrant conceptual celebration of kyogashi, traditional sweets handcrafted in Kyoto. Every spring, the three-day festival hosts an exciting lineup of activities for English and Japanese speakers alike.
The goal was to create an energetic festival identity that captures the unique shapes and artistry seen in traditional sweets.
The visual identity incorporates nerikiri, soft sweets that are often molded to reflect seasonal flowers. Each nerikiri illustration abstractly depicts a letter. These letters spell ‘kyogashi’ when used as a set.
Bilingual program
The program is pocket-sized and encompassed by a laser cut sleeve. Removing the program from the sleeve mimics opening a box of sweets. The back of the holder serves as a stamp card, incentivizing guests to collect stamps from different booths.
Unboxing the foundation
Since a set of nerikiri is often displayed in a wooden box, the visual identity employs a grid motif to anchor the design elements.
Takeaways
Through this project, I got to create deliverables that would exist within a physical environment, including posters, a program, wayfinding, and wall graphics. I learned how to activate indoor and outdoor spaces while being mindful of visual consistency, text sizing, and the festival's bilingual requirement.