KIMONO
Disciplines
Posters
Banners
Tickets
Project Background
Kimono are traditional Japanese garments historically worn for cultural and symbolic significance. As fashion has evolved toward contemporary styles, the kimono is often viewed primarily as a historical garment rather than an influential fashion form. The Kimono Kyoto Exhibition was developed to reintroduce the beauty of traditional kimono and highlight their importance within Japanese culture through a seasonal series of posters, banners, and museum tickets. The design combines traditional materials such as fabric, gold paint, beads, and gold thread with digital design methods to create a cohesive visual identity.
Software & Tools
Illustrator
Photoshop
Porcreate
Year
2025
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Create a cohesive system across all deliverables.
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Combining graphic design with fashion to create a strong visual identity
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As fashion evolves towards contemporary design, traditional garments such as the kimono are often overlooked or seen only for formal events. There is a need for exhibition design that reintroduces the cultural importance and craftsmanship of the kimono.
The design process began with research into traditional Japanese kimonos, focusing on seasonal motifs, textiles, techniques and cultural background. Visual exploration involved abstracting kimono forms into an illustrated composition and combining them with scanned traditional Japanese textile patterns.
Gold thread was incorporated to reference traditional Japanese textile techniques such as Nishijin-ori (西陣織) and Kinkoma embroidery (金駒刺繍) used in kimono. Additionally, beads and sequins were added to reflect the evolution of the kimono within contemporary fashion. With gold painted, add to references Surihaku (摺箔). Lastly, for typography, Japanese calligraphy and sans-serif fonts were used to complete the design.
The Kimono Kyoto Exhibition would take place in Toronto, introducing audiences to traditional Japanese craftsmanship while demonstrating the evolution and influence of kimonos in contemporary fashion. Targeted towards art museum lovers and fashion designers or graphic designers who are interested in the history of art and fashion.
Disciplines
Packaging design
Graphic Tool Box
Physical Mock-ups
Software & Tools
Adobe Illustrator
Adobe Photoshop
Porcreate
Year
2025
Project Background
Orizen is a Fictional Origami Kit Developed for Studio IV project 2 to explore packaging, branding, and sustainability. The concept invites customers to discover origami as a mindful and creative practice while celebrating the beauty of Japanese culture and art.
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Building a visual identity that reflects mindfulness, cultural connection, sustainability, and accessibility
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Creating two packaging versions (pink sakura and yellow kiku ) with an interactive twist-fold instruction
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Developing clear and beginner-friendly instructions to follow on a 6x6-inch paper
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Ensuring the brand voice and design balance traditional with modern design
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Orizen should be an engaging and inspiring origami kit, celebrating Japanese tradition and encouraging sustainability. Creating a solution that needs to communicate calmness, creativity, and eco-consciousness while appealing to artistic audiences looking for a relaxing hobby
Research began with origami's heritage and its role as a meditative practice. The name Orizen is a blend of "Ori" (origami) and "zen," representing the focus on mindfulness of the brand.
Packaging sketches explored how to incorporate Japanese-oriented patterns into the origami.
The chosen pattern was Skaura, which are cherry blossoms representing spring's start, symbolizing softness and kindness. The other pattern is Kiku, representing the royal family, and symbolizing renewal and longevity. A twofold origami instruction paper showcases the steps to creating a crane.
Typography was carefully paired with scandria line stencil for headings, resembling the concept of origami and fankwage medium for the body text, adding warmth and personality. Colour Pleatte was refined to a red-pink for sakura and a cream yellow for kiku, aligning with the brand's mindfulness.
The final Orizen branding is elegant and reusable, using 100 % post-consumer recycled (PCW) cardstock, supporting sustainable practices. The design offers two foral patterns, which are 6 x 6 inches and instructions with a QR code for a video tutorial. The unboxing experience is interactive and rewarding as you learn how to make a crane and display it for decoration.