Brief Explanation

Fukuwarai (Lucky Laugh) is a traditional Japanese game familiar to everyone but rarely played today. Using it as our motif, we updated the look by photographing a model made up to resemble the original fukuwarai face. Various parts of the face were printed on adhesive paper. By changing their positions, the buyer of the book can 're-design' the cover in a number of ways.

The Brief

Design a cover for a book entitled Eye-Catching Graphics, a collection of posters and direct mailing pieces with trick graphic designs. Since the book is a compilation of trick designs, the cover also required a clever gimmick.

How the final design was conceived

Fukuwarai is a game in which blindfolded players place different parts of the face - such as the eyes, nose and mouth - onto an illustration of a blank face and laugh at the humorous results. We modernized the game to make it more fashionable and used a photograph instead of an illustration. How to play: 1. Remove all facial parts. 2. Place the parts wherever you choose. 3. Completed original book cover.

Indication of how successful the outcome was in the market

The traditional face used in Fukuwarai was transformed to create a strikingly fresh new visual. Thus, we effectively communicated the concept of the book - that the idea of a trick or gimmick can be found in unexpected places in our everyday lives - together with the fun of trick design. The three different versions of the book cover displayed at bookstores had a tremendous impact and drew big crowds. Despite its costly price, the book was a big success and sales were higher than expected by the publisher.