Brief Explanation

Things Japanese, inexplicably, are very attractive to many Malaysians. Thus the Japanese identity of Kinokuniya is a selling point for this corporate campaign. The challenge was to avoid clichés of Japan, while communicating the spirit of this bookshop.

The Brief

As a Japanese corporation, Kinokuniya retains a deep reverence for the written word. More than just a bookseller, it strives to be a disseminator of knowledge, wisdom and enlightenment.

How the final design was conceived

The design was inspired by the Japanese tradition of seeking insights while contemplating Zen icons like rock gardens, raked gravel, koan, stands of bamboo etc. In like manner, each corporate poster has one word cryptically “typographed” into the layout of its countless books. Each of the three posters encrypt a different word: “Knowledge”; “Wisdom”; and “Enlightenment”

Indication of how successful the outcome was in the market

1. The highest compliment was when a scholarly Japanese gentleman passing the displayed posters said, “Very sophisticated” to the bookshop staff. Upon further probing, he explained that it was because these posters have elevated the status of books, subtly ranking them as icons of enlightenment. 2. Placed on the display windows facing the busy passageway near KLCC’s escalators, these intriguing posters also attract harried shoppers to solace in this isle of knowledge and peace.