Brief Explanation

In the initial round of meetings, ‘Kamoi Kakoshi’ commissioned us to design patterns, POPs and the packages for ‘mt’. They did not have a clear vision for marketing strategy as they have never dealt with such a woman-targeted products. So we gave a presentation on distributing a promotional material.

The Brief

‘mt’ is a derivative product came out of masking tape which is usually used in construction site. As it is made by Washi, it can be cut by hand easily and peeled off without any marks. Handicrafts lovers enjoy decorating their personal belongings and room interiors with it. ‘mt’s maker ‘Kamoi Kakoshi’, which holds the largest market share of Masking Tape, launched ‘mt’ as a sundry product in 2008 and about 600 kinds of tapes have been released since then. ‘mt’ sparked the Washi tape boom in Japan and it has been spreading overseas.

How the final design was conceived

When we were given a commission to design for ‘mt’, we saw a great potential in it. Although ‘mt’ had broad utility, it would not be accepted by customers if it was not displayed in a comprehensible fashion. So we presented our client to distribute promotional materials along with holding exhibitions that customers can experience ‘mt’ fully. This is a brand book to promote ‘mt’ widely and globally. It introduces mt’s history and philosophy with many graphical symbols emerged from the product. We expressed mt’s world by simple monochrome images to stir your imagination. The rather rough and thin paper reminds you that ‘mt’ is made by Washi paper. Since it was born in Japan, we also added a bit of Japanese flavor to the design, for instance, the vertical title on the cover. The body texts were translated into 5 languages so that our worldwide business partners can share our philosophy.

Indication of how successful the outcome was in the market

‘mt’ created a new category ‘Washi Tape’ in a sundry market. ‘Kamoi’ took advantage of this boom and improved their sales. Many competitive products followed after ‘mt’ were released. The brand books were distributed for free to the customers at the promotional exhibitions and retail shops. The books succeeded in installing customers that ‘mt’ is a fashionable product and different from any other competitors.