ADVENTURES IN OBSERVATION

TitleADVENTURES IN OBSERVATION
BrandNIKKEI INC.
Product / ServiceQUESTIONING THE SCIENTIFIC IMAGINATION IN LITERATURE
CategoryB01. Publications & Brand Collateral
EntrantDENTSU INC. Tokyo, JAPAN
Idea Creation DENTSU INC. Tokyo, JAPAN
Production TAKI CORPORATION Tokyo, JAPAN

Credits

Name Company Position
Yoshihiro Yagi Dentsu Inc. Creative Director
Chihiro Kato DENTSU INC. Art Director
Marina Danjo DENTSU INC. Copywriter
Hitoshi Ezaki DENTSU INC. Agency Producer
Togo Fujii DENTSU INC. Agency Producer

Background

Our brief was to develop design assets for the 6th Annual Hoshi Awards, a literary competition named after Shinichi Hoshi, a pioneer of Japanese science fiction literature. The awards were created to honor writers of fiction whose work is infused with scientific imagination. Entries in previous competitions have dealt with artificial intelligence and other topics, and have been recognized not only for literary merit, but also for their impact on ongoing scientific research.

Describe the creative idea (40% of vote)

To encourage authors of all ages and genders to participate in the awards competition, our creative sought to stimulate the spirit of scientific inquiry that is common to all humanity. We chose “Adventures in Observation” as our design theme, and used icons and colored arrows to represent unique perspectives and the varied worlds they can discover. Our goal was to make people exposed to the design recognize the value of individualism and original thinking in every creative endeavor.

Describe the execution (40% of vote)

With a cover that prominently features the star, eye, and arrow motif used in other Hoshi Award-related materials, our design for the book of collected works emphasizes the book’s role as the official record of science-based literary “Adventures in Observation.”

List the results (20% of vote)

The Japanese educational system has traditionally treated the humanities and applied sciences are entirely separate disciplines. This has reinforced the stereotype of “science nerds” who are out of touch with society. Our design overcomes this by giving visual form to the spirit of scientific inquiry that is common to all people. As a result, the 6th Annual Hoshi Awards successfully drew entries from male and female authors across the social spectrum, ranging in age from 6 to 80 years old.