Silver Graphics, Illustration and Visual Communication Design · 2025
Sawamura Award 2024 Key Visual
- A' Design Award 2025 Silver Winner in Graphics, Illustration and Visual Communication Design
- Awarded April 15, 2025
- CLIENT: SAWAMURA Inc.
- Estimated Number of Design Views: 62,584
- Verification code 63A1439AA1 · Verify this award
About Sawamura Award 2024 Key Visual
Sawamura Award 2024 is a key visual created for a company event for new employees, held at a traditional Kabuki theatre in Kyoto, Japan. The theme of the event was tradition and innovation. The letters of the word KABUKU were drawn with varied typography, so each letter works as both a letter and an illustration. Traditional Japanese colours and patterns taken from the theatre were combined with a fresh colour scheme. The key visual was applied to certificates, invitations shaped like show tickets, seals and publicity, giving the event a unified look.
Positioned at the vibrant intersection of graphic design innovation and cultural heritage celebration, this key visual created for the 2024 award ceremony demonstrates exceptional command of visual communication strategies that honor traditional artistic vocabularies while speaking fluently in contemporary design language. The composition presents a masterful orchestration of disparate iconographic elements unified through bold chromatic choices and decisive compositional architecture, with the central arrow form serving both as literal wayfinding device and metaphorical expression of progressive momentum within established traditions. Technical achievement manifests in the precise calibration of numerous pattern systems, from checkered textile references to wave motifs and hexagonal geometries, each rendered with clarity yet integrated into a cohesive whole that avoids visual cacophony through thoughtful color relationships and strategic value distribution. The inclusion of theatrical mask references suggests connections to performance traditions, with stylized facial features evoking the expressive makeup conventions of classical stage arts, while botanical elements including pine bonsai and cherry blossom forms invoke natural symbolism associated with longevity, renewal, and seasonal celebration. Particularly noteworthy passages include the gradient transitions within the central arrow that shift from cool aquamarine through warm mint, creating subtle dimensional suggestion within the predominantly flat design approach. The work invites contemplation of how visual traditions evolve through reinterpretation, asking viewers to consider how contemporary creators might honor heritage while forging distinctive aesthetic pathways that speak to present audiences with immediacy and vitality.
Press Kit
- Unique Properties
- Key visual for an event for new employees at SAWAMURA Inc. The event held at the traditional Minami-za theater in Kyoto. The unique feature of this key visual is that it synchronizes with the characteristics of the venue (Kabuki). This key visual was displayed in the client's office and at the venue, and was also used on the award certificates, social media publicity, press release, and invitations (like show tickets). The uniformity of the visuals increased the motivation of those involved in the event and heightened the excitement of the event.
- Dimensions & Packaging
- Key visual: W728mm x H1030mm
Invitation: W20mm x H76mm
Seal: Diameter 40mm
Certificate of commendation: W210mm x H297mm - Tags
- Key visual, Japanese, tradition, innovation
- Production Technology
- Adobe Illustrator CC
- Design Challenge
- The most difficult part was the color scheme. I had never used so many colors at once in my previous work, so I tested and proposed several patterns.
To refine the design, it is better not to use too many colors, but since it was decided that each winner would use different colors and patterns, I had no choice but to use many colors.
It was difficult to balance traditional Japanese colors with a color scheme that felt new. - Project Duration
- The project was held at Minamiza, Kyoto, Japan on March 29, 2024
- Operation Flow
- This key visual not only serves as a formal announcement design within the concept, but also incorporates elements of traditional Japanese Kabuki visually. It can convey the meaning of the event's theme, "Tradition and Innovation," in a broader and deeper sense to new employees who participate in the event.
- Research
- I wanted to incorporate the actual Kabukiza theatre into the design, so I worked with the client to research the venue, looked into Kabuki itself, and studied traditional Japanese colour schemes. I incorporated patterns used in the actual Kabukiza theatre and objects used in its architecture into the design. I also fused elements that feel innovative.
- Inspiration
- The event theme was "KABUKU". It is close in meaning to "cut a dash". The alphabet of "KABUKU" was designed using various typography. These pieces function both as typography and as illustrations. They are both alphabetical and kabuki (Minamiza is a traditional Japanese kabuki venue) illustrations. "KABUKU" also means "playful behavior." The alphabet to look like a different motif. The event also has the sub-concept of tradition and innovation, the color scheme was chosen to evoke a feeling of traditional Japanese style combined with newness.
- Image Credits
- #All Creator Takuma Tahara