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DesignNewswire · COMO, Italy ·

Tomohiro Kaji Receives the Golden A' Design Award for Dotline Corporate Identity in Graphics, Illustration and Visual Communication Design

The international grand jury of the 2023 - 2024 A' Design Award & Competition recognizes Tomohiro Kaji of Tomodachi Ltd for graphics, illustration and visual communication design

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

COMO, Italy, April 18, 2024 /DesignNewswire/ A' Design Award & Competition has confirmed the Golden A' Design Award in the Graphics, Illustration and Visual Communication Design category for Dotline Corporate Identity by Tomohiro Kaji of Tomodachi Ltd, designed for Dotline Co., Ltd.. The recognition forms part of the 2023 - 2024 A' Design Award & Competition and was determined through blind peer review by an international grand jury panel of established academics, design professionals and press members, who assessed anonymized entries against predetermined criteria.

What the Golden A' Design Award Means

The Gold A' Design Award is granted to designs that demonstrate a high level of innovation and a significant impact on their intended audience. Recognized as a major achievement by the A' Design Awards, these designs are characterized by their visionary approach and the exceptional skill of their creators. Winners of the Gold A' Design Award are noted for their ability to push the envelope in art, science, design, and technology, delivering solutions that not only meet but exceed expectations. These designs serve as benchmarks for excellence, encouraging further innovation and inspiring future generations of designers.

More About Dotline Corporate Identity

Dotline has been facing a huge business challenge, which is as same as others in the welfare industry: a shortage of human resources. This identity system design is to inspire a company’s vision to their staff, candidates, and related people. The company’s vision is Social Heroes. Dotline sees all staff who come for help in someone's daily life as heroes. The logo is a graphical symbol of a hero flipping a cloak and moving forward designed from the letters, D+L. As Dotline provides 7 business categories, the logos come in 7 different colors with each business name typed with a brand typeface

About Tomohiro Kaji

Tomohiro Kaji is a former creative director for UNIQLO Co., Ltd. He graduated from Academy of Art University, San Francisco and joined UNIQLO Co., Ltd. in 2008 as the first graphic designer in its communications field. He’s built and managed an in-house creative team contributing global branding projects including HEATTECH and Ultra Light Down product branding, product marketing and digital integraded campaigns. He founded TOMODACHI Ltd. (https://tomodachiltd.com) in 2019, an independent creative agency to create art + strategy for branding, and became its representative director.

About Tomodachi Ltd

Art+Strategic creative agency from Kamakura, Japan.

Award Record

With this recognition, Tomohiro Kaji of Tomodachi Ltd is a winner of 1 A' Design Award.

About the A' Graphics, Illustration and Visual Communication Design Award

The A' Graphic Design Award is an international graphic design competition recognizing good graphic designs by best creative agencies and designers worldwide. It is organized within the A' Design Award & Competition and is open to graphic designers, communication designers, graphic artists and illustrators from all countries. Typical entries include logos, posters, infographics, brochures, packaging designs and business cards. The awarded graphic designs are published at https://designers.org/design-category/graphics

About A' Design Award & Competition

Organized annually since 2008, A' Design Award & Competition is an international, juried design accolade. The competition is open to entries from all countries. The philanthropic mission of the A' Design Award is to advance society through good design, by recognizing and promoting superior products, projects and services that benefit society, and by creating a global awareness and appreciation for good design practices and principles. Nominations are peer reviewed and evaluated anonymously by an international grand jury panel of established academics, design professionals and press members against predetermined criteria such as functionality, ergonomics, engineering, presentation, innovation, usability, sustainability and technology, with score normalization applied to remove biases. Awards are conferred at Platinum, Gold, Silver, Bronze and Iron levels. Eligible laureates receive the A' Design Prize, which includes the award trophy, the certificate of design excellence, the hardcover yearbook, a lifetime license to use the A' Design Award winner logo, exhibition of awarded works, an invitation to the gala night and award ceremony in Italy, inclusion in the World Design Rankings and Designer Rankings, and public relations and publicity services. Registration, uploading a work and receiving a preliminary score are free of charge, and Professional and Digital Edition laureates are not contractually obliged to pay further fees to claim the A' Design Prize. More information is available at https://competition.adesignaward.com

Press Resources

Media Contact

Giulia Ferrari, Press Office
Designers.Org
Via Leone Leoni 32, 22100 Como, Italy
press@designers.org
+39 031 4491953

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Fact Sheet

The Work

Project
Dotline Corporate Identity
Function
Corporate Identity
Category
Graphics, Illustration and Visual Communication Design
Discipline
Communication Design
Industry
Branding & Advertising and Arts
Colors
Cornflower Blue, Light Sky Blue, Light Blue, Black and Gainsboro
Images
5
Client
Dotline Co., Ltd.

The Recognition

Laureate
Tomohiro Kaji
Country
Japan
Brand
Tomodachi Ltd
Recognition
Golden A' Design Award
Edition
2023 - 2024
Design ID
#160477

Design Details

Unique Properties
A identity system design with a logo formed as a hero combined with D and L which is initial letters of its company name. The overall image may be unclear, but when people find a face, body and a cloak, they will see a hero flipping a cloak and moving forward. As a system, an original typeface was designed as a complementary elements. All communication graphics are designed with inspirations from the symbol and the original typeface.
Inspiration
Japan's aging population is progressing and has become a major social problem. Yet, we luck human resources who work in the welfare industry. Dotline is one of the major companies providing home medical, home care, home nursing, employment support for elderlies and disabilities based in Chiba prefecture. Their stuff come to support their daily life troubles and go back once it will be solved as if they are heroes coming from somewhere to help people.
Research
Competitors research: Social welfare competitors, Start ups, Enterprise companies / mega brands
Challenge
The most challenging thing in the process was to identify the essential vision of the brand: A social Hero. Yet, hero was one of the key adjectives from the beginning, there were tons of options to chose from as a symbol of the brand. It was in a CEO's mind that how humanity and contribution to a society is important as the brand helping people like a hero with a little sense of humor.
Realization and Technology
Grid system with the golden section, over ray, multiplication
Project Duration and Location
Brand renewal discussion started from July 2022 and the new logo and communication initiatives launched on August 2023. Mono rail advertisement will finish within 2024.
Specifications
Name card: Width 55 mm x Height 91 mm, Book: Width 136 mm x Height 70 mm, Mono Rail: Width 14,800 mm x Height 3,085 mm
Keywords
Connecting dots as one line, Hero, Japan, POP, Happiness, Social Wellness, Diverse, Positive, Hope, Soft, Tough

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