Tomohiro Kaji · CLIENT: Kadowakamatsu Inc
The Kadowakamatsu Corporate Website redefines real estate communication by positioning property as cultural infrastructure. Integrating regional context, custom typography, and a restrained grid system, the design transforms a corporate website into a narrative platform. It articulates urban value beyond pricing models through a spatial and editorial user experience, enabling multidirectional navigation and layered engagement with text, image, and projects, reframing how urban value is perceived.
Press Kit
- Unique Properties
- The design challenges conventional real estate communication by replacing property-based value with cultural narratives.
It fuses philosophy, typography, and regional context into a unified narrative system. A custom typeface, editorial composition combining Japanese and Latin scripts, and a restrained grid structure support multidirectional interaction.
Unlike conventional corporate websites, the platform operates as a cultural and editorial system rather than a product-oriented interface. This approach redefines the role of corporate websites from informational platforms to cultural frameworks.
It positions the website as an act of authorship rather than representation. - Dimensions & Packaging
- Responsive web platform optimized for desktop and mobile devices. Custom JavaScript-based typographic motion was implemented for the introduction sequence.
A modular grid system based on proportional ratios structures the layout. A custom Latin WOFF font was developed for web use. Vertical and horizontal navigation systems are integrated. The platform operates on cloud-based infrastructure optimized for high-resolution imagery and stable performance. - Tags
- Real Estate Branding, Cultural Infrastructure, Corporate Website, Custom Typeface, Editorial Typography, Urban Philosophy, Narrative Design, Interaction Design, Shonan, Digital Architecture
- Production Technology
- The project was developed through a narrative-based branding methodology integrating historical research of Fujisawa City, archival study of Kadowakamatsu, and interviews with local stakeholders.
These insights informed the narrative structure. A custom typeface was designed from conceptual sketches to digital font production. The website was built using responsive front-end technologies, modular grid systems, and motion design enabling multidirectional interaction. - Design Challenge
- The primary challenge was translating an abstract corporate philosophy into a coherent digital experience.
Internally, it required defining the cultural role of a real estate company. Externally, it involved balancing editorial expression with usability and technical constraints.
Developing a custom typeface aligned across Japanese and Latin scripts while maintaining conceptual consistency was particularly complex. - Project Duration
- The project started in November 2023 in Kamakura, Japan, and was completed in September 2025. Research, concept development, typeface design, and digital production were conducted in the Kamakura and Shonan regions.
- Operation Flow
- Users navigate both vertically and horizontally, creating a spatial browsing experience rather than a linear sequence.
The structure begins with a conceptual introduction, followed by projects, philosophy, and organizational information. Typography establishes hierarchy, while spacing introduces rhythm and pause.
The interaction encourages interpretation rather than consumption. The experience prioritizes perception over efficiency. - Research
- Type of Research: Qualitative design research.
Research Objectives: To redefine real estate communication through cultural positioning.
Methodology: Contextual analysis of the Shonan region and the real estate industry.
Data Collection and Tools: Field observation, stakeholder interviews, archival research, typographic prototyping.
Participants: Company stakeholders and regional collaborators.
Results: Established a clear narrative framework and ideological positioning.
Insights and Impacts: Demonstrated a critical alternative to price-based urban valuation.
Effect: Strengthened brand coherence and contributed to cultural discourse in real estate communication. - Inspiration
- The project originated from a critical observation that contemporary real estate practices define urban value primarily through pricing, often neglecting cultural identity.
This condition has contributed to the gradual homogenization of regional cities. Shonan, once a culturally distinctive area, is increasingly shaped by suburban expansion and economic standardization.
In response, Kadowakamatsu explores an alternative perspective by positioning real estate as a cultural construct.
This project questions whether cities should be valued by price or by culture.
It asserts that cultural context, not pricing, should define the identity of a city. - Image Credits
- Illustrator: Chalkboy, Chunco HARAWATA, Photographer: Taisuke Yokoyama
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