Client_Uniqlo. XXL Space Invader Origami Santas for holiday brand environment
New York City flagship store.
lllUNIQLO: XXL SPACE INVADER ORIGAMI SANTAS
lllKOWAII (SCARY)
KAWAII (CUTE)
lll
lllKOWAII (SCARY)
KAWAII (CUTE)
lll
For Uniqlo's holiday environment, the creative challenge was to find a new approach to express this season--the time of the year with such high commercial pressure--without compromising the edgy techno-human soul of the brand.
How can familiar symbols be rendered in a fresh
and contemporary manner? A slightly dark sense of humor seemed to be the answer: Taking a banal icon --Santa-- and giving him a twist...a bit "kowaii" (scary) and a bit "kawaii" (cute) at the same time.
The end result was a bizarre hybrid between a Santa and a Space Invader. Referencing these qualities so characteristic of Japanese mangas
was one way to bring in the pop factor to the good (but over-used) Santa and staying true to the
"no-nonsense / rigorous / quirky / humanoid / off" spirit of the brand's visual approach.
The process involved researching origami forms that exist in the world, then making concerted choices that would be most brand-appropriate. The exciting and challenging part of the project was the R&D phase to find ways to adapt the forms to be buildable at a super scale of 3 - 4 meters (10 - 13 ft.) in a seamless manner, which would impact the space in a powerful manner.
Based on original origami Santa forms by:
Brian K. Webb, Edwin Corrie, and Noriko Nagata
Fabrication & Installation:
New Project LLC
Neons:
Let There Be Neon, Inc.
How can familiar symbols be rendered in a fresh
and contemporary manner? A slightly dark sense of humor seemed to be the answer: Taking a banal icon --Santa-- and giving him a twist...a bit "kowaii" (scary) and a bit "kawaii" (cute) at the same time.
The end result was a bizarre hybrid between a Santa and a Space Invader. Referencing these qualities so characteristic of Japanese mangas
was one way to bring in the pop factor to the good (but over-used) Santa and staying true to the
"no-nonsense / rigorous / quirky / humanoid / off" spirit of the brand's visual approach.
The process involved researching origami forms that exist in the world, then making concerted choices that would be most brand-appropriate. The exciting and challenging part of the project was the R&D phase to find ways to adapt the forms to be buildable at a super scale of 3 - 4 meters (10 - 13 ft.) in a seamless manner, which would impact the space in a powerful manner.
Based on original origami Santa forms by:
Brian K. Webb, Edwin Corrie, and Noriko Nagata
Fabrication & Installation:
New Project LLC
Neons:
Let There Be Neon, Inc.
