How to Design the Indescribable "Sense"? ―The Present of Brand Strategy Transformed by Digital (Part 6)

Konishi: I've worked with Mr. Muramatsu on various corporate rebranding projects. What really resonated with me was how crucial the role of the Art Director (AD) is in creating a consistent brand worldview and stock—something beyond mere advertising—especially in this era often called the age of planner supremacy.

Muramatsu: I agree. In the digital age, with its increased volume of information and accelerated pace of communication, simple visual communication—creating a brand's worldview through a single visual—has become extremely important.

■Brand Design in the Digital Age: Engaging in Dialogue and Communication with Customers

Konishi: I believe contemporary brand design directions, starting with logos, also incorporate "digital-friendly" elements. The first is "simplicity." This allows for easy adaptation across various applications and faster communication. It's an era demanding "iconic" qualities suited to digital formats, like smartphone apps or Google Maps displays.

Muramatsu: Exactly. Precisely because we live in an era of information overload, "subtraction" is crucial in design. Rather than cramming everything in, the use of white space and negative space alone can create a sense of brand quality. Especially for Japanese people, with the long-standing concept of "wabi-sabi," the use of white space resonates on a subconscious level.

Konishi: The second point is "authenticity." For example, the trend of using lowercase letters in brand logos started over a decade ago, but now the emphasis is less on making things look big and impressive, and more on using design to foster empathy and familiarity with the brand.
Third is "dynamic." This refers to customizable, dynamic designs that enable emotional brand expression. Coca-Cola altering its iconic logo on personalized bottles, for instance, was unthinkable under traditional symbolic mark concepts. Google is another example.

Muramatsu: It's the idea of brand design as a means of dialogue and communication with customers, rather than just a symbolic mark. When a certain telecommunications company refreshed its brand, a simple, dynamic design using script added the image of connection. Motion logos, which charmingly animate logos to express emotions or worldviews, are also becoming increasingly common.

Konishi: We've moved from an era where companies unilaterally controlled brands to one where consumers freely adapt and share brands. While protecting core elements remains crucial, considering the fundamental goal of creating engagement, brands now need the flexibility to let consumers play with them.

Muramatsu: LINE stickers are a good example. LINE's characters feature approachable designs with high quality and calculated usability. They excel at creating brands where the company's and consumers' moods align.

Konishi: That's right. UNIQLOCK by UNIQLO was pioneering, but today, the possibilities for experiential design—effectively creating a brand's worldview through digital content that consumers can own and share—have expanded significantly.

■Globalizing Digital Media × Japanese Design Culture

Konishi: With the expansion of digital formats across all media, not just the web, we're seeing a significant increase in brand design approaches that differ from traditional methods, aren't we?

Muramatsu: That's right. Television and video content have evolved from the 4:3 TV monitor era to the 16:9 frame, enabling more expansive and high-quality creative work. Recently, we've seen more vertical-format digital signage and vertically shot videos captured on smartphones. The vertical format feels familiar and accessible to Japanese people, rooted in traditions like fusuma-e sliding door paintings and vertical writing.

Konishi: That's a very interesting perspective.

Muramatsu: Currently, many still use 16:9 footage originally created for TV commercials on vertical digital signage. However, developing original content specifically planned for vertical composition could yield uniquely Japanese creative possibilities. For instance, laying out text with vertical writing in mind, or creating videos that consciously utilize the top and bottom of the frame to convey pitch.

Konishi: That perspective unique to Japanese culture is intriguing. On the other hand, today's brands increasingly operate with the expectation of global expansion via digital platforms. Visual communication—design, photography, video, infographics—on social media easily crosses borders, making the role of brand design as non-verbal communication crucial in this regard too.

Muramatsu: Creating designs that work globally is surprisingly difficult. For instance, when designing a globally effective brand logo, even something as basic as character arrangement requires understanding Western typography culture. Relying solely on Japanese sensibilities may not meet global standards.

Konishi: That's right. Conversely, we're also seeing more cases where brands actively showcase their identity as Japanese-born global entities through design. UNIQLO's deliberate use of an alphabet + katakana logo is a prime example.

Muramatsu: It's like the feeling foreigners get when they think Japanese tattoos look cool and want to get one. Sometimes it's Japanese with completely wrong meanings though... It's important for brands not just to Westernize, but to express a Japanese identity as seen from the outside.

■Designing User Experience Stories

Konishi: Speaking of digital, it used to be constrained and difficult to create rich brand experiences. But now, high-quality images and video content are possible, and digital is expanding into the real world—stores, signage, and more.

Muramatsu: If a brand has trust and offers high-quality experiences, consumers will purchase high-priced items online. Digital also expands the potential for creating brand experiences that users can engage with more personally, tailored to themselves.

Konishi: Brands like Burberry have successfully modernized their brand worldview, including physical stores, through digital-friendly branding as a luxury brand, expanding their fanbase to include younger demographics.

Muramatsu: I also handled creative direction for a fashion brand targeting working women. We had three relatable talents wear 24 different outfits, capturing casual, everyday moods. This approach aimed to make users emotionally connect while also providing practical styling inspiration, encouraging them to purchase multiple items together.
We treated the storefront as a medium, using digital signage to display numerous photos and videos showcasing the outfits. Constantly sharing new looks gives the entire brand an active, dynamic feel.

Konishi: So rather than unilaterally imposing the brand's worldview or coordination, you're proposing value that makes coordination easier from a more user-centric perspective.
In the fashion world, leveraging digital/social media is rapidly creating new value—personalized experiences, user-curated edits and outfit sharing—breaking free from traditional methods like static imagery created by models.

■How to Design Indescribable Sensations

Muramatsu: Communication speeds have accelerated tremendously lately. Customers sift through vast amounts of information, selecting only what resonates with them. This means we must instantly convey unique selling points and the brand's worldview. In this context, communication that appeals to intuition—the subconscious—has become increasingly vital.

Konishi: I agree. In this era, designing that indescribable feeling or sense that appeals to consumers' emotions and desires—rather than focusing on detailed product specs or functions—is what leads to significant brand differentiation.

Muramatsu: From a psychological perspective, the subconscious significantly influences our daily actions, thoughts, and decision-making. I believe the role of designers and creators is to understand and create this indescribable "vague feeling."

Konishi: On the other hand, persuading others of the merits of this hard-to-logicize "vague feeling" is quite challenging. I think part of our job is to persuade using both right-brain and left-brain approaches. Since the realm of sense doesn't easily fit into systematic organizational decision-making, building trust and a system of delegation for professionals is also crucial.

Muramatsu: Incorporating insights from neuroscience and psychology—which help us understand human subconscious aspects like taste and desires—into advertising and brand design could be effective.

Konishi: I think today's discussion has been quite interesting. Thank you very much.

(End)