Kato Sake Works
- Creative Direction
- Strategy
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Identity
- Packaging
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Typeface Design
- Web
- Print
- Motion
- Interior Design Direction
- Illustration
Typefaces:
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Kato Mono (Custom)
- Fabrikat
Kato Sake Works is a sake brewery and taproom local to us in Bushwick, Brooklyn, but with roots in Koenji, Tokyo. We’ve collaborated with them since early 2020 to cultivate an identity that melds the spirit of both neighborhoods and helps to demystify the world of sake. The base of our work includes an identity framework, custom typeface, pattern library, and packaging system. The main logo is a “mon” depicting “KSW,” while the monospaced typeface echoes the craft-centric, post-industrial vibe of Bushwick with a softened, weathered finish. Each sake bottle interweaves its Japanese name with its rōmaji counterpart and features a reinterpretation of a traditional Japanese pattern with hidden NYC-inspired elements.
| Illustration: | R&M, Tomi Um |
| Kanji & Kana: | R&M, TienMin Liao |
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Our custom headline typeface, Kato Mono, was inspired by the hard-pressed imprints on shipping containers and labels. A nod to the industrial neighborhood of Bushwick, as well as the work that goes behind a hand-crafted brewery, the letterforms are monospaced like the highly functional letters that are found on shipping labels with rounded corners that evoke being pressed into a material.
The intermixing of latin letters and Japanese kanji/katakana highlights the special culture that KSW has — a blend of American and Japanese.
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After a couple of years operating out of their small brewing space, the team was ready to open up a larger brewery and taproom. KSW asked us to help with the creation of the new space, from thinking through the use of the visitor experience, to new signage, to a duo of illustrations to celebrate the space’s role as both a daytime brewery and a nighttime taproom.
Other projects:
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