Maru is a showroom and online boutique selling high-end Japanese design objects. Curated by Japanese architect Motoko Yoshida, the Oslo based boutique offers high-end Japanese goods to Scandinavians.
We designed Maru´s identity, including stationery, packaging, signage and promotional material as well as the design and development of the online shop.
In Japanese, Maru means ‘circle’ or ‘correct’. A symbol we used throughout the identity as a red thread. With the logotype we illustrated the story of the act of setting up a Japanese boutique in the capital of Norway, by integrating the Kanji symbol for Maru in the middle of the wordmark, hence making the word mark bilingual. Throughout the printed matter the two entities are separated by a combination of embossing and debossing. For the letterhead and correspondence card we used Keaykolour Particles Snow, to resemble the feeling of a traditional Japanese rice paper. A colour palette, based on traditional Japanese colours was selected.
The Maru website consists of two integrated sections. The first one, being the online store and the second one a blog, in which Maru can promote upcoming events in the showroom and highlight new products.
