Problem
Uwajimaya, Seattle's longest-running family-owned Japanese grocery and import store (founded 1928), underwent a recent rebrand — but the result fell flat. The new identity leaned too heavily into corporate minimalism, stripping away the warmth, cultural richness, and family heritage that define the brand's soul. The challenge was clear: how do you modernize a nearly 100-year-old brand without erasing what makes it irreplaceable?
Solution
The team developed a rebrand rooted in three core tonal territories — Cozy, Asian-Oriented, and Harmonious — to create a visual language that feels both culturally grounded and refreshingly modern. Every design choice ladders up to those values: a six-color palette named after Japanese words, typography that pairs bold modern headers with brush-style subheadings, and hand-drawn illustrations that layer together into warm, approachable collages.
Mood Board
3 identities
Cozy
Line: Not perfect, organic
Type: Textured, Decorative Face that looks almost hand-rendered. Smaller accent text
is calmer and sans serif
Photos: First-person perspective, closed in, warm lights
Color: Warm, Autumnal
Background: Lots of texture that feels grainy, collections of things
Type: Textured, Decorative Face that looks almost hand-rendered. Smaller accent text
is calmer and sans serif
Photos: First-person perspective, closed in, warm lights
Color: Warm, Autumnal
Background: Lots of texture that feels grainy, collections of things
Asian Oriented
Line: Structured, Calligraphy
Type: Handwritten simple (not ornate) Script
Photos: Illustrative, Painted
Color: Simple color scheme, Cold
Background: Flat, not as much depth.
Type: Handwritten simple (not ornate) Script
Photos: Illustrative, Painted
Color: Simple color scheme, Cold
Background: Flat, not as much depth.
Harmonious
Line: Slightly bent
Type: Whispy
Photos: Pattern repeat, Zen, Modern, Directional, Rhythm has to be regular
Color: Blue, Natural
Background: Empty, Open, Japanese paper texture.
Type: Whispy
Photos: Pattern repeat, Zen, Modern, Directional, Rhythm has to be regular
Color: Blue, Natural
Background: Empty, Open, Japanese paper texture.
Typography
Citizen OT Bold, 45 pt, sentence case, tracking 10
AH Hakushu Running S Bold, 37 pt, sentence case, tracking 10
Stevie Sans Book, 18 pt, sentence case, tracking 20
Sketches
Logo
Color
Illustrations
Products Overview
Thank you!
