Designing a single brand mark that works, carved into stone, printed at 16px, and across three international markets.
Client
Aqua Kyoto (Global)
My role
Lead Visual Designer
Focus
Cross-Cultural Identity, Scalability, Multi-Platform Use
Challenge
Aqua Kyoto needed a crest for its Paris expansion that could work across cultures and formats — carrying the weight of Japanese heritage, the elegance of Paris, and the precision required for both physical and digital applications.
Strategy
Built the mark from geometric principles inspired by traditional Japanese Mon, ensuring balance and scalability. Combined the existing Ankh symbol with the form of a Sakura to create a mark rooted in both brand and cultural context. Extended the crest into physical applications, including a menu shaped to match the form.
Outcome
Scalability: Works from digital interfaces to architectural applications.
Continuity: Existing brand symbol integrated into a new cultural context.
Adoption: Promoted from local mark to global standard.
A crest is a system, not a graphic. When a mark works as well in stone as it does on a smartphone, the design problem has been solved at the right level.
