NORTH ROCK CO.
Project
My Role
Software
Date
Brand Identity
Designer, Illustrator
Illustrator, Photoshop, After Effects
2023
North Rock Co. are an outdoor collective based in Hokkaido, aiming to encourage inbound tourists visiting Japan to seek adventure on its northern island. With considerable tourism from Asian countries, Hokkaido is often left off of the itinerary of western visitors - North Rock Co. want to change that, providing insight into what makes this part of the world so special. Their goal is to be a centralised information hub for Hokkaido, eventually branching out into sustainable clothing from local vendors, and a tourism platform hosting local businesses and providing special rates through their booking system.
This multi-faceted venture had to be represented in the brand identity. With the potential for future iterations the goal was to ensure that the brand identity was versatile and wouldn’t prove to be limiting for future endeavours and expansion. This was coupled with representing the brand values (providing information and encouraging adventure) throughout, meaning we had to gain the trust of people coming across the brand, whilst also encouraging people to seek adventure in Hokkaido.
With North Rock Co. representing Hokkaido, it was imperative that the logo did the same. So much of Hokkaido’s identity is centred on it being the northern island in Japan, with North Rock Co. taking that part of its identity for use in their name. The central motif of the logo is a geometric version of the kanji for north, 北, which is also the first character in Hokkaido, 北海道. This creates an authentic and relevant association to Hokkaido, showing that North Rock Co.’s mission is aligned with the destination it promotes. It also indicates a deep understanding of Hokkaido which is a fundamental part of promoting themselves as the place to go for news about Hokkaido.
The geometric and minimalist design allows for adaptability across various applications, and with North Rock Co.’s want to expand, this was a necessity. The absence of extraneous details reinforces the concept of Hokkaido being the central focus of the company, regardless of the direction the company takes.
Educational and informative
A primary function of North Rock Co. is to be educational and informational - the design has to constantly facilitate that, providing room for necessary information without it being too intrusive. Sometimes we needed to let the design take a step back, and use photography to make our point for us.
