Sapporo had decided to reposition its brand to appeal to a wider
audience via an integrated media campaign entitled Design the Night.
The company knew it would need a visually stunning gift that could be
presented at its events as part of this campaign. A limited edition
Moleskine notebook was the obvious choice.
Sapporo's attention to
excellent design is central to their brand. Their beverage packaging is
unique and unmistakable, comprising a sleek, curved piece of
sculpture--the Design the Night campaign highlighted this strong, iconic
design as the heart of Sapporo's brand message. Sapporo felt that
customizing a Moleskine notebook, the preferred choice of artists and
designers, was a great way to emphasize its commitment to good design.
Sapporo came to the table with several ideas focused around a single
element: the koi fish tattoo. This elegant graphic, representing the
Japanese carp, a traditional symbol of luck and good fortune, was the
central visual icon of the Design the Night campaign. Several different
project sketches were considered for Sapporo's customized Moleskine,
featuring multiple treatments of the koi element.
In the end,
Sapporo and Moleskine settled on a project that covered the front cover
of a large, ruled notebook with a debossed koi image in black foil,
with the Sapporo name and trademark centrally located on a
cream-colored paper band. Debossing is the height of the printer's
craft, requiring him to forge a special brass die for each individual
design. The die is heated and pressed into the cover of notebook,
creating the impressive visual presentation that can be seen on the
Sapporo koi notebook. Color foil can be added to punch up the
design--in the case of the Sapporo notebook black foil provided the koi
fish image with extra depth and clarity.
This impressive design is currently making the rounds of Sapporo's busy
event schedule, finding its way into the hands and hearts of celebrity
guests at New York Fashion Week 2007, the MTV Video Music Awards,
motion picture premieres and after parties.
