Renaming and corporate identity development for the educational institution thanka (formerly Kato Gakuen), which has a 49-year history, along with a signage plan for its school facilities.
Over the course of nearly three years, we worked closely with Chairman Kato on the management of the institution from the perspectives of education, welfare, and community. As we moved together through the processes of naming and vision development, we designed the CI system in dialogue with Mr. Kato, who gave shape to the name thanka—inspired by the ideas of participation and hymn—and the vision of “going to join hands.”
The CI symbol mark is composed of proto-hand forms arranged in a circular structure, as if each one is reaching out to connect. The three forms also incorporate a circle, triangle, and square, representing hands of many different kinds.
The signage design takes its motifs from the plants and animals that inhabit the “fields and moors” from which Noda City derives its name. In the interior signage, traces associated with these motifs—such as footprints—function as visual cues that guide the gaze of small children.
2025/8
CD+AD: Yuta ODA(COMPOUND inc.)
D: Shoko KAIDO
WEB:HUNDSAM