Brief from Kartell - Kartell: Between Past and Present
How can the Kartell brand and its heritage be told and enhanced? Through the story of iconic objects from the past? Through the launch of products and services? By creating an experience that could bring Kartell Museum outside Its museum walls?
Students will carry out a branding and storytelling project by creating a bridge between creativity and strategy.
Final output: a new strategic direction and communication solution.
Concept Introduction
Mario-Kartell is a collaborative project between luxury Italian furniture company Kartell and Nintendo's Mario-Kart Tour, aiming to enhance Kartell's market and reputation in Asia through digital and physical activation campaigns. Since Kartell seeks to expand its presence in Asia, partnering with Nintendo through gamification and a real-world debut offers a unique opportunity to introduce Kartell and Milano's culture further into the Japanese market.
The campaign will utilize both digital and physical platforms for advertising across Tokyo, focusing on popular Japanese social media platforms like Line and Twitter to reach GenZ audiences. Mario-Kart Tour will introduce two new locations, Milano and the Kartell Museum, featuring racing and educational elements that allow players to learn about Kartell's heritage while competing with each other.
To celebrate the launch, Mario-Kartell is hosting a two-day event called "Little Milano in Tokyo" at Yoyogi Park. Participants can race in karts, view exclusive Kartell products in the Mario-Kartell Museum, and learn about the company's history through Mario and Luigi's narrative. The event will also feature gift shops, cafes, and photo booths, with attendees able to use Line Points and Line Pay for purchases and rewards.
Brand Identity
The brand identity for this project must always embody Kartell’s simplicity and elegance. In keeping with the original Kartell logo, which used Helvetica, the “Mario” addition was created in the same manner. The pattern combining Mario’s initial “M” with the Kartell design is a nod to Kartell’s debut 1953 poster, bridging the past and present.
The grid system on the left and top is for restriction purposes, and the accompanying colors are red, green, black, and white. As both Nintendo and Kartell share similar primary colors, Kartell’s red was chosen as the primary color. Green was chosen as the secondary color, as it is associated with Luigi and is often used in conjunction with Mario in Kartell storytelling and product heritage.
The Mario and Luigi patterns were created using the same technique, and can be applied to other Mario-Kart Tour characters if needed. All designs must adhere to the same graphic system and convey the timeless feel of Kartell.
Wayfinding System
The system includes 26 icons, all created using the same grid system as the logo to maintain consistent styling. All icons share the same colors and stroke weights and can be combined when necessary, such as the “Forward” and “Kartell” icons, or the “South-East” and “Bathroom” icons.
On the map, all icons are used in red or white, with the exception of the “Your Position” icon, which is in Luigi’s green. This is to make it the first icon that people can easily spot. Additionally, green is a complementary color to red, making it easier to see when viewing the map.
Little Milano in Tokyo
To celebrate the launch, Mario-Kartell is hosting a two-day event called "Little Milano in Tokyo" at Yoyogi Park.
Yoyogi Park is located ten minutes from Kartell’s flagship store in Tokyo, and the “Little Milano in Tokyo” debut campaign will only utilize the park’s inner circular area. The circular area of the park will be used for racing as part of the campaign, and the most important feature is the Kartell Museum, which is smaller than the original in Milan but shares the same concept and provides the same experience.
The museum will feature six exclusive products for this event, and visitors can explore the museum via racecar or on foot. Mario and Luigi will guide visitors throughout their museum experience and provide a new way to experience the museum. There will also be a gift shop and cafe for visitors to purchase exclusive merchandise at discount prices during the event. After the event, the merchandise will return to its regular pricing and will be available at the Kartell flagship store in Tokyo.
Mario-Kartell Racecars
Mario-Kartell introduces two new racecars, combining elements of Kartell and Nintendo’s Mario-Kart.
The fully transparent racecar is fully made of plastic, using Kartell’s signature material. It will be featured as one of the exclusive products in the Kartell museum in the park and will be available for purchase in the gift shop. There will be two versions available: a luxurious 1:43 model featuring Mario or Luigi, and a simpler version that can be purchased from a gashapon machine.
The half-transparent racecar is also made of plastic, but with most of its components made of metal to support its driving and racing capabilities. Visitors can participate in races held every two hours in the park, or drive the kart casually to visit the Kartell Museum. The kart will also be available for purchase in the gift shop, at the same price and format as the transparent racecar.
There will be a special code printed on the back of the ticket for the debut campaign. After the launch day, attendees can use this code to exchange the ticket for the two exclusive karts in the game.
Nintendo's Mario-Kart Tour
Mario-Kartell introduces new maps, karts, and characters in the latest update to Mario-Kart Tour. The update includes two Milan Cups and two Kartell Cups, one for racing and the other for exploration and education. With a narrative provided by Mario and Luigi, players can explore the new maps and learn interesting facts.
Those who attended the debut campaign “Little Milano in Tokyo” will have a unique code to exchange for the two exclusive karts. For everyone else, the new karts and characters will be available for purchase in the game’s store using tokens.
Mario-Kartell Museum
During "Little Milano in Tokyo", Mario-Kartell will showcase products in a smaller museum that provides a similar feeling to the original one in Milan. New exclusive products such as the fully transparent kart, the Mario-Kartell gashapon machine, the Bourgie Lamp, and the Componibili will be featured during the exhibit. All of them will be on a rotating platform, allowing viewers to see each item from the same angle.
Mario and Luigi will be present to interact with the products, adding a unique element to the experience for those who have previously visited the original Kartell museum in Milan.
Visitors to the Kartell Museum will be provided with headphones to listen to a guided tour by Mario and Luigi, providing information about the products and their history. In addition, guests will have the opportunity to learn about the history of Kartell and Milan. Visitors are encouraged to take photos and share them on social media using the hashtag “MarioKartell2023”
