Digital Marketing for Asia (DMFA) are a subsidiary of Softbank Corp, and provide support to clients and partners looking to enter the Asian market. Using the power of digital technology, local knowledge, specific expertise and close-knit relationships, they aim to help brands expand and grow globally.

During the brand workshop, we established their audience, positioning, personality, values, vision, mission, purpose along with points of difference. From here, we created their Brand Core Strategy, providing them with an overall framework to shape their decision making and future plans.

As we developed the visual identity, we explored ideas of connecting people. We delved into cultural traditions and found an endearing tale popular in Asian folklore, Akai Ito, or the red thread of destiny. According to the legend, it connects us to those we are destined towards, and whilst it may tangle or stretch it will never break. When we pitched the concept with the outline of a visual direction, it was clear that it hit the mark, and gave us the launchpad to expand and refine.

We were inspired by large-scale string art installations, using UV threads to create gigantic woven structures and how this resonated with our concept. This provided us with the basis of a vibrant colour palette, underpinned by classic neon scenes of Tokyo at night.

We introduced a modern twist on traditional Japanese patterns. The meanings behind these patterns related well to the story of the brand, with Seigaiha meaning peace and good luck, and the Asanoha meaning growth and resilience.

We worked with illustrator Alexandra Francis to develop a series of scenes drawn out from a single line with the intention to use these across social and video content and bring another layer of flexibility to the brand visual toolkit.

We also developed bespoke characters within their headline typeface, giving them string like characteristics and providing further distinction to their communication.

We spoke with Right Aligned to our explain our process, you can watch how it all came together here.

We provided DMFA with digital brand guidelines, a new fully editable website, animated videos, social post templates and document designs.

Their digital brand guidelines mean any member of the team can easily access them globally on any devices at any time.

Joanna Pawlowicz, Digital Marketing Manager for DMFA, said:
“The Dawn team is a dream to work with! We partnered up on a rebranding project and a new website, and could not be happier with the end results. The support we’ve received was truly exceptional – from the initial branding workshops, development phase, all the way through to the launch.”