2014 Winners & Shortlists

Brief Explanation

To promote New Year's Eve in Dubai, it's easy to fall into the trap of using eye-catching colours and design. We wanted to promote Sake No Hana's unique evening by using a concept and design that would be equally unique. Our key objective was not just draw the crowds to Sake No Hana, but create a visual that would speak directly to their specific target audience of hip and trendy young professionals.

The Brief

Sake No Hana has just recently open its doors in Dubai, a city with hundreds of restaurants and entertainment venues. To infiltrate the market and reflect its contemporary yet authentic culinary experience, Sake No Hana launched its communication using a combination of modern and traditional brand identity. When it comes to New Year's Eve, competition for clients becomes even fiercer in the city. To promote the dinner, the client requested artwork that would stand out from the usual over-indulgent New Year's Even communication, and simultaneously bring across the brand's identity.

How the final design was conceived

Much like other annual occasions, there are many visual symbols that are recurrently used in communication. In order to avoid falling into cliches, we decided to look at those symbols and see how we could use them to our own benefit, making them specific to the brand. After researching Japanese design, we chose to create the artwork using the simplicity that is commonly found in Japanese art, illustrating items with single lines and block backgrounds. Our chosen symbols were midnight and chopsticks, bringing together the two visual elements to make a direct and simple allusion to New Year's Eve.

Indication of how successful the outcome was in the market

In the weeks before New Year's Eve the poster appeared in and around The Crystal Group's Dubai venues and was also used for online communication. As a direct result, Sake No Hana's New Year's Eve was more than successful, not only filling the house but creating a waiting list of clients wanting to reserve. Indirectly, the poster further enhanced Sake No Hana as one of the trendy, must-go venues in Dubai.