Case Study: aeru preserves Japanese traditional crafts for future generations with NOSIGNER

aeru and NOSIGNER create an award-winning children’s craft brand in 2012

aeru is a Japanese social enterprise founded to address the crisis facing the country's traditional crafts, which had seen an 80% sales decline over 40 years due to an aging artisan population and a lack of new markets. The challenge was to create a sustainable brand that could connect these disappearing crafts to the future by making them relevant for a new generation. NOSIGNER was engaged to provide comprehensive design and product development services.

NOSIGNER implemented a full solution, directing the overall branding, creating a variable logo symbolizing harmony, and designing numerous child-safe products like spill-resistant bowls and cups. This collaboration helped aeru successfully create a new market for traditional crafts by targeting children ages 0-6. The results were highly successful, with the venture receiving numerous prestigious awards including the Good Design Award and being recognized as a leading social enterprise in Asia, widely increasing the recognition of traditional industrial social businesses in Japan.

aeru