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Consumer & Retail

For the Rinnai Aoyama showroom and custom kitchen brand, we directed the production of photorealistic CGI to envision the space before its completion and establish a shared understanding of its world. Particular attention was given to the relationship between architecture, interiors, and products, shaping them as a coherent whole. Through the careful rendering of materials such as stainless steel, wood, and stone, the imagery translates Rinnai’s long-standing philosophy of shitsujitsu-gōken—integrity, simplicity, and uncompromising craftsmanship—into a visual experience. Beyond functionality, the CGI portrays a refined and considered way of living envisioned by the brand.

For the brand identity development of Hyugatoki Tea by AKARI, we led the entire process—from brand strategy and corporate identity to packaging, website, brand book, and graphic applications. Inspired by the Eastern medicine concept of mibyo—caring for the body before illness occurs—we established AKARI’s philosophy of maintaining balance in both body and mind through everyday life as the foundation of the brand. Hyugatoki Tea is made with Hyugatoki, a plant traditionally valued in Japan and passed down through generations. Rather than communicating the product primarily through health claims or functionality, we sought to express the history and character of the plant, together with the maker’s commitment to creating something genuinely beneficial for everyday life. Working with FIL on product development, we refined the blend through repeated experimentation, preserving the distinctive bitterness of Hyugatoki while creating a taste that can be enjoyed as part of a daily routine. From the product itself to language, logo, typography, packaging, photography, and digital experience, every element was shaped through a single philosophy—transforming the simple act of making tea into a quiet ritual for bringing balance to everyday life.

For the Hyugatoki Tea Web & Editorial by AKARI, we led the information architecture, art direction, design, photography, and editorial development. Rather than approaching the website simply as an e-commerce platform, we conceived it as an evolving brand medium through which AKARI could continuously express its philosophy of bringing balance to body and mind through everyday life. Beginning with Hyugatoki Tea, the editorial explores the wider world surrounding the product—plants, place, food, the body, and everyday living. Through the lives and perspectives of different people, photography, writing, typography, and space were carefully composed as a single editorial experience, allowing the philosophy of AKARI to emerge without relying on direct product communication. By bringing product, commerce, and editorial together as one coherent experience, the website becomes more than a place to purchase tea. It is a growing platform where AKARI’s philosophy, aesthetic sensibility, and stories can accumulate over time.

For the packaging design of Hyugatoki Tea by AKARI, we developed the entire experience—from the brand concept and packaging structure to graphics, typography, materials, and print specifications. Inspired by the Eastern medicine concept of mibyo and AKARI’s philosophy of bringing balance to body and mind through everyday life, we sought to create a quiet presence rather than the conventional visual language of health and wellness products. Respecting the history and inherent character of the Hyugatoki plant, information and decoration were reduced to their essential elements. Space, typography, paper, materiality, and the tactile experience were considered as part of a single whole. From its presence in the home to the ritual of preparing and drinking the tea, the packaging was designed as part of the brand experience—allowing AKARI’s philosophy and aesthetic sensibility to become a natural part of everyday life.

For the second communication campaign following the brand renewal of Rinnai’s Micro Bubble Bath Unit, we led the planning, production, and creative direction across TV commercials, website, catalogue, and other brand communications. Rather than focusing solely on product features, the project explored how to communicate the experiences and benefits made possible by Rinnai’s proprietary Air Bubble Technology. Beginning with the sensation of being gently surrounded by microbubbles, we sought to portray how an everyday bath can become a richer and more restorative experience—connecting technology with meaningful moments in daily life. TV commercials, digital experiences, and printed materials were developed not as separate pieces of communication, but as expressions of a single concept and brand world. Building upon the renewed aesthetic direction established for Rinnai, the campaign aimed to move beyond the functional value of residential equipment and elevate the Micro Bubble Bath Unit as a product that enriches the everyday experience of bathing.

For the brand visual development of Rinnai’s Micro Bubble Bath Unit, we led the concept development, art direction, and photography. Rather than focusing on the product itself, we sought to capture the sensory experience created by Rinnai’s proprietary Air Bubble Technology—the gentle sensation of being surrounded by microbubbles and the transformation of an everyday bath into a richer moment of well-being. Through subtle observations of water, light, skin, steam, and the movements of the body, we visualized the emotional and sensory value beyond the product’s functional benefits. With an emphasis on stillness, restraint, and space, the imagery presents the Micro Bubble Bath Unit not simply as residential equipment, but as a refined bathing experience for both body and mind. The resulting visual language was developed consistently across advertising, digital, catalogue, and other brand touchpoints, creating a coherent world around the Micro Bubble Bath Unit.

To communicate FDM’s brand concept of “Slow Architecture—architecture that endures together with its city, people, and culture,” we led the concept development, planning, and creative direction of the television commercial. Rather than presenting a home simply as a product to be sold, we approached architecture as a vessel for everyday life—one that gradually becomes part of its place and culture over time. Instead of focusing directly on features or specifications, the film observes subtle moments of everyday life: human gestures, shifting light, the character of materials, and the quiet passage of time. Through these details, we sought to express the value that architecture acquires through being lived in and cared for over many years. Film, cinematography, sound, and language were brought together to embody FDM’s pursuit of enduring beauty beyond trends or temporary novelty. More than a housing commercial, the film poses a fundamental question: For whom, and for what, does architecture exist? It was conceived as a brand film that gives form to FDM’s philosophy and its vision of Slow Architecture.

For the brand identity development of MAISON CACAO, we led the process from brand strategy and concept development to art direction and the creation of its visual identity. By examining the values the brand had cultivated over time, together with the philosophy of its founder and organization, we redefined the source of MAISON CACAO’s creativity as the pursuit of knowledge through travel, the unexpected recombination of what is already known, and the intersection of Art and Science. Beyond the category of cacao or confectionery, the brand was positioned as one that encounters the unknown and transforms discovery into new culture and experiences. The brand personality was structured around Creator / Innocent as the qualities that attract people, and Explorer / Hero / Outlaw as the fundamental spirit that drives the brand toward the unknown. Looking toward the future, Lover / Sage were introduced to strengthen its sensibility, affection, and intellectual depth. Together, these qualities form a distinctive personality that brings curiosity, experimentation, beauty, and intelligence into a single whole. We positioned “the unknown”—for the organization, its people, and its customers—as the starting point for creation. Knowledge, cultures, materials, and techniques discovered through travel and exploration are brought together and transformed into new products and experiences. This philosophy was translated into logo, typography, color, graphics, and photography, creating a coherent identity that embodies MAISON CACAO’s craftsmanship and enduring spirit of exploration.

For the renewal of the MAISON CACAO website, we led the entire development—from concept and information architecture rooted in the brand strategy to art direction, web design, photography, and front-end development. Rather than treating the website simply as an e-commerce platform for presenting and selling products, we rebuilt it as a brand medium that communicates MAISON CACAO’s philosophy, spirit of exploration, and the people and cultures behind its creations. The brand’s creative foundation—the pursuit of knowledge through travel, the unexpected recombination of what is already known, and the intersection of Art and Science—was translated into a digital experience. Through photography, language, typography, layout, and interaction, we expressed how encounters with cacao, materials, places, and people are transformed into new products and experiences, bringing MAISON CACAO’s curiosity, experimentation, craftsmanship, and aesthetic sensibility together into a coherent world. By balancing an intuitive presentation of the products with a deeper understanding of the brand, the website was designed to become more than a point of purchase—a place where visitors can continuously encounter something unknown. Products, stories, people, and culture accumulate over time, allowing MAISON CACAO’s ongoing exploration itself to become part of the brand’s value.

For the renewal of Japanese sake brand TAKANOME, we led the development from the reconstruction of its brand identity to art direction, packaging, graphics, digital, and communication design. Beginning with the brand’s fundamental belief—“Simply pursuing what is delicious”—we reconsidered what “delicious” truly means for TAKANOME and redefined the philosophy and aesthetic sensibility at the heart of the brand. Rather than treating taste as something experienced solely through flavor, we approached it as a holistic experience shaped by space, cuisine, tableware, human connection, conversation, and the passage of time. While respecting the culture and craftsmanship cultivated through the long history of sake, we developed a contemporary visual language with a quiet sense of refinement, unconstrained by conventional expressions of the category. Logo, typography, color, photography, packaging, and other touchpoints were designed not as separate elements, but as parts of a single experience surrounding a glass of sake. Beyond the category of Japanese sake, the identity was created to express TAKANOME as a brand that enriches human senses and sensibility through its uncompromising pursuit of what is truly delicious.

For the launch of FIL, based in Minamioguni, Kumamoto, we led the development of the entire brand experience—from brand strategy and identity to art direction, graphics, architecture, interiors, furniture, and product design. The project began with a fundamental question: “What does it mean to be truly rich?” Rather than defining richness solely through economic or material value, we reconsidered it through the relationships between people, nature, and the objects that surround us, establishing this perspective as the foundation of FIL’s philosophy. By carefully studying the landscape and climate of Minamioguni, its inherited culture and craftsmanship, and the relationships among the people who live there, we sought to connect the value already embedded in the region with contemporary life. Rather than simply creating something new, the brand was conceived as a way to inherit local materials, techniques, and memories, reinterpret them through new relationships, and create value that can endure together with the region. This philosophy was translated not only into visual elements such as logo, typography, photography, and graphics, but also into architecture, space, furniture, and products. Rather than treating each as an individual design discipline, we integrated them into a single world through which FIL’s idea of richness could be experienced—creating a brand identity deeply rooted in Minamioguni while continuing to explore values with universal relevance.

For the development of FIL STUDIOS™ MASS Series, we led the concept, product direction, visual expression, and communication based on FIL’s broader brand philosophy. The collection began by reconsidering the potential of Oguni cedar, a locally grown timber from Minamioguni in the Aso region of Kumamoto, transforming a material traditionally associated with architecture into furniture for contemporary life. Canuch By combining the lightness, softness, and distinctive grain of Oguni cedar with metal frames that provide structural strength, the MASS Series explores a unique balance of visual lightness and physical solidity. Rather than simply using a local material, the project looks deeper into the region’s forestry, craftsmanship, and relationship with nature, revealing the inherent potential of the material through contemporary product design. B&H - Brand & Design Consulting Firm FIL’s fundamental question—“What does it mean to have a fulfilling life?”—was translated into furniture as an intimate part of everyday living, proposing new relationships between people and objects, nature and place. Developed in collaboration with product designer Yosuke Kinoshita of CANUCH, the MASS Series became one of FIL’s defining collections, connecting the landscape, culture, and materials of Minamioguni with contemporary life.

or FIL’s product development, we created Essential Oil as a way to bring the nature and atmosphere of Minamioguni into everyday life, leading its concept development, brand direction, packaging, and communication. Beginning with FIL’s fundamental question—“What does it mean to have a fulfilling life?”—we approached local plants and scents not simply as materials, but as a sensory medium through which the air, forests, seasons, and memories of a place could be experienced. By looking beyond the conventional use of forest resources for architecture and furniture, we explored how the landscape could be translated into the intangible experience of scent. From the fragrance itself to the bottle, label, packaging, and photography, each element was designed as part of a single experience that brings the quietness and comfort of nature into everyday living. Through scent, FIL reconnects people with nature and place in a way distinct from furniture or architecture. Rather than simply creating a fragrance product, Essential Oil was developed as an expression of the richness of Minamioguni, translated into daily life.

The MASS Series “SUMI LIMITED” is a collection inspired by the deep black landscapes born from “Noyaki”—the traditional controlled grass burning that has long shaped the scenery of Aso. It combines charred cedar, echoing the ink-black tones of this tradition, with steel frames, creating a striking contrast of materials. This series was conceived as an attempt to deeply understand Noyaki, the centuries-old custom that sustains Aso’s vast natural environment. For over a thousand years, this unique practice has preserved the land, fostered profound bonds among its people, and cultivated a shared memory of landscapes shaped together by nature and humanity. Within these memories lies a clue to what it means to live a “life fulfilled.” From the ink-black world of Noyaki springs the rebirth of life—solemn strength emerging from volcanic terrain that is at once fertile and harsh. In this land of Aso, where people and nature have coexisted for generations to build the future, SUMI LIMITED embodies that living experience in the form of furniture.Each year, only 25 pieces of each design are produced. This number pays homage to the Edo period, when the tradition of planting Oguni cedar began with the distribution of 25 seedlings to be planted each season.

As part of FIL’s product development, we created Porcelain, a tableware collection designed to bring the brand’s philosophy into the everyday dining experience. Beginning with FIL’s fundamental question—“What does it mean to have a fulfilling life?”—we approached tableware not simply as vessels for food, but as objects that enrich the acts of eating, gathering, and the small rituals of daily life. The collection was designed in collaboration with product designer Yoh Komiyama and produced by 224porcelain, a producer of Hizen Yoshida ware based in Ureshino, Saga. Respecting the craftsmanship and techniques cultivated in the region over generations, we carefully considered materiality, tactility, harmony with food, and everyday usability, pursuing a quiet and timeless presence free from unnecessary decoration. By bringing together FIL’s philosophy rooted in Minamioguni, the heritage of Hizen Yoshida ware in Ureshino, and contemporary product design, the project explores how new value can emerge through relationships between different places, cultures, and makers. Porcelain brings FIL’s philosophy into everyday life, inviting us to rediscover the essential richness found in the simple act of sharing a meal.

As part of FIL’s ongoing brand development, we collaborated with mitosaya Botanical Distillery, based in Otaki, Chiba, whose practice is rooted in the idea of “giving form to small discoveries found in nature,” to create ASODA, a soda made with natural spring water from Aso. The project extends FIL’s fundamental question—“What does it mean to have a fulfilling life?”—beyond furniture, spaces, fragrance, and tableware into the everyday experience of food and drink. ASODA combines mineral-rich spring water from the Aso Caldera with seasonal fruits, herbs, and other natural ingredients. Bringing together mitosaya’s knowledge of botanicals and distillation with FIL’s perspective on nature and place, the collaboration resulted in a low-sugar, non-alcoholic drink characterized by fresh botanical aromas and flavors. By connecting the natural resources of one place with knowledge and techniques cultivated in another, the project explores how new value can emerge through collaboration. ASODA represents an extension of FIL’s philosophy into the experience of taste—an expression of the richness of Minamioguni and Aso through something as simple and essential as a drink.

As part of the launch of FIL, we worked on the brand direction for FIL STUDIOS™ Flagship Shop in Minamioguni, Aso District, Kumamoto. FIL was founded by forestry company Foreque, using local resources such as Oguni cedar generated through forest management to connect the nature and culture of Minamioguni with contemporary life. The space was designed by CANUCH, incorporating views of the surrounding landscape while making extensive use of locally grown Oguni cedar. The warm, reddish character of the wood is paired with FIL STUDIOS™ furniture featuring copper-toned frames, allowing the contrasting materials to bring out the natural strength and warmth of the cedar. As FIL’s brand partner, we directed the connection between the brand’s philosophy, identity, and physical space. More than a place to display and sell furniture and products, the flagship was created as a place to experience FIL’s idea of a fulfilling life through the nature, materials, and craftsmanship of Minamioguni.

As part of FIL’s brand development, FIL Fragrance was created to bring the nature and forests of Minamioguni into everyday life through the sense of scent. At its foundation is Oguni cedar, grown in Minamioguni’s distinctive natural environment of clear water, rich soil, and dramatic seasonal temperature changes. Essential oil is carefully extracted from the cedar at FIL’s own facility and combined with a variety of natural fragrances to create a distinctive olfactory expression of the brand. FIL One of the collection’s signature products, Pot-Pourri Susano, uses volcanic stone from the land where Oguni cedar grows as the medium for fragrance. Created in collaboration with Paris-based perfumer Miya Shinma PARFUMS, the scent combines Oguni cedar essential oil with rosewood, frankincense, patchouli, and other notes to create a fragrance that is fresh yet rich and warm. The fragrance oil is blended in Paris, then aged and bottled at FIL before each piece is finished by hand. FIL Beyond furniture and space, FIL seeks to bring the atmosphere and memory of a place into everyday life. By connecting the forests of Minamioguni, the volcanic landscape of Aso, and the culture of perfumery, FIL Fragrance extends the brand’s exploration of the relationship between people and nature into the realm of scent.

As part of FIL’s brand development, the FIL Tea Collection brings the nature and botanical landscape of Aso into everyday life through the experience of taste. Inspired by the distinctive plants and landscapes of the region, the collection is composed of three herbal teas—FOREST / FLOWER / FIELD—each expressing a different aspect of the natural environment. TEA FOREST evokes the freshness and depth of the woods, TEA FLOWER captures the softness and aromatic richness of blooming plants, while TEA FIELD reflects the calm openness of fields and grasslands. By combining different elements of plants—including leaves, stems, flowers, fruits, and grains—each blend translates the atmosphere, seasons, and character of a landscape into aroma and taste. Just as with furniture, fragrance, and tableware, FIL approaches food and drink as another way of creating a relationship between people and nature. FIL Tea Collection translates three landscapes of Aso—FOREST, FLOWER, and FIELD—into a cup of tea, bringing the richness of the land into the quiet rituals of everyday life.

For the launch of FIL, we led the concept, art direction, and photography direction for a series of Visual Images created to express the brand’s philosophy and world. Beginning with FIL’s fundamental question—“What does it mean to have a fulfilling life?”—the imagery was conceived not simply to present furniture and products beautifully, but to express the places they inhabit, the nature surrounding them, the presence of people, and the passage of time as part of a larger whole. Photographed against the natural landscape of Minamioguni, Kumamoto, where FIL originated, the images carefully explore the relationships between forests, light, plants, materials, people, and objects. Rather than over-directing each scene, we worked with the existing light, atmosphere, and character of the landscape, capturing quiet moments in which people, nature, and objects coexist naturally. More than product photography, the images were developed as a visual expression of FIL’s idea of a fulfilling life—communicating the brand through feeling rather than explanation. Extended across the website, graphics, catalogues, retail spaces, and other touchpoints, the Visual Images established a coherent visual world at the heart of FIL’s brand identity.

ASUR is a direct-to-consumer cosmetics brand by NODOCA, with product development produced by model IVAN. For its March 2020 launch, we developed the branding, design system, and online store around the makers’ stories and a sense of connection. The approach brings together a commitment to products that remain loved beyond passing trends and a desire to reveal natural beauty in everyday life without excessive embellishment. We sought to express the care and philosophy behind the products, nurturing a lasting relationship between the brand and the people who use it.

UZU is a cosmetics brand born from FLOWFUSHI, whose mascaras and lip glosses challenged conventions in the beauty industry. After bringing the FLOWFUSHI brand to a close at the end of 2018, the company launched UZU as its next step toward a global presence. For the 2018–2019 launch project, B&H was responsible for digital design. The work brought together interactions expressing the brand’s world, a new approach to the e-commerce experience, and campaign-linked landing pages—creating a digital introduction to the new brand.

WEEK END began in 2019 as a collaboration with specialists, designers, and regional partners to explore comfort in contemporary living. Valuing product quality, care for the people who use the products, and the essentials of everyday life, the project pursues enduring design beyond passing trends. B&H worked on a philosophy-led brand identity, the launch of the website and online store, key-visual photography, and PR strategy. The approach considers reassurance and comfort not only through a product’s functions, but also through the perspectives and state of mind of its users. Centered on quietude and the space it creates for reflection, the products and communication seek to encourage a renewed relationship with everyday living.