The swatch book: Good For Nothing Collection have incorporated the aesthetic of the Yakuza Culture, following the overall aesthetic of Japanese design which is minimalism with a twist of modernism. It was decided upon a large format for the piece, to allow for sufficient white space to exist and balance the use of text and images, giving the essence of simplicity and tradition in each space, as for the colours are bright and stunning to give the essence of modernism and a sense of styling. Therefore, to ensure user interactiveness, flaps was created to enhance the experience of the reader and to cover certain interesting areas to trigger curiosity. The flaps are designed in a form of teaching Yakuza/ Japanese phrases and slangs in which were only related to the yakuza world to readers. For example, boryokudon” means tough, heavily tattooed yakuza who are affiliated with an organized group dab-bling in criminal activities.
Therefore, the illustrations of the tote bag and packaging are also inspired by the elements of the yakuza tattoos: oni mask. Oni is a demon that doles out gruesome punishment to the wicked. Thus, the oni mask tattoo represents the enforcement of behaviour codes or the doling out of punishment. Generally, someone who wears an Oni mask on their body has the same intent as someone who wears one on their face: they want to tell evil not to mess with them.
Thank you, fellow photographers, for the contributions of images and Paper Takeo Achro Print 130gsm and Royal Sundance Linen 230gsm.