Spreading Good Cheer

Brand Strategy – Graphic Design

MUJI is a brand that needs little introduction. Established in 1980 in Japan and known for its philosophy of functional, quality design with a distinctive Japanese minimalist aesthetic and offered at a reasonable price, MUJI has been sparking joy and encouraging sustainable living with its emphasis on recycling and the avoidance of waste in production and packaging through its refillable bottles, soap dispensers, and more, long before Marie Kondo was even born. MUJI is now a global retail powerhouse with more than 1,000 stores around the world, carrying more than 7,000 items ranging from clothing and household goods to food and even houses. Here in Singapore, MUJI currently has 10 retail outlets (+ 2 Cafe&Meal MUJI outlets).

We were honoured to be invited by MUJI Singapore to be the first local creative agency to work on their iconic Christmas Key Visual and Christmas Catalogue. After years of having a quiet Christmas due to the COVID-19 pandemic, 2022 marked the first year that restrictions were eased and in recognition of these circumstances, we came up with the celebratory and exuberant campaign name of “Spreading Good Cheer” together with MUJI. Envisioning the Christmas spirit as one filled with fun, joy, laughter, warmth, giving and community, we created a key visual comprising original illustrations depicting a festive (HDB) block party, with people from all walks of life coming together to celebrate the holidays in their own way, surrounded by larger-than-life Christmas decor and MUJI products, celebrating the things that Singaporeans love about MUJI, Christmas and Singapore.

“What if a gingerbread house could instead be a gingerbread HDB flat?” 

To support the concept further, we reinterpreted classic Christmas icons and traditions into familiar scenes that locals can identify with, relate to, and appreciate in a personal way. Our favourite MUJI goods are also seamlessly integrated within the festive block party, anchoring it back to the MUJI brand and the role they’ve played in the lives of countless Singaporeans over the decades. Going beyond the inclusion of familiar objects and icons in literal ways or for nostalgia’s sake, we carefully considered how people could interact with them differently, in ways that could only be imagined, whilst also introducing a playful element of surprise for visitors to spot delightful easter eggs,  #whereswaldo style. ⁠We truly had giant MUJI tote bags’ worth of fun working on this illustrated key visual with MUJI Singapore, and we hope it brings you the same joy, warmth and excitement it did for us. ⁠

Reflecting on all the fun we had from creating this illustrative piece for MUJI Singapore, here are some of the key highlights to look out for at our festive block party:⁠

• A giant snow globe to meet your White Christmas desires, packed with MUJI’s marshmallows and chocolate coated strawberries⁠
• A very enthusiastic ice cream uncle, fully decked out in Christmas swag⁠
• A larger-than-life MUJI Tote Bag ball pit, to transport your child, or your inner child into a alternate realm made of absolute delight⁠
• Log cake train station - the sweetest ride in town! Don’t forget to hitch a ride for an indulgent photo opp⁠
• A very Singaporean Christmas tree, adorned with MUJI’s signature right angle socks⁠

Christmas Catalogue

“Catalogue vs KV - How can we shoot beyond the cover and integrate the illustrated elements with the catalogue content?”⁠

⁠Good cheer means to let loose, and have fun. We needed to be as intentional about this as possible - riffing the whimsy and jolly of the original key visual, ensuring this channelled onwards into the inside pages and keeping the overall look & feel consistent while honouring and adhering to MUJI’s global brand guidelines. We adapted elements from the key visual across various spreads of the Christmas catalogue, creating playful interactions between the illustrated characters, products and models, bringing delight to your reading experience.⁠

Creative Direction, Art Direction, Graphic Design & Development by
OuterEdit