BentoBox Magzine

A magazine geared toward the local fan base for Anime and Manga, called "Bentobox." I intended to combine the appearance and laws of Design in Japan and on authentic Japanese magazines with my own knowledge of western design. The magazine targets female girls, probably between 12-25. Because of the demographic, the design will be light, cute, and brightly coloured.

In my designs I have chosen a very light and feminine colour scheme of Pinks and yellows, mixed with a bit of black to add a bit of an accent and richer feel. The "BentoBox" title utilizes the fact that "Bento" is a Japanese word and so it has been converted to it's original Kanji lettering, with the Romaji name stated smaller above the "x" so readers can still identify with the title.

Vectorized Dango and Onigiri are common reoccurring images to help identify the brand while connecting to the title of the magazine referring to a customized lunch box. A pattern of Sakura blossoms is also used frequently. The blossoms are Japan's national flower and are commonly seen in patterns on a wide variety of things. In this context, with the soft colours they are an added element of "cute."

For the type, I have taken single words out of the headlines that quickly describe the topic and translated them into Japanese while having the full English title and main text in English. By appealing to a target audience already interested in Japanese culture, the added Kanji/Katakana/Hirigana (even if they can't read it) will only peek their interest more and help the magazine to clearly stand out as being for Anime/Manga fans.

Japanese design tends to break every rule that western designers are trained to abide by. Often by placing lots of things everywhere. Often the text is large and the main focal point. They design images to fit with text instead of formatting text to fit with imagery. I have mimicked this style by adding multiple layers of images, patterns and layers while keeping the text large and noticeable. In conjunction, I added a bit of western simplicity by covering the whole page with images and text but with only a handful of images instead of a million of everything, thus creating a harmonious balance between the two cultures of design.

More of this project:
Contents Page: [link]
Website: [link]
Ephemera: [link]
Logo: [link]