Okunoin

Intro

The goal of this project is to recreate a logo from an existing Hotel or Restaurant.

Process

The concept and process I used to make this logotype were from my experience staying in a notable hotel in Japan. The Okunoin Hotel is a Ryokan, meaning it is a traditional Japanese Inn that typically features tatami-matted rooms, a communal hot spring bath, and kaiseki dinner.

This hotel is located at a popular tourist attraction in Nikko, Japan. During my stay, I noticed the beautiful red aesthetic from the tall shrines and temples. This is what led to using red as one of my conceptual concepts in the logotype. For my process, I used a san serif typeface Reross in all caps because I want something simple and easy to read. Also, it possesses an oriental vibe to it and it reminds me of Japanese bamboo gardens. 

I changed the middle stroke to red in the letters K and N to represent the popular shrine, temple, and bridge in that area. I left the words, “hot spring” in kanji in the logotype to keep it traditional and modern at the same time.  I noticed that the symbol for hot springs is widely known in Japan, so I thought about making the letter O in Okunoin into that symbol and keeping the line weight consistent with everything else.