Miyazaki Eastern Spirits is a canned cocktail brand inspired by Hayao Miyazaki, the Japanese director who brought the world cult-classic animated films such as Spirited Away (get it?) and Howl’s Moving Castle. Originally from Toyko, Miyazaki’s founders moved to Austin in 2015 and wanted to share their favorite spirits with folks in the US, but give them a stateside twist. As a small brand looking to sell directly to local restaurants and bars in Austin, TX, my fictional clients requested a simple design system for their brand that would attract attention without being too visually busy. Something that paid homage to their eastern roots while still appearing approachable and familiar to their US audience.

The result was a bright visual system that mixes the English alphabet with Japanese kanji and katakana, thus nodding to Miyazaki’s eastern and western inspirations. Traditional Japanese patterns wrap around cans while drink ingredients and product details sit in a boxed lockup reminiscent of bento boxes.