‘Umineko-do’ is a complex facility with a shared kitchen and free space, utilising a 110 years old storehouse in Mitsuhama, a port town of Matsuyama, Ehime. Based on the project’s theme of ‘the place where everything begins with the sea’s breeze,’ we have been consistently involved in it by producing the logos, promotional tools, products, as well as sign designs to help it become a space where various people, things, and values gather and expand.

The logo is designed based on the shape of a black-tailed gull (umineko) illustrated with a technical drawing style to add laboratory-like nuances to the friendliness of the animal. The motif of the bird is a reflection of the hope for new possibilities and values to be born and grow out of this place. In addition, we also designed a logo for MINATO-CHORISHITSU, a shared kitchen with permissions for restaurant businesses and confectionery businesses, that is a part of Umineko-do. The concept of this shared kitchen, which is to provides opportunities for foodrelated startups, is expressed in its logo, in which a kitchen knife, an important cooking tool, and a motif of waves and ships, reminders of the location of the facility, are combined. Adding to that, the number 3710 at the bottom represents the Japanese pronunciation of the word ‘Minato’ (mi=3, na=7, to=10). The symbolic expression leaves an impression.

Another part of the complex facility is ‘Minato no Jiyuba’, a multi-utility space that can accommodate various events and workshops. The logo of this place of relaxation where winds, light, waves, and sounds overlap together, is a combination of the motif of the anchor, a map symbol of a port, and a circle that represents a space and the sun on top. The double lines at the bottom represent the movement of waves, people, and things, as well as the town’s lively harbor landscape.

We have tried to express the hope that this will be a place where people and things circulate, and where thoughts, lifestyles, and sensitivities overlap intricately. From the beginning to the future, we hope that it continues to aim for providing a place where new values grow with food as the main focus.