Matheus Gomes designed these business cards for Ryo Darren, CEO and Founder of Jidaigeki Household Goods.
Ryo was the industrial designer and entrepreneur, who was born in Scotland, UK, and is currently living in Tokyo, Japan.
The Origin of the Business Name
Matheus shared with us the background of his client and how the company name was chosen.
“In our brief process, Ryo shared with me that despite being European born, he has never lost interest in his roots and always tried to add up Japanese references in his works as much as possible,” said Matheus.
“From an early age, Ryo has been fascinated by Jidaigeki, which is a genre of film, theatre, video games, and television in Japan, and the Jidaigeki period takes place during the Ero period of Japanese history.”
“Ryo has a degree in Product Design from The Glasgow School of Art and is currently getting an MFA in Fine Arts from Tokyo University of the Arts, and after years working in studios, he decided to take on the challenge to create an interior design studio/store last year.”
“As he was fascinated by the Jidaigeki atmosphere because of the history and traditional Japanese culture showcased, he decided to name his business after it and so it became Jidaigeki Household Goods.”
The Inspiration behind the Design
“For the project’s mood board, I took elements from the Jidaigeki film techniques, which ended up influencing on the final color palette, old Japanese movie posters, the Japanese culture itself specifically its calligraphy,” Matheus explained.
“Ryo and I wanted something that represented well Jidaigeki, but could not be too simple despite his love for minimalism.”
“After the visual identity design, which was custom designed, I decided to let the glyph formed linking the letters E and K to take the stage in the stationary as he wanted something very simple, practical, low-cost, but impactful and eye-catching – something easy to sink in.”
Business Card Printing Details
The business cards were printed by Print Thy Paper through offset printing on kraft paper, both sides, one color, 300 gsm, 84mm x 55mm size, and square corners.
“As I was trying to approach friendless in Jidaigeki’s atmosphere, I decided to choose the kraft paper for the stationery as it brings up the warmth and coziness feel to contrast the neutral color palette chosen for the project, so it would not feel too cold,” Matheus said.
“For the finishing, the glyph received a slight deboss to outline it and give it playful touch.”
We have always believed that there’s more to a story even it’s a minimal design. It’s fascinating to learn about how a concept was initiated until a spectacular design was produced!
Designed by Matheus Gomes
Printed by Print Thy Paper, UK
For Ryo Darren (Jidaigeki Household Goods)