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CASE STUDY
ZEN MOMENTS IN KYOTO
Company Background
Serene Pathways is a modern travel company dedicated to curating thoughtful, enriching tour experiences that go beyond the usual sightseeing. Founded by a team of seasoned travelers, the company offers a range of destination tours designed to reveal the authentic spirit of each place. With the recent addition of Kyoto to their offerings, they’re looking to promote and sell these new tours through a fresh, engaging presence.
Challenge
Promoting new tours in a city as culturally rich and visually iconic as Kyoto comes with the risk of falling into clichés. Serene Pathways needed a way to communicate the depth and variety of their Kyoto experiences without reducing the city to familiar tourist tropes.
Goal
Design fresh, modern digital and print experiences that make discovering and booking various Kyoto tours seamless and engaging. The aim was to reflect Serene Pathways’ thoughtful approach to travel through a clean, intuitive experience.
Target Audience
Cultural explorers who seek to immerse themselves in the local heritage, history, art, and traditions of a city.
Research
Understanding Kyoto
- Nature is a design partner: Architecture & gardens are designed in harmony with the natural world.
- Slow living mindset: Kyoto resists rush, favoring pace and presence.
- Craftsmanship as philosophy: Everyday objects are treated as art forms.
- Cultural laying: Old and new coexist; temples stand next to modern shops.
Identity Informed
Through exploratory research into Japanese aesthetic philosophies, wabi-sabi emerged as the most meaningful direction to shape a visual concept. Its emotional resonance, visual richness, and cultural depth aligned perfectly with both the spirit of Kyoto and the tour company's desire to offer beyond surface-level travel.
Concept & Development
Building on my cultural and aesthetic research, I developed the concept through visual keywords, moodboards, and early design explorations. This process led to logo ideation, a bespoke typelockup, and layout sketches for both a responsive website and editorial brochure—designed to help the client stand out in a crowded tourism market and capture the essence of Kyoto.
Wabi-Sabi Wanderer embraces Kyoto’s quiet beauty through a lens of imperfection, nature, and craft. Calligraphy-inspired type, ink-wash textures, and an earthy palette reflect the city's landscape of traditional artistry, while asymmetrical details subtly express the wabi-sabi philosophy—finding beauty in imbalance and imperfection. The result is a refined, character-rich identity that stands apart from tourist clichés.
RAW
TRANQUIL
FLOW
Brand rollout
