Branding, Illustration

As a subsidiary of Saboten, Hodai serves a different culinary experience to the audience compared to the former parent brand. Hodai as a short form of Tabehoudai (たべほうだい) holds a literal meaning of all-you-can-eat in Japanese, therefore a closer and distinct approach was adapted to the brand.

The challenge was to provide a familiar association with the parent company, while also upholding the value of the brand itself, to appear bright and festive—a great place with a nuance to celebrate togetherness.

Creating a fictional story and figures of the family of the Japanese empire was the solution. King Oda, Princess Ai, and Prince Dai were designed to express the jovial and intimacy that the brand provides. The big idea of the mascot design is to portray the royal family who invites and welcomes the guests from all around the town to have a feast in the palace. The emperor as the head of the empire naturally becomes the main face of the brand, pictured in a warm and bubbly manner through the use of the thick and bold strokes, following the preceding guidelines made for the parent brand.

Festivity, warm and friendly invitation

Each of the mascot characters communicates in different tones of voice, creating an integrated and accessible experience for the customers.