Setouchi. A Journey by JR-West
Saffron Brand Consultants, co-founded by Wally Olins, designed the identity for the Setouchi destination on behalf of the West Japan Railway Company (JR West). The goal was to establish this region as Japan’s ‘third destination’, offering a calmer alternative to the Tokyo and Kyoto-Osaka hubs. Following a week-long immersion on the ground, the team built a strategy around the concept of ‘the extraordinary in plain sight’. This project transforms the train ride into a truly contemplative experience, inviting travelers to follow the peaceful rhythm of the Seto Inland Sea.
Visually, the work relies on a minimalist aesthetic that avoids the aggressive graphic codes of major metropolises. The layouts are highly airy, using white space to evoke the serenity of the island landscapes. The color palette, featuring deep blues and sandy tones, ensures consistency across all touchpoints, from stations to digital screens. Far from being a simple advertising campaign, the design offers a poetic narrative where every visual detail highlights a promise of authenticity and discovery.
At the heart of this identity lies a precise typographic choice: the Osmose typeface from the French foundry Blaze Type. This hybrid font blends a solid structure with fluid, almost liquid details, reminiscent of the water and surrounding nature. Saffron customized this base with specific ligatures, such as the overlapping o and u, to symbolize the connection between the islands. By utilizing Blaze Type’s modern design, the agency provides the Setouchi region with a soft, living visual signature that accompanies the traveler from the very first glance. The accompanying Japanese typeface appears to be Kozuka Gothic.
