Press Release
Tomohiro Kaji Receives the Golden A' Design Award for Takanabe Ninomaru Historic Museum in Cultural Heritage and Culture Industry Design
The international grand jury of the 2024 - 2025 A' Design Award & Competition recognizes Tomohiro Kaji of Tomodachi Ltd for cultural heritage and culture industry design
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
COMO, Italy, April 18, 2025 /DesignNewswire/ A' Design Award & Competition has confirmed the Golden A' Design Award in the Cultural Heritage and Culture Industry Design category for Takanabe Ninomaru Historic Museum by Tomohiro Kaji of Tomodachi Ltd, designed for Takanabe Town Hall. The recognition forms part of the 2024 - 2025 A' Design Award & Competition and was reached through blind peer review by an international grand jury panel of established academics, design professionals and press members, who scored anonymized entries against predetermined criteria.
The Golden A' Design Award Explained
The Gold A' Design Award is granted to designs that demonstrate a high level of innovation and a significant impact on their intended audience. Recognized as a major achievement by the A' Design Awards, these designs are characterized by their visionary approach and the exceptional skill of their creators. Winners of the Gold A' Design Award are noted for their ability to push the envelope in art, science, design, and technology, delivering solutions that not only meet but exceed expectations. These designs serve as benchmarks for excellence, encouraging further innovation and inspiring future generations of designers.
About Takanabe Ninomaru Historic Museum
Takanabe Historical Museum, established in 1986, was reimagined to address declining visitor engagement due to outdated exhibits. The redesign embraced JIN, the philosophy of benevolence, transforming it into a cultural and educational hub fostering civic pride. Through visual storytelling and spatial design, the renewal introduced thematic curation, immersive exhibitions, and layered acrylic panels symbolizing historical continuity. Renamed Ninomaru History Museum, it now serves as an interactive space where heritage, education, and community connect.
About Tomohiro Kaji
Tomohiro Kaji is a former creative director for UNIQLO Co., Ltd. He graduated from Academy of Art University, San Francisco and joined UNIQLO Co., Ltd. in 2008 as the first graphic designer in its communications field. He’s built and managed an in-house creative team contributing global branding projects including HEATTECH and Ultra Light Down product branding, product marketing and digital integraded campaigns. He founded TOMODACHI Ltd. (https://tomodachiltd.com) in 2019, an independent creative agency to create art + strategy for branding, and became its representative director.
About Tomodachi Ltd
Art+Strategic creative agency from Kamakura, Japan.
Award Record
This recognition makes Tomohiro Kaji of Tomodachi Ltd a winner of 2 A' Design Awards. The awards were granted between the 2023 - 2024 and the 2024 - 2025 editions of the A' Design Award & Competition.
About the A' Cultural Heritage and Culture Industry Design Award
The A' Cultural Heritage Design Award is an international design competition recognizing good designs that preserve, protect, and promote cultural heritage. It is organized within the A' Design Award & Competition and is open to cultural heritage designers, culture industry professionals, cultural heritage specialists and museum designers from all countries. Typical entries include cultural heritage projects, cultural conversation, preservation and restoration and protection projects. The awarded cultural heritage designs are published at https://desingers.org/design-category/cultural-heritage
About A' Design Award & Competition
Organized annually since 2008, A' Design Award & Competition is an international, juried design accolade. The competition is open to entries from all countries. The philanthropic mission of the A' Design Award is to advance society through good design, by recognizing and promoting superior products, projects and services that benefit society, and by creating a global awareness and appreciation for good design practices and principles. Nominations are peer reviewed and evaluated anonymously by an international grand jury panel of established academics, design professionals and press members against predetermined criteria such as functionality, ergonomics, engineering, presentation, innovation, usability, sustainability and technology, with score normalization applied to remove biases. Awards are conferred at Platinum, Gold, Silver, Bronze and Iron levels. Eligible laureates receive the A' Design Prize, which includes the award trophy, the certificate of design excellence, the hardcover yearbook, a lifetime license to use the A' Design Award winner logo, exhibition of awarded works, an invitation to the gala night and award ceremony in Italy, inclusion in the World Design Rankings and Designer Rankings, and public relations and publicity services. Registration, uploading a work and receiving a preliminary score are free of charge, and Professional and Digital Edition laureates are not contractually obliged to pay further fees to claim the A' Design Prize. More information is available at https://competition.adesignaward.com
Press Resources
- Winner Page: https://desingers.org/167822
- A' Design Award Page: https://competition.adesignaward.com/167822
- Media Showcase: https://www.designnewsroom.com/!167822
- Laureate Profile: https://desingers.org/d/349316
- Further Information from the Laureate: https://tomodachiltd.com/takanabe
Media Contact
Giulia Ferrari, Press Office
Designers.Org
Via Leone Leoni 32, 22100 Como, Italy
press@designers.org
+39 031 4491953
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Fact Sheet
The Work
- Project
- Takanabe Ninomaru Historic Museum
- Function
- Historic Museum
- Category
- Cultural Heritage and Culture Industry Design
- Discipline
- Communication Design
- Industry
- Arts and Social Impact
- Colors
- Black, Maroon, Firebrick, Dark Red and Dark Slate Gray
- Images
- 5
- Client
- Takanabe Town Hall
The Recognition
- Laureate
- Tomohiro Kaji
- Country
- Japan
- Brand
- Tomodachi Ltd
- Recognition
- Golden A' Design Award
- Edition
- 2024 - 2025
- Design ID
- #167822
Credits
- Image Credits
- Illustrations: Tomohiro Kaji; #5: Photographer Kai Kanno (Nacasa & Partners)
Design Details
- Unique Properties
- This design centers on the concept of a history of benevolence, creating a space that visually and intuitively conveys the region's heritage through storytelling. Located on the historic site of Takanabe Castle, the museum was renamed and redesigned as a cultural hub to rediscover the town's uniqueness and foster civic pride. From curation and visual identity to signage and narrative design, the space was fully reimagined to serve as an educational and inspiring environment.
- Inspiration
- This project was inspired by the need to revitalize a declining local region by restoring its historical museum. Established in 1986 under the Akizuki domain, the museum's outdated exhibits led to a decline in visitor engagement. With the town's rich history in education and culture, revitalizing its significance was crucial. The goal was to transform the museum into a cultural hub where people can learn, connect, and take pride in their heritage and traditions.
- Research
- This study aimed to revitalize a historical museum through design and narrative. The objective was to enhance visitor engagement, promote cultural heritage preservation, and foster civic pride. The methodology included comparative studies of museums and interviews with historians. We introduced content curation and visual solutions. By highlighting the region's unique history of human development, we proposed a narrative-driven exhibition design, enhancing historical understanding.
- Challenge
- The biggest challenge of this project was creating an engaging exhibition with limited historical materials and budget. From a historical and social perspective, extensive document research and discussions with experts were conducted to highlight the region's uniqueness, shaping the exhibition narrative around the culture of human development. As large-scale renovations were not feasible, we utilized graphic and spatial design to create a visually compelling and immersive exhibition.
- Realization and Technology
- This exhibition uses graphic and spatial design to make history visually engaging. The entrance features a concept display with a tagline, while the first exhibition room includes zoning signs with symbolic designs. The second exhibition presents Takanabe Domain's history, the Meirindo school, and the 7th lord Akizuki Taneshige's SDGs-related policies. At the center, acrylic panels display successive lords and their policies, with a red gradient symbolizing historical continuity.
- Operation and Interaction
- This exhibition utilizes visual storytelling to help visitors intuitively understand the region's history. The layout is designed for a sequential experience, guiding visitors through zoned spaces categorized by theme and era, ensuring a natural flow of information. The design creates an immersive experience where history is learned through narratives, while layered acrylic panels symbolize temporal connections, resulting in a visually engaging and easily comprehensible exhibition.
- Project Duration and Location
- The project began in autumn 2023 in Miyazaki, Japana and finished in December 2024.
- Specifications
- Scale: Site area: 7,763 meter square Building area: 904.43 meter square 1st floor area: 461.58 meter square 2nd floor area: 442.85 meter square
- Keywords
- historical museum, cultural heritage, exhibition design, storytelling, visual identity, graphic design, spatial design, civic engagement, SDGs
