Gokaido came to us with an idea to bring the anime and comic conference experience online. They needed the full 0-1 package, from branding to product design.

First, we crafted Gokaido’s brand and visual identity, along with a custom illustrated mascot and new tagline. Next, we brought their brand to life on their new website and marketing materials. And finally, we worked with their developers to design their product’s experience and interface, for both mobile and web applications.

Inspired by the world of comics and graphic art, we designed the Gokaido brand and logo to reach its anime-loving audience. We chose a green/neutral color palette to represent the “Go!” in Gokaido, as well as bold, quirky typography and use of Japanese characters to reference anime.

We created Kai, the mascot, to add an element of quirky relatability to the Gokaido brand, and to reference the art and comic characters that our users create and love.

When Gokaido came to us, they were trying to retrofit a web marketplace template to accomplish their product goals. It became clear that the template wasn’t capable of what they needed, and that the experience was confusing and discouraging.

In order to find success, Gokaido needed to attract both vendors and buyers, working similarly to Etsy, where individual sellers populate goods for end users to purchase. We designed their new website and marketing materials to speak to both audiences, applying the new brand and visual identity.

Gokaido is live and has been growing over the last 12 months and present at a number of conventions, attracting both buyers and sellers to the platform as it continues to expand.