NakasendoStoryMoodboards

Charcoal Soap Concept
Process | Personas | Moodboards

The Shogun’s soap
The secret of the Nakasendo — a handmade, artisan soap based on Japanese
Charcoal to be targeted at older men who up until now have rarely, if ever, used
beauty products.
The year is 1750. During the construction of the Nakasendo highway in Edo Japan,
thousands of Ubame Oak trees are felled and burned by the Samurai at night
for warmth in the hostile forest of Japan’s central mountain route. The men face a
daily danger: roaming bears, angry at the destruction of their home. Terrified of
their tormentors, the Samurai begin using the charcoal from the burned Ubame
to camoflauge their faces and hands. Eventually arriving at the palace in Kyoto, the
Shogun remarks that he has never seen such healthy looking men after such a long
and dangerous journey and orders they disclose their secret.
Believing that the forest must have mystical purifying powers, the Shogun orders his
master craftsmen search the forest for its otherwordly ingredient. A beauty potion is
crafted from the Ubame Oak tree for his beloved wife, Princess Kazunomiya.
But the Shogun has a secret...........
Eager for his reign to last another 200 years he keeps the potion for himself,
and orders its recipe to be kept in the palace’s vault, only to be revealed in the
auspicious year of 2020.
The Shogun’s secret weapon was the Ubame charcoal.
Shogun. The soap to help men’s skin win its daily battles.

John
DEMOGRAPHIC: European Male
AGE: Late 50s
Moderately successful in his career and at managerial level in his corporate job,
to some extent John is having to come to terms with not having been quite as
successful as he would have hoped to have been by now.
Recently divorced, he finds himself trying to make sense of the online dating world
and trying to make up for two lost decades of his life married to the wrong woman.
Wanting to arrest his advancing years, he buys a sports car, a leather jacket and a
pair of aviator Ray Bans. But he can’t disguise his advancing years and so for the first
time in his life he starts researching for ideas to improve his appearance, without
compromising his masculinity. Secretly John craves the attention of a younger
woman, but his tastes highlight a generational gap.
Needs
To feel masculine
To be respected by his peers
Straight talking communication
Likes
The Telegraph
Aston Martin
French wine
Dislikes
Social Media
Fluff
Metrosexuality

Taro
DEMOGRAPHIC: Japanese Male
AGE: Early 60s
40 years as a salary man, Taro has spent his life commuting back and forth across
Tokyo. Recently retired, he has decided to move back to his birth place of
Okinawa, famed for its long life. Daily rituals of healthy eating, walking, taichi and
meditation complement his hobbies of calligraphy and haiku writing. However,
decades of living in Tokyo working excruciatingly long hours have left Taro with
weathered skin, something that he doesn’t want to accelerate any further than it
has. Armed with a new perspective from Okinawa and keen to live according to
their purity instincts, Taro wants to wash his face using only the most organic and
wholesome products to complement his spiritual practises.
Needs
To feel connected to nature
To respect Japanese history and traditions
To live a simple, uncluttered life
Likes
Nature’s bounty
Poetry
Community engagement
Dislikes
Disrespectful tourists
Fast food
Alcohol

Concept
The soap to help men’s skin win its daily battles
Brand Values
Strength | Suave | Historical
PROPOSEd NAME
Shogun

Moodboard: Competition
Strength | Suave | Historical
Charcoal soap tends to be muted tones and geared towards a female audience
Packaging style is pared down, lacking graphic imagery and photography.

Moodboard: Look & Feel
Strength | Suave | Historical
Silvertone imagery of Japan, creating historical and masculine appearance. Possible use in marketing.
Try to avoid Japanese cliches such as sumo and sushi.

Moodboard: Historical Masculine Characters
Strength | Suave | Historical
Relatively little imagery is used in Japanese packaging, but old photos of Samurai are inspirational and
unusual + very masculine and old world and provide a useful design inspiration.

Moodboard: Typography
Strength | Suave | Historical
Strong, bold typography, unfussy and capitalised. Feels masculine and clean.
Possible supporting Japanese Kanji characters..

Moodboard: Packaging Layout
Strength | Suave | Historical
Packaging to be tailored towards an older man, so limited colour palette & tones,
with elements of the soap showing. Possibly wrapped in textured paper for historical feel.