grad project: behind the scene SakeKasu

My teacher recommended me to ask around granville island to see if there were any businesses willing to partner with me for my grad project. Artisan Sake Maker was one of the first that I called up that worked out very well.



Artisan Sake Maker is Canada’s first and only Japanese winery, Sake, maker. They happen to be right behind the school and I pass by it very often on the way to class. Before calling them, I actually went into the store to take a look at what are some of the things that could use some design work.

SakeKasu is the “lees” that remain after the fermented rice mash has been pressed during the sake making process. It was an interesting product that intrigued me. So when I met up with the owner, Masa, I proposed the idea of redesigning the packaging.

This was an actual project that will be sold in the market, and it definitely taught me a lot of things that I would not learn in school. Budget became a major component that I also had to take into consideration. After endless prototypes and quotations from print companies, we finally settled on a design that was within budget and pleased with the result.