Sangetsu

At a time when the e-commerce market was beginning to expand, Sangetsu underwent a transition in leadership from its founding family to a new management structure. Facing the need to redefine its business domain, the company sought to evolve—building on its long-standing history and tradition while embracing a new future.
In this context, AXHUM launched a comprehensive rebranding project. This included redefining the brand target, establishing a new brand purpose and message, and designing a new logo and visual identity system.
Through these efforts, Sangetsu successfully transformed from being recognised simply as “the wallpaper company” into a brand that delivers the joy of design.

Mission

Sangetsu’s traditional business focus was centred on B2B clients, particularly condominium developers and housebuilders. However, with the rapid growth of the e-commerce market, the company redefined its target audience to include individual consumers, aiming to reach a broader customer base.
Historically, Sangetsu’s products were chosen for their functionality, durability, competitive pricing, and delivery efficiency. Looking ahead, the company aspired to reposition itself as a design-led brand—one that offers emotionally resonant and aesthetically appealing products that speak to people’s sensibilities.

Solution

To develop Sangetsu’s new brand purpose and message, AXHUM conducted interviews not only with the company’s management and employees, but also with customers and key figures in the interior design industry. These conversations explored perceptions of the brand, hopes for its future, and emotional connections. Based on this input, discussions between management and staff helped crystallise a shared vision for the company’s next chapter.
The result was a clearly articulated brand purpose:
“We bring the joy of design to those who create new spaces.”
The accompanying brand message, “Joy of Design,” defined a new target audience—creative professionals and individuals engaged in the act of designing spaces.

The previous logo, originally created in the 1970s by the renowned Japanese graphic designer Yusaku Kamekura, was a symbol of legacy. AXHUM retained the structural value of the original while developing a new logotype and colour scheme that reflected a contemporary and forward-looking identity. With a focus on the end users—consumers and designers—Sangetsu chose to take a more modest stance, avoiding overt corporate self-expression. The result was a refined and humanistic lowercase logotype, designed to remain neutral and adaptable across diverse spatial styles. The evolved logo embodies Sangetsu’s commitment to embracing new possibilities while staying true to its heritage.
The symbolic mark, while retaining its original form, was revitalised with vibrant and fresh colours—visually representing the company as a source of light and inspiration for those who shape the spaces of tomorrow.

AXHUM also developed a new design system to visually unify the brand, which had previously lacked consistency across touchpoints. As part of this, a custom form language—a set of supporting graphic elements—was introduced to strengthen brand recognition and enrich communication beyond the logo alone. By establishing clear rules for combining the logomark, form language, and brand message depending on each use case, Sangetsu achieved more coherent and effective branding throughout its communications.

True to the phrase “Joy of Design,” Sangetsu continues to pursue shared value creation with designers, consumers, and all stakeholders involved in shaping the future of interior spaces.