"Oden is a beloved traditional street food in Japan, especially during the winter season. It's easy to find at convenience stores and street vendors and is cooked in a square pot with hot broth using regional or household ingredients. This comforting dish is a symbol of warmth and relaxation for locals and visitors alike. "​

A Japanese client approached me to help reposition their brand. Previously known for budget-tier products, they wanted to launch a new product line to enter the mid-tier market — and asked me to design that could carry that shift, drawing on the warmth associated with brands like Zojirushi and the quiet, understated aesthetic of MUJI's wabi-sabi sensibility.

To translate that brand strategy into material decisions, I grounded the design in Japanese cultural references rather than generic "premium" cues. I chose Shironeri, a classic Japanese white historically used in textiles and ceramics, to carry the quiet, understated quality the brand wanted to be known for — and paired it with a wooden stand base, referencing the natural materials common in traditional Japanese kitchenware. Together, these two choices were meant to signal warmth and calm, distancing the product from the brand's previous budget-tier image.

The result gave the client a product that could visually justify a higher price point and anchor their move into the mid-tier market, without asking them to compete purely on price.