MINUS 196 (BEAM SUntORy)
FOUND IN TRANSLATION
Minus 196 had a cult following in Australia, but even its biggest fans weren’t sure what to call it. Suntory? Double Lemon? Strong? That Japanese Lemon Drink?
Sure, we could have just spelled the name out in plain English… but that wouldn’t be very Japanese. So we decided to spell the name out in plain Japanese instead, and give fans an extreme Japanese experience when they translated it word for word.
Illustrated by Kentaro Yoshida/UX by Unbound
申し訳ありませんが英語は話せません*
*(Sorry, no English).
Working with illustrator Kentaro Yoshida, we designed a series of posters with messaging entirely in Japanese and plastered them around Sydney.
The only way to figure out what they said was to translate them via a QR code built into the artwork.
Scan
Scanning the code triggered an AR mobile animation…
TRANSLATe
Translating the whole thing into English…
PARTY IN A GIANT VENDING MACHINE
Pop-up vending machine bar at SXSW stocked with every conceivable variety of Minus 196, DJs, and Minus 196 fans.
(We stayed here way later than we should have on a Wednesday).
Win
Spelling out the true name of Minus 196, AND a special invitation to a …
