Professor Hiroki Inoue's laboratoryKyushu Sangyo University, Zokei Junior College of Art and Design worked in industry-academia collaboration with Kashu Sakura, a sweets shop in Asakura City, to plan and develop new products for the company.
Continuing from 2021, this project is a practical initiative in which students are involved in everything from product planning to packaging and promotional visual production. Some of the products developed in the past through this project are still being sold as "standard items" in stores today. This year, the fourth year, 16 second-year students participated. Three new products, born after trial and error, graced the storefront for a limited time.
The students began their development by visiting stores to gain a deep understanding of the manufacturing process and the strengths of existing products. They also researched the latest sweets trends at department stores in Fukuoka City. They carefully considered the product name, package design, and sales promotion tools, with a focus on "what kind of product will attract customers."
Project member Fujimura Yuzuka (Asuka Mirai Kizuna High School) said, "We aimed for a wide range of customers, and focused on creating a design that would be familiar to all generations. It gave us a great sense of accomplishment to see the plan we came up with actually being commercialized and sold. Through this project, we learned that when it comes to design and planning, it's important to consider not only the creator's expression, but also the perspective of the person who will actually pick it up. We also realized that in order to create something as a group, it's important to divide up responsibilities according to each person's area of expertise and work together. Experiencing the process from proposal to commercialization has given us a lot of confidence and taught us a lot."
[Kyushu Sangyo University, Zokei Junior College of Art and Design]
