Soka Gakkai International - USA
Buddhability
PRODUCT DESIGN • BRANDING
BACKGROUND
Soka Gakkai International - USA (SGI-USA) is an international Nichiren Buddhist movement, practiced by many around the world since its founding in 1975 by Daisaku Ikeda. Over the last five decades they have have grown a passionate community.
As the United States started implementing stay-at-home orders in early 2020, conventional means of communication were challenged and SGI-USA accelerated their need to create a digital ecosystem to reach a broader audience.
JOURNEY
Our approach to introducing today’s digital audience to Nichiren Buddhism is to frame these Buddhist experiences with a visual language that speaks to today's conteporaries: authentic, tangible, brave and vulnerable. We gave the process of learning about these teachings a name: Buddhability.
We use “wabi sabi” ("perfect imperfection") as a guiding light to develop a versatile aesthetic that can live on any social platform. We lean on photography that feels candid and not retouched. We use a typeface for the body that is utilitarian and clear, which contrasts the elegant and crafted display typeface.
And all the content would be housed in a brand new hub. While the current SGI-USA website is appropriately serviceable with it's conservative layout, there was an opportunity to create a perfectly imperfect presentation for Buddhability. I helped develop a design system and page templates that are modular and flexible, while simultaneously maintaining asymmetry and visual tension.
By the way this all had to be accomplished in four weeks.
Visit Buddhability.
TEAM
Creative Director: Jamie Perrequet. Art Director: Ben Loh.