Kuroneko Yamato
The Black Cats
Founded in 1919, Yamato Transport Company, Ltd. is one of Japan’s largest door-to-door delivery service companies. In 1957, the founder was inspired by the mascot character of an US based company Allied Van Lines — a white cat carrying a kitten—, he asked to get a permission and a in-house designer designed the iconic black cats. Since then, the company has been known as Kuroneko (“black cat” in Japanese) Yamato.
Its first redesign was done by Kenya Hara (Hara Design Institute).
Thoughts
For many Japanese (like me!), the logo was as familiar in Japan as the Coca-Cola logo is in the United States. This is why they have never changed the logo since it appeared in 1957. The old logo was pretty unique. Though the concept was “borrowed”, the black cats with characteristic (mysterious?) eyes were really memorable.
The new logo, overall concept (and the eyes!) was inherited though, certain points are disputable. First, the old cat was certainly “walking”, and the eyes looked forward. On the other hand, the new one looks like the cats stop and stare at you. It might not be appropriate for a delivery company. But I guess that the design team reduced the number of legs just because the old one was too detailed to be used on certain applications. Second, the brand colors are “reduced” also. The former brand colors were yellow and green (and beige).
Like the UPS’s black, DHL’s yellow, and Japan Post’s red, company color for delivery company is crucial because we see them everyday everywhere. This is why, actually, the design team reduced colors to make the vehicles blend into the scenery I guess. However, most Japanese recognize them at a glance with the green color so the change will be a long shot.
More on Hara Design Institute project page (Japanese only)
