Local allures x Creative talent = Revitalizing local communities with new items!

Originally inspired by an international arts

festival, the Roooots Specialty Redesign Project

is a collaborative initiative designed to

showcase regional specialty goods and creative

talent from around the world as well as

promote sustainable development on a regional

level. Roooots, an initiative by Loftwork.com

which is the global open platform for creative

talent with over 16,000 registered users, is a

competition calling for entries of reworked

package designs of regional specialty products.

The designs will be judged and the creators of

the winning entries will collaborate with

regional manufacturers to bring the redesigned,

regional specialty products to new markets.

 

Local alluresCreative talent

2009Echigo-Tsumari Specialty Product Redesign Project

2010Setouchi Specialty Product Redesign Project

2012Echigo-Tsumari Specialty Product Redesign Project

Roooots originated as a collaborative initiative with the Earth Arts Festival in Niigata’s Echigo-Tsumari region in a trailblazer effort to revitalize the region through art. This first Roooots competition attracted some 900 entries, of which 28 submissions were developed into branded products.

Roooots Project Milestones

The second year, Roooots was rolled out together with the 2010

International Arts Festival in Seto. Some 27 new Roooots brands were born

as a result.

For the third year of Roooots, the project was run again with the Earth Arts

Festival in Niigata’s Echigo-Tsumari region. Some 550 entries were

received and 25 of these were selected to be marketed as Roooots

brands.

Here are the number of products developed and creators involved in ROOOOTS to date…

80 products

44 creators 　

Project Flow

Identify Specialty Products Representative of the RegionThe desiners redesign the regional products that showcase the local technology, industries

and history.

Open Competition

Creators

Users

Judges

Showcase all entries and users’ feedback online in real time. This ensures that ideas remain fresh and

unique.

like

Select

SelectionThe selection process for the Roooots Project is carried out by some of the creative scene’s top running

creators.

Roooots Redesign Project 2012

Co-production with Designer + Local Businesses

Selected designers will visit the region to work together with local producers to make the final

touches

to the design.

Roooots Redesign Project 2010

Sales PromotionThe finished products will be featured as Roooots-branded products, and sold mainly in local

gallery shops

and souvenir stores.

The redesigned products are, without a doubt, contributing to the local economy. Some of the products that have

been redesigned to date have seen sales figures boosted anywhere between 3 to 20 times more than pre-project

sales.

Achievement of Roooots

3Times

Sales UP!

Sake Art Bottle “ Tenjinn-

Bayashi”

Before After

Sake Sponge Cake

Before After

Tsumari-Soba(noodle)

Before After

9Times

Sales UP! 20Times

Sales UP!

Roooots Products Win Awards

The products redesigned for the Roooots Project have been recognized the world over with a wide

array of awards.

Specialty Product Redesign Project 2013

Submission Period

November 6 (Tues), 2012 to January 10 (Thurs), 2013

Judges

Taku Satoh (Graphic designer / CEO of Taku Satoh Design Office)Fram Kitagawa (General Director, Setouchi Triennale2013) Masamichi Toyama (CEO, Smiles Co., Ltd.) Chiaki Hayashi (Co-founder of Loftwork Inc.)

Prizes

1. Redesigned product to be sold as an originally branded product in souvenir andgallery shops in throughout the region around the time of the Setouchi Triennale2013 (summer) 2. Two season passes to the Setouchi Triennale 2013

3. A number of your own redesigned products4. Setouchi specialty goods set

http://www.loftwork.com/blog/pickup/roooots2013/

…and many more!

Calling for reworked designs for 10 Setouchi local specialty products (food, sweets, alcohol, fans, etc.)