Our brief was to create branding for DeCurret, a newly established digital currency exchange in Japan. In particular, we needed to overcome public distrust of digital currencies that had grown in the wake of the January 2018 theft of approximately USD530 million from a Japan-based exchange operated by Coincheck, Inc.

【Cultural Background】

With its low crime rate, Japan is a country where cash continues to be the de facto standard for transaction settlement. Even credit card use is less than half that of the United States, Great Britain, and South Korea. As a result, public awareness of digital currencies is low, and barriers to their widespread acceptance remain high.

Our creative idea was to position DeCurret as a “central bank” for digital and fiat currencies. By associating the DeCurret brand with the stability and security that central banks provide, we could clearly differentiate it from exchanges that promote the profit potential and “money game” aspect of digital currency investments. In keeping with the central bank image, we created a brand logo modeled on the supercontinent of Pangea, reflecting the myriad interactions and opportunities that arise when previously separate land masses and life forms come together. We also incorporated a grid motif into the logo to express the ideas of digital infrastructure, technology, and human interaction. We also created a brand movie that gave visual expression to the invisible flow of digital currencies in a virtual world.

With its low crime rate, Japan is a country where cash continues to be the de facto standard for transaction settlement. Even credit card use is less than half that of the United States, Great Britain, and South Korea. As a result, public awareness of digital currencies is low, and barriers to their widespread acceptance remain high. In our brand movie, we showed the organic movement of money in the virtual realm to demonstrate the role that digital currencies can play as financial tools for better living. We also synchronized the movement of on-screen elements with the soundtrack to create a more engaging viewing experience.

The brand logo, movie, collateral, and other assets were introduced at a press event held on March 27, 2019, announcing the company's certification as a registered digital currency exchange. The brand movie was also uploaded to the client's YouTube channel and continues to be disseminated through social media.

In the wake of the Coincheck scandal, DeCurret was the first company in Japan to be certified as a registered operator of a virtual currency exchange service. Its credibility and grand vision were effectively communicated to the Japanese public, and it successfully attracted many leading Japanese companies as shareholders, resulting in a number of proposed future business collaborations.