Curious ‘Zutopia’ Event Branding Transports Guests to the Future

UK-based brand agency Curious partnered with contemporary Japanese restaurant brand Zuma for their 20th anniversary to create the event branding for a truly cosmic celebration, ‘Zutopia‘ (above, right). Their Poster 2024 entry is inspired by pop culture icons like Tron and Blade Runner and features 3D typography that seems to hover in space. It brings an otherworldly feel to echo the party’s futuristic aesthetic, effectively conveying the event’s essence of transporting guests to a new dimension.

By: Curious (UK)

“Curious has worked with Zuma on their brand over the last two years. When they came to us with a plan to mark their 20th anniversary in a big way, we were excited about the opportunity to do something just a little bit different with their brand. 

“Zuma was planning a party unlike any other, taking guests out of this world and into the not-too-distant future where technology blends seamlessly with real life. We were tasked with naming the event and designing posters and invitations to create buzz and excitement around it. 

“We named the party Zutopia, a combination of Zuma and Utopia. The derivation of Zuma, which was reinforced by our use of Zuma’s signature color palette, keeps a strong sense of brand identity within the design. And the allusion to Utopia strengthens the notion of the future and otherworldliness Zuma wanted to achieve. Plus, the Z and O double as a hidden 20, reminding you what you’re being invited to celebrate. 

“We explored futuristic aesthetics by taking inspiration from pop culture staples like Tron, The Matrix, Daft Punk, and Blade Runner. There are several nods to the trends we discovered in our design. Binary code is woven through the glitch background, and 3D type creates the illusion the viewer is being drawn into the future. We even printed the posters on metallic paper to reinforce the 3D effect.” 

“This is the kind of creative challenge we love at Curious. The ZUMA brand is rich and dynamic; combining that with themes of futurism and technology gave us the ability to express their energy in a whole new way. I now have a newfound appreciation for science fiction design.” Alice Munday, Associate Design Director, Curious

“We loved all of the concepts Curious explored. With the holographic text, they completely captured the futuristic spirit of Zutopia and maintained an unmistakably Zuma feel in the design.” Louisa Gavin-Cowan, Group Communications Director, Azumi

See more work from Curious on their website.

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