At International Design Center NAGOYA Inc., we began Nagoya Project 8 (NP8), a branding project to vitalize the special products of the area. This project, bound to nourish, returns to the region’s origins, gathers young designers and proposes a new “Nagoya Design”.
In September, we held Open Meeting at AT Café, a site of the Aichi Triennale. In October, we introduced through display at Nadya Park the results of two projects, the Kin Shachi Font Project, geared towards developing regional fonts, and the Mei-butsu Consideration Committee, which proposes new Nagoya souvenirs, or meibutsu.  At the venue, we held advance sales of the first example of use of Kin Shachi Font, “Nagoya-ben Karuta” (produced by Tokai Television). The Mei-butsu Project, which garnered the Nagoya Convention  & Visitors Bureau Award, the International Design Center NAGOYA Award and the Audience Award, was acclaimed from the point of view of the tourism industry as well. On the last day of the session, the organizing committees of the collaborative Nagoya Design Week 2010 and Creative Design City Nagoya coordinated a talk session titled Mojiko, where many came to hear about type design.
After this, a test marketing exhibition and general sales of the popular products of these two projects were held at the Nagoya 400th Anniversary official antenna shop, Nagomi-ya.

*Nagoya Project 8 (NP8 ): The number 8 [hachi in Japanese] is a reference to the maruhachi, a tree fern that is Nagoya’s symbol. In 2010 interest in Nagoya rose as the city faced its 400th anniversary. “Enjoy Nagoya”, “Know Nagoya”; through new experiments in design and proposals for regional flavor from the ideas of young designers, NP8 evoked in Nagoya’s citizens both understanding and attachment to their region, and at the same time appealed nationally and internationally using Nagoya Design as a communication tool, with the goal of constructing urban branding for Nagoya.

■NP8 FY 2010 Major Events
Open Meeting
Date: Tue., September 21 2010
Venue: AT Cafe, Aichi Triennale Chouja-machi Site
Organizer: International Design Center NAGOYA Inc.

Exhibition at NADYA Park
Period: Thu., October 14 2010 – Sun., October 17 2010
Venue: Atrium, NADYA Park
Organizer: International Design Center NAGOYA Inc.
Co-organizers: Type Project×OPENENDS, Mei-butsu [Nagoya Souvenirs] Consideration
Committee, NAGOYA DESIGN WEEK 2010 Organizing Committee
Supporter: Nagoya Convention & Visitors Bureau
In cooperation with: Creative Design City Nagoya Organizing Committee

Talk Session: Mojiko
Date: Sun., October 17 2010
Venue: Sakae Gas Hall, sakae Gas Building
Speakers: Isao Suzuki (Kin Shachi Font Project), Masaaki Hiromura (Graphic Designer), Masatsugu Yano (OPENENDS)
Organizer: NAGOYA DESIGN WEEK 2010 Organizing Committee, Creative Design City Nagoya Organizing Committee

Exhibition at Nagomi-ya
Period: Fri., October 22 2010 – Sun., Nobember 21 2010
Venue: Nagoya 400th Anniversary Official Antenna Shop: Nagomi-ya
Organizer: Mei-butsu [Nagoya Souvenirs] Consideration Committee
Co-organizers: Nagoya Project 8, Type Project×OPENENDS
In cooperation with: Creative Design City Nagoya Organizing Committee, NAGOYA DESIGN WEEK 2010 Organizing Committee

(First appearance: 2010 IdcN Annual Report/June, 2011)