I came across the idea of having no brand when reading up on Muji’s design philosophy. I simply fell in love with the idea of owning products that has no branding on them, instead they are recognised by the quality and style.

Muji would be a leading example for this, they have an incredibly limited colour palette and they put each into use very well.

I believe it raises a great deal of challenge to build a brand without the presence of their logo or branding on any product, Muji have successfully navigated their way through this landscape.

They succeeded by putting emphasis on design and their overall branding experience such as their television advertising, their physical store and their website. All has similar design appearance which reinforces the brands’ feeling and dynamics into people’s mind and soon as they see a Muji product, they would say the following to themselves “Of course it’s Muji” which is, funnily enough, actually their slogan.

There is another Japanese company that have adopted same approach of no-brand policy, Uniqlo, their presence is felt through advertising and by the commotion made by the media and people in the public. I’d love to see more of this approach in future, especially because I value design and how it could subtly influence people and their way of thinking.

¹ Empty Billboard photograph found at Eyefetch

Muji, a Japanese retail company which sells wide variety of goods (ranging from fashion to household). They are easily distinguished apart from other companies because of the philosophy they have adopted, putting an emphasis on minimalism, recycling and no-logo/brand policy.

It’s no secret that I’m a huge fan of Muji, I simply love how they come up with beautiful solutions to everyday problem. For example, see below.



I believe Muji should be some sort of an industry model for all other business who shares the similar approach, using their approach and philosophy as a basis of their own foundation.

Their approach to pricing is amazing as well, I feel that each of their product are intricately valued well, mirroring the quality and timelessness of their products, rather than charging at an extortionate price because it’s just so “in” at the moment.

I wish there were more companies who put more of their resources towards to building a great foundation for their own line of products, or their ethos and philosophy.

¹ MUJI Reusable Bath Towel TV AD 無印良品 CM
² Muji on Wikipedia
³ Muji Online

In next few weeks this blog will be used as a platform to do the writing required in AD201 - Introduction to Design unit at Billy Blue.

Don't fret, the former Drama Institute will return soon as the assessment is done.

Ravi