This Way to the Cosmos

Opening this week in Sendai, Japan is a new exhibit space for the 53-year-old Sendai Astronomical Observatory (SAO), with a new identity designed by johnson banks in London. The first element of the identity is the logo, an arrow created from the name of the observatory in Japanase with the English translation hinged at a vertiginous 45-degree angle. What I love about this is the use of the usually cumbersome need of a logo to appear in two languages, into an integrated solution, as opposed to just repeating the name smaller in the second language. I’m also a sucker for hot pink, so I’m really drawn to wherever the arrow is pointing. Which brings us to the second element of the identity. The logo, being a helpful arrow, can point into any direction and — like a kid or adu