A friend of mine once lamented that if there was hell on earth it would be like Don Quijote. He was, of course, referring to Japan’s discount chain stores – colloquially known as Donki – and not the protagonist of Miguel de Cervantes’ novel. But for all its narrow, maze-like pathways and consumer products densely stacked from floor-to-ceiling, Donki has done remarkably well in Japan. One of the reasons, which many point to, are the hand-written signs, created in pop lettering and a dizzying array of fluorescent colors, that point consumers to products the store is trying to push.
In a recent youtube clip, the company revealed a behind-the-scenes look at these pop signage artists at work. “Donki’s POP artists are amazing,” they exclaimed, adding that every single store hires a full-time signage artist.
