I’m a freelance designer developing clear and bold visual solutions where aesthetics are shaped by conceptual and strategic choices
Feel free to reach out for more information, project inquiries, or potential collaborations: info@diegocanini.com
I’m a freelance designer developing clear and bold visual solutions where aesthetics are shaped by conceptual and strategic choices
Feel free to reach out for more information, project inquiries, or potential collaborations: info@diegocanini.com
Service Brand Design, Type Design, Naming
Role Graphic Designer
Year 2025
Gommapane is a brand dedicated to stationery and gift items with a playful character. It offers notebooks, planners, and accessories designed to accompany students, professionals, and travelers, turning everyday organization into a creative and inspiring moment.
Challenge
To design and develop the naming and visual identity for Gommapane, a stationery and gift brand aimed at the bookstore channel. The main challenge was to create a versatile identity, capable of adapting to both stationery products and gadgets or accessories. The brand needed to feel contemporary and emotionally engaging, standing out from competitors without appearing derivative.
Process & Solution
The solution took shape around a mascot inspired by Japanese kawaii aesthetics. The name references the “gomma pane”, a nostalgic stationery item with a playful sound, which becomes the very icon of the brand. The logotype was hand-drawn and later digitized, adding authenticity and reinforcing the brand’s playful tone.
Gommapane was born from an analysis of the leading international stationery brands and Japanese kawaii aesthetics, characterised by soft shapes, bright colours and instantly recognisable characters. Research into brands such as Hello Kitty, Miffy, Rilakkuma and Sanrio guided the definition of a visual language capable of conveying simplicity and emotional engagement.
The exploration of competitors and the visual research led to the creation of the brand’s central mascot, chosen for its versatility across different applications — from stationery to gadgets and accessories — and for its ability to speak to both a younger and an adult audience, while maintaining consistency and a strong visual identity.
As part of the assignment, I was also asked to design prototypes of pens inspired by fruit, vegetables and animals. The aim was to test how playful shapes and characters could be integrated into everyday stationery while maintaining consistency with the brand identity. These early prototypes proved useful for exploring proportions, colours and the overall personality of the products before moving on to the final production stage.