Daiwa SB Investments

Daiwa SB Investments is one of the largest investment management companies in Japan and has been serving pension sponsors, financial institutions and government agencies globally for over thirty-five years. The firm approached Living Designs to raise their profile to a key section of their target audience at an event in Barcelona.

Challenge
The brief was to create an engaging and stand-out advert for the Investment and Pensions Europe (IPE) Awards supplement, a publication that would be distributed to over 400 pension fund managers at one of the leading European investment events. We had to raise the profile of Daiwa SB Investments and build brand awareness with a target audience who may not have been familiar with the company’s heritage, successful track record and global expertise.

Solution
Our design is influenced by Japanese heritage and culture. The image of the Karesansui style of Japanese Zen garden uses sand to represent rivers and oceans, while the rocks portray land. This highlights the global presence of Daiwa and is enhanced through the strapline 'From our shores to yours'. The close-up treatment of the photography reiterates Daiwa's key strengths of being research-focussed and their attention to detail, while the limited colour palette has been carefully selected to complement the elegant black and white imagery.

Result
This visually striking advert stood out in the IPE Awards publication and has enabled Daiwa to be instantly recognisable as being Japan specialists.