Buddhist Church of San Francisco

Black and white photo of a woman in traditional Japanese attire with floral hair accessories, raising her hands in a ceremonial gesture during a festival, with blurred crowd in the background.

type
print promotional pieces, a poster,
and postcards.

role
graphic designer

design tools
photoshop and illustrator

Every year, the Buddhist Church of San Francisco holds its biggest annual fundraiser, the Ginza Bazaar and a Bon Odori festival. The Ginza Bazaar holds several events, such as bingo, a silent auction, and a marketplace, and it sells its famous chicken, a recipe passed on from a restaurant that no longer exists in Japantown from the fifties.

Bon Odori is a traditional Japanese dance performed during the Obon festival, which honors the spirits of ancestors. It typically involves the community wearing yukata, happi coats, and lively music, celebrating life and connecting to those who have passed away.

I designed the promotional pieces to create a clear, minimalistic, and clean feel—something fresh and new for the temple. I used hierarchy to highlight the critical type and stuck with a sans serif typeface for a modern feel.

A local photographer took the photos and edited them, which I then incorporated into my design. Since it was a black-and-white photo, I maintained continuity throughout the promotional pieces and kept the same layout throughout my designs so everything was cohesive.

Tenugui

Event poster for the Buddhist Church of San Francisco Bon Odori and Ginza Bazaar featuring a red and black Daruma doll illustration and Japanese text.

A tenugui is a Japanese towel. It is long, rectangular, and smaller than traditional Western towels. Tenugui are used in households and a dance accessory for bon odori. I stuck with a simple, but minimalist design. Many people today dance with this tenugui design.

Instead of the sans serif I used for the promotional pieces, I stuck with a rounder typeface for a friendlier look and feel. A late temple member illustrated the Daruma illustration, the Buddhist Church’s mascot and icon for the Ginza Bazaar.

Black and white photo of a woman playing large traditional drums, smiling and energetic, with several people in the background. The image promotes a festival at the Buddhist Church of San Francisco.
A woman in traditional Japanese attire performs a dance or ritual at an outdoor event. The image is black and white. The top text indicates the event is at the Buddhist Church of San Francisco, located at 1881 Pine Street, with specific events on July 27th and 28th. The event includes the 88th Bon Odori festival and the 81st Ginza Bazaar on July 27th and 28th. The bottom left section notes the schedule for Saturday and Sunday, with contact information and a note about the Daruma artwork by Masami Miyamoto. A traditional Japanese Daruma doll logo is in the bottom right corner.

Promotional Postcard Pieces

Keeping the continuity together, I made the postcards the same look and feel.
Each card was 5”x7”.