Collaborating with students and local government to address depopulation in Ozora, Hokkaido – from grassroots branding to building meaningful connections
Ozora Town in Hokkaido faces rapid population decline. To help reverse this trend, R/GA Tokyo teamed up with the town government and local high school students to launch “PROTO OZORA,” a collaborative design initiative. I led development of a core visual identity built around the concept of “the town prototyping itself,” creating a modular logo system of simple graphic blocks that represent landmarks, community values, and future possibilities. In parallel, I co-led workshops with students to generate policy proposals, which were presented to the mayor and more than 100 residents at a public forum – an event that NHK later featured.
Proto Ozora generated genuine excitement across the community. The final policy forum—attended by municipal leaders, residents, and partner organizations—sparked open dialogue about Ozora’s future and energized efforts to engage younger generations. The adaptable logo system remains in use for local campaigns, and the ideas born in Proto Ozora continue to guide Ozora’s revitalization efforts.
To learn more and download the students’ proposals, click here to download the leaflet.