Hakko Club
Branding and product design for startup
Digital Product
Branding
Hakko Club — Fermentation as a Daily Ritual
Hakko Club is a social media platform designed to guide people through the world of fermented foods. “Hakko” means fermentation in Japanese, and the app makes it easy and fun to track progress, get timely reminders, and learn from others doing the same at home. The project explored how digital tools could support slow, hands-on processes like fermentation—without overwhelming them.
Before diving into UI/UX, a quick branding sprint helped set the tone. Research included books on fermentation, niche online communities, and user conversations. One key insight emerged: people enjoy the process even more than the result. That understanding shaped the visual direction. Fermentation isn’t just food—it’s a collaboration with living organisms. To reflect that, the logo mark was drawn like a group of friendly, character-like microbes—visualising the unseen life working alongside users in every batch.
Feed — Everyone’s Batch Stories
The home screen features a feed of community updates on fermentation—users share progress, photos, and personal notes. Tapping a post leads to deeper insight into their process.
Ferment Diary — Evolution in Real Time
Each batch has its scrollable diary, documenting changes over time. From day one to the first taste, the app celebrates each micro-shift, with updates stacked in a satisfying timeline.
Notifications — Like a Whisper from Your Jar
The notification tab acts as a gentle assistant—reminding users when to stir, taste, or refrigerate their batch. It also surfaces reactions and comments from other fermenters, turning the process into a shared conversation.
Akinori Maegawa : Project Owner Umut Seven : Flutter Engineer Burak Akyalçın : Flutter Engineer Kaho Mukae : Visual & Product Designer
