Dead Poets is a neighborhood dive bar, café, barbershop, and event space. The core theme of the space is to pay tribute to deceased artists — musicians, painters, writers, actors, film directors, and many others.

Rather than using conventional branding, we embraced serious spiritualism and summoned spirits from beyond. Using a “haunted hand,” we wrote “Dead Poets” repeatedly, creating a logo that’s always in flux — written by ghosts.

To create visual language suitable for an easygoing and fun dive bar, while pushing beyond traditional American retro aesthetics toward something more contemporary.

Inspired by the name, our spiritual sessions with typographer’s “haunted hand” produced unusual handwritten notes. By writing with closed eyes, using the non-dominant hand, holding pens awkwardly, writing with feet, or attaching implements to long sticks or heavy objects — any technique that limited control — we allowed “chance” and “spirit” to emerge through the process.

Dead Poets is a neighborhood dive bar, café, barbershop, and event space. The core theme of the space is to pay tribute to deceased artists — musicians, painters, writers, actors, film directors, and many others.
Rather than using conventional branding, we embraced serious spiritualism and summoned spirits from beyond. Using a “haunted hand,” we wrote “Dead Poets” repeatedly, creating a logo that’s always in flux — written by ghosts.
To create visual language suitable for an easygoing and fun dive bar, while pushing beyond traditional American retro aesthetics toward something more contemporary.
Inspired by the name, our spiritual sessions with typographer’s “haunted hand” produced unusual handwritten notes. By writing with closed eyes, using the non-dominant hand, holding pens awkwardly, writing with feet, or attaching implements to long sticks or heavy objects — any technique that limited control — we allowed “chance” and “spirit” to emerge through the process.

D&AD, Graphite Pencil

Tokyo TDC, Prize Nominee 

Award360, Winner

Dead Poets