Anonymous was responsible for the rebranding of the world’s oldest photo contest organised by Nikon Corporation Japan. The Nikon Photo Contest has been at the forefront of the international photography scene for the last 50 years. Faced with the widespread penetration of digital and smartphone cameras, the competition needed a contemporary new graphic language.

For the rebrand, the Nikon Photo Contest wanted to convey its commitment to creating an even richer culture of photography. The contest needed a way to inspire professional and amateur photographers to pick up their camera, put their lens on the world and frame their story. To do this, Anonymous turned to the most basic tool in photography—hands. Inspired by how people everywhere used their hands to frame an image, Anonymous developed a flexible bracket-based identity system that could work across every touch point. The visual identity was also inspired by another framing device—the Japanese hook quotation marks, “kagikakko”. From the website, digital and print advertising to the actual trophy, the new identity acted as an open canvas, letting the photographers’ works speak for themselves.