Kaiyo by Pentagram
aiyo, formerly Furnishare, is an online platform for the reselling and buying of used furniture, currently available in New York City and New Jersey, but with the intention to expand this internationally. Kaiyo picks up, inspects, cleans, photographs and uploads furniture to its online catalogue, easing the difficulties of selling secondhand online. It is part of a growing up-cycling movement, challenges the notion of seasonality promoted by large furniture retailers and was created in response to the approximately 8 million tons of furniture that ends up in American landfill each year. Eco-modernist, good design available to everyone, reuse and longevity are central to Kaiyo’s positioning. This was developed by Pentagram partner Natasha Jen and team, alongside naming and graphic identity which runs across website, brochure, van livery, tote bag and box tape.
The zeitgeist; up-cycling, longevity and reuse once again calls the modernist principles of good design for all, design fit for purpose, to the present. These services have, up until this point, largely been managed on an individual basis; the Craiglist advert, the Ebay post, second-hand markets, junk shops etc. Pentagram brings a high-street retail quality to the world of the pre-owned.
Imagery, design classics, placed amongst type establish an immediate visual language that speaks to a market that is design literate. Presently, the Kaiyo website is mixed, without the same eye for photographic elegance, or the standout pieces as visual identity, as such identity appears aspirational. There is, however, a continuity in the way the current stock is presented and visual identity; its modularity, secondary typeface and eye-catching colour palette, manage to hold a variety of second-hand products together, a point of difference, where previous experiences, those user-generated platforms, are fragmented.
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