designer sushi

developed by international ad agency I&S BBDO for the umino seaweed shop, 'design nori' is a series of intricately laser-cut seaweed for rolling sushi. each sheet of five designs-- 'sakura' ('cherry blossoms'), 'mizutama' ('water drops'), 'asanoha' ('hemp'), 'kikkou' ('turtle shell'), and 'kumikkou' ('tortoise shell')-- is based on an element of japanese history or symbology, meant to bring beauty, good fortune, growth, happiness, and longevity.

'design nori' s on exhibition through may 27th, 2012, at 'katagami style' of 19th century japanese stencil artwork, at the mitsubishi ichigokan museum in tokyo. the pieces themselves are available for sale only through the retail location in ibaraki prefacture and at the exhibition, currently for the price of 840 yen (approx. 10 USD) each. in the future, umino hopes to produce the nori on a larger scale and at lower cost.