Image from Jeannie Jeannie.

After the destruction the earthquake and tsunami caused in Tohoku in March 2011, Miyagi-based seaweed shop owner Umino Hiroyuki got creative, asking Tokyo advertising agency I&S BDDO to help him create an online campaign to rebuild their business.  In the statement for entry into the Spikes Asia Awards, I&S BBDO wrote,

 But it’s hard to think of a product that could spur less interest online than a black square of seaweed. The design of a square of nori has not changed since its creation in the 15th century.

Their response?

We carved into nori various classic patterns (MonYo) from Japanese history that signify happiness, long-life, etc. By combining a traditional product with a modern laser cutter, these patterns create an entirely new type of nori never seen before.

After the design won a number of awards, including gold at the Spikes Asian ’11 and Best in the category of Design Lotus at AdFest in Thailand a number of design blogs covered the product, including  Jeannie Jeannie (“Designer Nori: Delicate Laser Cut Seaweed Patterns”), which has really excellent detailed images of the product. In addition, Daniel Nishina of RocketNews24 has an English-language interview with Umino Hiroyuki, the owner of the seaweed shop, here. Finally, to see the laser-cutting process in acts, AD STARS Festival has a video here.

Normally I would say that this product looks too pretty to eat, but I actually wish I could get some for my next dinner party.