Our feature documentary, “Craft of Speed,” is a love letter to hot rodding. An independent film that’s been produced outside of the studios, it documents the incredible story of MOONEYES speed equipment company. It explores a niche subject that has become a universal one, which spans across the world and embraces many different cultures.
For 30 years, Shige Suganuma and Chico Kodama, two Japanese/Japanese American hot rodders, helped save Moon Equipment Company, an iconic American speed parts company, rebrand it as MOONEYES, preserve legendary founder Dean Moon's legacy, and popularize hot rod culture in Asia. As Asian/Asian American pioneers in their industry, they battled against racism and xenophobia and ultimately created a global following. Now, Shige is attempting to grow hot rod culture despite declining interest in hot rods, and Chico is handcrafting a new race car to try to break a second land speed record at Bonneville Salt Flats.
The Moon Equipment Company logo, with two eyes glancing to the side, is one of the most loved logos in hot rod history, car & motorcycle culture, and more generally pop culture. This iconic logo was originally conceived by founder Dean Moon and then refined by a Disney artist. It’s no wonder why the eyes resemble those of classic Disney characters.
Moon Equipment Company, now MOONEYES, has a long design history. Dean Moon had a strong sense of design and branding, not only creating the original logo but also carefully evolving it. Despite the different versions of the logo, the overall brand stayed unified and even grew more powerful. Shige Suganuma and Chico Kodama, who took over the company after Dean Moon had passed, has maintained his enduring design legacy.
The speed industry and more generally the world of auto sports are filled with many logos, from established brands to emerging ones. Just look at any race car, and you’ll see sponsor logos emblazoned all over it. Naturally, they compete against each other for the viewer’s attention.
In creating the key art of “Craft of Speed,” these were the daunting challenges that we faced. How could we honor MOONEYES’ rich design tradition and enter the competitive branding space of the speed industry and motorsports?
To create our film’s logo and movie poster, we worked with award-winning design director/graphic designer Sven Igawa of Igawa Design. We’ve had the honor of working with him for more than 20 years. He’s designed our production company’s brand identity and the key art for almost all of our films. A veteran in the field, he’s worked with many respected brands, including Crank Brothers, HBO, Icon Aircraft, Mountain Hardware, PlayStation, Quicksilver, VF Corp, and Western Digital.
As part of his intensive design process, Sven created many iterations of the “Craft of Speed” logo. We loved how the final logo resembled the strong frame of Chico Kodama’s land speed race car with its thick lines and reflected the painstaking work of the MOONEYES craftspeople with its precise curves. We also appreciated how the logo also felt fast in an unconventional way with the unique shape of the letters, especially the “S” and “E” in “SPEED.”
Building on the logo design, Sven designed many versions of the “Craft of Speed” movie poster. The final poster features Chico Kodama wearing a racing helmet as the primary image and him and his rear engine modified roadster against the dramatic backdrop of the Bonneville Salt Flats, Utah as the secondary image. We love how Chico looks deep in thought as he tries to break his second land speed record. The direction of his gaze to the left also nicely matches our tagline that interprets MOONEYES’ lofty mission: “Honor the past. Build the future.” The yellow background and black type convey MOONEYES’ famous team colors.
The description line, “A Documentary about MOONEYES,” above the “Craft of Speed” logo is in type that is reminscent of pinstripers. MOONEYES worked closely with legendary artist/pinstriper/car designer, Ed Roth, and continues this strong tradition of art and pinstriping with Hiro “Wildman” Ishii and Michi Natoo, who are their resident artists/pinstripers.
We realize that even a beautiful logo has no meaning unless the company behind it gives it power. Dean Moon and his storied company created iconic speed parts, built renowned race cars, supported the hot rod and racing community, created hot rod history, and contributed to car & motorcycle culture and ultimately pop culture. Shige Suganuma and Chico Kodama have passionately continued his strong legacy. Hopefully, our own humble logo will gain significance over time as we celebrate the important work of Dean Moon, Shige Suganuma, and Chico Kodama.
We’re huge admirers of legendary graphic designer Saul Bass and his famous collaborations with filmmakers. We’ve had the privilege of working with many talented graphic designers over the years, who have elevated our work. We’re deeply honored to work with Sven and his company on this and all of our major projects. We like to think of him as our own Saul Bass.
“Craft of Speed” recently received a prestigious Silver Remi Award in the “Features - Documentary” category from the 57th WorldFest-Houston International Film Festival.
Elana Scherr, Senior Editor/Features of “Car and Driver,” says about the film, “It’s too good a history to go unshared.”
“Craft of Speed” will be celebrating its U.S. Premiere, presented by MOONEYES and Humanist Films. A live screening will take place at the beautiful Lions Automobilia Museum in Rancho Dominguez, California on Saturday, 7/20/2024 and then a virtual screening for the U.S. will be held from Saturday, 7/27/2024 to Saturday, 8/3/2024.
To buy tickets to the “Craft of Speed” U.S. Premiere:
craftofspeed.eventive.org
To learn more:
craftofspeed.com
humanistfilms.com / @humanistfilms
igawadesign.com / @igawadesign