Handsome System
Jul 2019 – Feb 2020
SYSTEM is a casual brand with young character that has steadily carried the global trend of the fashion industry for a long time. Despite efforts focusing only on providing high-quality products to customers for the last 30 years, SYSTEM has lacked a distinctive identity including its own image associated with “SYSTEMNESS” other than producing products itself. Reinforcing a clear concept image to deliver benefits to customers with “SYSTEMNESS” and establish the explicit value of its brand on the base of SYSTEM’s core brand value through repositioning. This project has been planned in an effort to achieve future competitiveness in the industry by designing a coherent brand experience as well as draw the core value of the brand and repositioning concept of SYSTEM.
Creative director: Myungsup Shin
Brand strategist: Jangsoon Choe, Bohyun Kook
BX designer: Wonsik Joo, Sungeun Lee, Sieun Baek
Photographer: Keunhee Cha, Hwan Kim
Director: Jeonga Kim
Manager Eunjeong Sim, Yoin Jang
www.thehandsome.com
© 2020 Plus X Co.
PROJECT APPROACH
Rather than targeting a certain age group, SYSTEM found a breakthrough by focusing on the core of the brand itself to appeal to a wider demographic, including customers in their 20s.
SOLUTION DNA
We define the Solution DNA of SYSTEM that satisfies “me myself” and fulfills “my selfness” timelessly
throughout the generation.
FINDING DNA
The core quality of SYSTEM is “Chic” according to the opinions of customers drawn from internal interviews.
As the starting point of this very core quality, “Style Chic” mainly depends on the attitudes of internal customers. “Spirit Chic” is newly defined as the core value of SYSTEM to include both “Style Chic” as the customers’ value of SYSTEM and customers’ attitude of SYSTEM that is not revealed yet. If the previous System suggested the when, where, and what to wear kind of “Style Chic,” the New SYSTEM suggests the who makes, who wears, and why kind of “Spirit” Chic.
As the starting point of this very core quality, “Style Chic” mainly depends on the attitudes of internal customers. “Spirit Chic” is newly defined as the core value of SYSTEM to include both “Style Chic” as the customers’ value of SYSTEM and customers’ attitude of SYSTEM that is not revealed yet. If the previous System suggested the when, where, and what to wear kind of “Style Chic,” the New SYSTEM suggests the who makes, who wears, and why kind of “Spirit” Chic.
BRAND ESSENCE: LIFE MIX LAYER
We encounter various moments in our daily lives. SYSTEM develops products together with customers on various moments of daily life, not merely selling clothes but with sincerity toward fashion. We suggest the standard of self-styling for customers to find new value of life.
BRAND SLOGAN, TAGLINE, DESIGN CONCEPT
Life Mix → Clothes that fit every single day of life, at various moments in daily life, and the attitude toward all different moments in life beyond styles → Attitude | Layer → where detailed information and authentic stories are stored that so many advantages of the brand are delivered → Archive
On the base of the brand essence “Life Mix Layer,” Attitude Archive is drawn as the design concept. With the brand slogan and tagline also designated as the same design concept, Attitude Archive, the promise of spreading attitudes toward various moments in daily life, is actively delivered.
On the base of the brand essence “Life Mix Layer,” Attitude Archive is drawn as the design concept. With the brand slogan and tagline also designated as the same design concept, Attitude Archive, the promise of spreading attitudes toward various moments in daily life, is actively delivered.
BRAND LOGO
Logotype: The logotype of SYSTEM contains various characters of products with simple and genderless design and proper thickness of types wherein the distortion of shapes is minimized on various digital media and printing media. As a result of getting rid of unnecessarily decorative parts, a logo type that is functional and reasonable has been created, and the chic image of SYSTEM is delivered with sophisticated emotion.
Symbol: The symbol of SYSTEM is the first letter of “Attitude Archive,” conveying a sharp, sophisticated impression pursuing delicate details.
Tagline logo combining logo type and tag line is a direct communication with customers on the core brand value that it wants to deliver, enabling the enhancement of identity and recognition of the brand at the same time.
COLOR SYSTEM
As the main colors of the SYSTEM, White stands for detailed senses and perfection, Black contains the various tastes of fashion people, and Greyscale represents genderlessness. Concept colors are utilized limitlessly according to different communication situations such as new collections or campaigns.
TYPOGRAPHY
The Typeface of SYSTEM, which archives various attitudes, has to be neutral and gender-neutral. The appointed English typeface of SYSTEM is one that has the traits of Helvetica, Univers, and Neue Haas Grotesk, which is one of the most modernized Swiss style using Sans serif typeface and Neue Haas Unica. Moreover, the appointed English typeface of SYSTEM blends well with Neue Haas Unica and has high readability and decipherability, using the easy-to-use Noto Sans for headers and main texts regardless of media.
KEY VISUAL
The key visual of SYSTEM comprises module system and patterns to which logotype and symbols are applied. One module signifies one moment to embody an attitude, and the combination of several modules signifies various moments, representing the Attitude Archive. SYSTEM sensibly uses its key visual at every point of contact with its customers—from packaging to products and advertising campaigns—to firmly form a “systematized” visual identity.
APPLICATION DESIGN
The application design of SYSTEM to give a gender-neutral, minimalist impression applies black color on top of white materials on the whole. The spirit of SYSTEM is delivered by actively utilizing post-processing including embossing, debossing, and laminating that shows various textures and sense of depth.
Among the touchpoints of SYSTEM, AD and SNS are the points where the most sensual direction is needed. The design is displayed by first considering the fulfillment of delivering the most SYSTEM-like message through various methods from simple and concentrated formats to colorful and intensive ones. The most important element in AD and SNS is the image of the company. “Attitude Archive” is SYSTEM’s concept that is delivered by making good use of the natural, lively image captured in daily life or considering the intense image of tone and manner to convey differentiated senses so that we can provide customers who get to meet SYSTEM with “SYSTEMNESS.”
