Spa & me - branding

•

Branding, packaging, naming for a Japanese bath products brand

When I was working at Nininbaori, QLEA Life Design asked us to participate in a tender. We had to create the branding (brand name, logo, visual identity, packaging) for their new bath products brand.

The brand’s products had the particularity of containing extracts of Kampo medicinal herbs (traditional Chinese medicine) and onsen water (Japanese natural hot springs).

Prototypes

Project presentation

1) Mood boards

The keywords given by the client were: Asian & Western – Clean – Pure – Onsen – Spa – Kampo medicine.

2) Inspiration for the patterns

1- Louis Vuitton’s iconic pattern and monogram. This brand is extremely popular with young Japanese women in their 20s and 30s who are the client’s main target.

2- Plants used in traditional Chinese medicine.

3- Japanese onsen (natural hot springs with therapeutic benefits).

3) Motifs used in the pattern

4) Colour palette

Bright colours inspired by nature, onsen and Chinese medicinal plants (Kampo).

Each colour can be assigned to one specific fragrance.

5) Naming

Spa & me

As the brand is aimed at the Japanese market, it is important to take into account the fact that English is not widely spoken in Japan. Indeed, English terms can have a connotation or a meaning quite different from those they have in English-speaking countries. Sound also takes precedence over syntactic and grammatical accuracy).

Spa: Relaxation, relaxation, care…

&me: Taking care of oneself, one’s body, at one’s own pace, indulging oneself, a moment just for oneself…

Spa & me: Short and easy to remember

The word “Spa” is used in many brands associated with cosmetics but not necessarily confined to bath products:
Desert Spa, Spa Energy, Bio Spa, Parwathi Spa cosmetics, Sea of Spa, Zen Spa, Planet Spa…

(The client intended to expand his list of products later).