HANAKU Cosmetics

HANAKU is a Japanese cosmetics brand aimed at the higher end market. The brand's first product was HARUKA Ginza, a BB cream that was launched in the Vietnamese and South-East Asian markets. The brief was to create a cosmetics brand that felt sophisticated and feminine, while still retaining elements of the brand's Japanese roots. Typically, BB cream is seen as an affordable beauty product that is produced by drugstore brands. However, the packaging design of HANAKU needed to reflect the premium nature of the product, and stand out to consumers on the product shelves.

The final design incorporated elements of the HANAKU name, and makes subtle references to Japanese culture. Neutral, understated tones were chosen to reflect the elegant simplicity of Japanese aesthetics. Furthermore, shades of pink were incorporated to represent the cherry blossom, Japan's most iconic flower. The icon itself features a cherry blossom motif, with a subtle mountain as a nod to Mount Fuji. The design also features a hidden reference to the HANAKU name, with lines forming the characters ハナク. Finally, the design of the box packaging subtly mimics the noshi band, a common feature of traditional Japanese packaging.

After the design was executed, it became clear that the new branding had an impact on HANAKU's commercial success. In order to match the BB cream’s high-end image, the company decide to increase the retail value of the product. Furthermore, our minimal approach to HANAKU’s branding caused the product to stand out, in comparison to other Japanese brands. While the packaging of competitor BB creams are typically quite busy in design, HANAKU’s sophisticated packaging generated interest in the brand and its products. This was further amplified through influencer marketing, as the photogenic packaging design appealed to social media users.

The meaning of the name 'HANAKU' has two parts. 'HANA' means flower in Japanese, and KU (ward) is the suffix for a subsection of a large city. Together, the name means 'Flower City.'