SUNKUSA393
Art Direction
Brand Identity
Typography
3D CGI
Creative Visual
“SUNKUSA393”, located in the suburbs of Taichung City, specializes in the cultivation, management, trading, and care of agave plants, its primary market is in Asian regions like Japan and Korea, SUNKUSA393 infuses the aesthetics of planting into lifestyle, aiming to create a multifaceted, cross-disciplinary brand. During the initial stages of developing the brand identity, we worked closely with the founder, Shih, through multiple meetings to shape the brand’s aesthetics and definition. We delved into Shih’s professional background and interests, merging his career in aluminum and metal industry business with his passion for mecha anime, seemingly contradictory to a plant-based brand, but this unique fusion resulted in a distinctive and aesthetically pleasing brand visual identity.
The brand name “SUNKUSA” is a combination of “Sun” (representing the sun) and “Kusa” (the Japanese pronunciation of grass). The sun symbolizes the essential element of the agave, while its relationship with the plant itself (grass) extends to the fundamental concept of cultivation. We take the Japanese homophone “393” in “SUNKUSA” as a code name, starting from the agave plant and seeking to explore various possibilities. The core of the brand is dedicated to creating the ecological environment suitable for agave growth, allowing the audience to discover the unique beauty of various agave species, experiencing the special climate of their natural habitats, characterized by rugged terrain and arid conditions, which fosters the agave’s unique vitality and evolutionary forms, along with its innate natural energy.
SUNKUSA393 sees itself as a fortress, considering each cultivated plant as a signature mech, expanding the brand’s territory through these “mechs”. Based on this concept, we represent the features of agave on the logo, using calligraphic strokes to outline the plant’s silhouette, the spiky growth pattern of the agave itself reminds us of a crown, which inspires the creation of the brand logo. In addition to differentiating the brand from other plant-based brands in the market, the logo’s solemn and emblematic feel aligns with the conceptual starting point, signifying the brand's ambition to produce high-quality plants and achieve remarkable success.
For the logotype we drew inspiration from mecha anime typefaces, combining the imagery of agave into the typeface’s details, we created a set of logotype that combine Chinese, English, and numbers. In the combination of English and numbers, we blended the hard surfaces of mecha with the organic forms of plants, making it easier for viewers to associate the intended meanings, the Chinese logotype not only complements the English logotype but also cleverly incorporates “393” into the stroke, ensuring the brand’s code name remains intact when used in Chinese. Beyond the basic visual identity system, we expanded with three representative icons, emphasizing the brand’s core concepts of “Sunlight”, “Moisture”, and “Soil”.
To create a comprehensive cross-disciplinary brand, we expanded the brand’s visual style by exploring creative concepts relating to the relationship between metal, mecha, and agave. We used the gradient of chrome metallic reflections as the brand’s standard color, complemented by futuristic-style graphics. For example, in the illustration design, we presented the agave’s form in the graphic way to convey the plant’s spiritual essence as a living being, we also used the agave’s growth patterns presented in the form of an electrocardiogram to explore the artistic beauty of plants as artwork.
In addition to the plants themselves, SUNKUSA393 incorporates aesthetics and lifestyle into its identity, we collaborated with them to create their first product - The stainless steel plant labels. The material’s texture is not only suitable for use as plant labels, but it also enhances the brand’s visual tone through sunlight reflections and the contrast with the plants. Furthermore, we designed an art poster titled “MEGAVE”, which holds a captivating story and intricate visual details, making it a subject of exploration for art enthusiasts, this poster features an unidentified mechanical life form that reflects the brand’s inception, with each component bearing a corresponding relationship to agave. In this project, we’ve skillfully combined seemingly unrelated elements to create a brand development that is conceptually stronger and visually more engaging, by melding the founder’s aesthetics and interests, we’ve concretely realized the potential for cross-disciplinary growth, establishing a unique brand identity.
The brand name “SUNKUSA” is a combination of “Sun” (representing the sun) and “Kusa” (the Japanese pronunciation of grass). The sun symbolizes the essential element of the agave, while its relationship with the plant itself (grass) extends to the fundamental concept of cultivation. We take the Japanese homophone “393” in “SUNKUSA” as a code name, starting from the agave plant and seeking to explore various possibilities. The core of the brand is dedicated to creating the ecological environment suitable for agave growth, allowing the audience to discover the unique beauty of various agave species, experiencing the special climate of their natural habitats, characterized by rugged terrain and arid conditions, which fosters the agave’s unique vitality and evolutionary forms, along with its innate natural energy.
SUNKUSA393 sees itself as a fortress, considering each cultivated plant as a signature mech, expanding the brand’s territory through these “mechs”. Based on this concept, we represent the features of agave on the logo, using calligraphic strokes to outline the plant’s silhouette, the spiky growth pattern of the agave itself reminds us of a crown, which inspires the creation of the brand logo. In addition to differentiating the brand from other plant-based brands in the market, the logo’s solemn and emblematic feel aligns with the conceptual starting point, signifying the brand's ambition to produce high-quality plants and achieve remarkable success.
For the logotype we drew inspiration from mecha anime typefaces, combining the imagery of agave into the typeface’s details, we created a set of logotype that combine Chinese, English, and numbers. In the combination of English and numbers, we blended the hard surfaces of mecha with the organic forms of plants, making it easier for viewers to associate the intended meanings, the Chinese logotype not only complements the English logotype but also cleverly incorporates “393” into the stroke, ensuring the brand’s code name remains intact when used in Chinese. Beyond the basic visual identity system, we expanded with three representative icons, emphasizing the brand’s core concepts of “Sunlight”, “Moisture”, and “Soil”.
To create a comprehensive cross-disciplinary brand, we expanded the brand’s visual style by exploring creative concepts relating to the relationship between metal, mecha, and agave. We used the gradient of chrome metallic reflections as the brand’s standard color, complemented by futuristic-style graphics. For example, in the illustration design, we presented the agave’s form in the graphic way to convey the plant’s spiritual essence as a living being, we also used the agave’s growth patterns presented in the form of an electrocardiogram to explore the artistic beauty of plants as artwork.
In addition to the plants themselves, SUNKUSA393 incorporates aesthetics and lifestyle into its identity, we collaborated with them to create their first product - The stainless steel plant labels. The material’s texture is not only suitable for use as plant labels, but it also enhances the brand’s visual tone through sunlight reflections and the contrast with the plants. Furthermore, we designed an art poster titled “MEGAVE”, which holds a captivating story and intricate visual details, making it a subject of exploration for art enthusiasts, this poster features an unidentified mechanical life form that reflects the brand’s inception, with each component bearing a corresponding relationship to agave. In this project, we’ve skillfully combined seemingly unrelated elements to create a brand development that is conceptually stronger and visually more engaging, by melding the founder’s aesthetics and interests, we’ve concretely realized the potential for cross-disciplinary growth, establishing a unique brand identity.
「SUNKUSA393」，基地坐落於台中市郊區，專營龍舌蘭種植、經營、買賣及養護建議，除了主要外銷日本、韓國等亞洲地區，更將植栽美學融入生活風格，企圖打造多元的跨領域品牌。在識別系統建治初期，我們與主理人Shih經由多次的會議，形塑品牌之美學及定義，我們深探Shih的職業背景及興趣，將他鋁金屬工業的事業背景以及對於機甲動漫的熱愛，與看似衝突的植栽品牌結合，打造了一組獨具審美的品牌視覺識別。
品牌名稱將Sun（太陽）與Kusa（日文拼音：草）組合而成，陽光代表龍舌蘭此種植物最不可或缺的元素，其與植株本身（草）的相互關係，延伸為種植本身的根本理念，並取「SUNKUSA」的日文諧音「393」作為行動代號，以龍舌蘭作為出發點，尋求探索各種可能性。品牌的核心致力於創建適合龍舌蘭生長的生態環境，並在此前提之下，發現各式龍舌蘭品種自身的美，感受來自原產地天然嶮峻和乾旱貧脊的特殊氣候，造就龍舌蘭獨有的強烈生命力、為求生存而演化的特殊型態表現及其本身自帶的自然能量。
「SUNKUSA393」以要塞自居，視每個打造出的植栽為機體，並由各機體擴張品牌版圖，以此為概念，我們將龍舌蘭本身的特徵表現於標誌上，以硬筆畫的線條勾勒輪廓，龍舌蘭本身向上生長的尖刺型態讓我們聯想到皇冠，由此創作出了品牌標誌，除了與市場上其餘植栽品牌大同小異的識別做出區別外，標誌本身莊嚴且具軍徽般的感受也符合了概念上的出發點，代表著品牌希望打造高品質的植栽進而寫下輝煌的戰績。
在標準字上，我們以機甲動漫的字體作為靈感發想，同樣也將龍舌蘭的意象結合至字體的細節中，打造了一組結合中、英文以及數字的品牌標準字。在英文及數字的組合上我們將機甲的硬表面與植栽的有機型態組合，讓觀者更能聯想其中所代表的含意；中文字體除了呼應英文字體外，也巧妙的將「393」納入至筆畫之中，讓中文單獨出現時也能保留品牌完整的行動代號。除了基本的識別系統外，也延伸出三個代表性的Icon，分別取「陽光」、「水份」、「土壤」這三個龍舌蘭不可或缺的元素，來強調品牌核心理念。
為打造完整的跨域品牌，更突破地發展品牌的視覺風格，我們將金屬、機甲及龍舌蘭本身的關係做更多創意及概念的聯想－以漸層的鉻金屬反光作為品牌本身的標準色，佐以具科幻風格的圖形搭襯，如在插畫的設計上我們將龍舌蘭的型態以圖形的方式呈現，來闡述植物本身作為生命所散發出的靈氣；亦或是以心電圖的方式呈現龍舌蘭的生長波紋，探討植栽作為藝品的美感。
「SUNKUSA393」除了植栽本身，也將美學、生活風格融入其中，攜手與我們打造品牌的第一個產品－不鏽鋼花牌，不鏽鋼的材質本身的質地不但適合作為花牌使用，在陽光下的反射、與植栽對比帶出品牌視覺調性；我們也為品牌打造了一幅藝術海報－「MEGAVE」，海報背後的故事及視覺上的細節值得藏家深入探討，這個未確認的機械生命體上反映了品牌的誕生，各個部件也與龍舌蘭具有相對應的關係。在這個專案中，我們將看似不可能具有關聯的元素結合，旨在打造概念性更強烈、視覺上更具玩味的品牌發展，將主理人自身的美學與興趣相結合，實在地落實跨域的發展可能，豎立品牌獨特的定位。
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