Soonhari Soju

Brand Refresh

2024

A refreshing take on a hard beverage brand for a Western demographic

East Meets West - Again

Truth be told - I did develop the visual concepts and inspirations behind the current Soonhari soju products that are currently on shelves in America. While working with Lotte Corp, I was tasked with bringing a refresh to the product while catering to a Western audience as the product was preparing to launch in the states.

I fought my creative liberties, took risks, but eventually we landed on a design that wasn't that far off from what the Korean version of the product looked like. While I don't think the current design is bad, I do feel that it is a bit outdated.

I decided to attempt another brand refresh just for myself and to see how much I've grown as a designer.

I fought for my creative liberties, took risks, but eventually we landed on a design that wasn't that far off from what the Korean version of the product looked like. While I don't think the current design is bad, I do feel that it is a bit outdated.

I decided to attempt another brand refresh just for myself and to see how much I've grown as a designer.

Can It?

The logo was created using a swash font called Malibu and droplets to evoke a refreshing taste. The flavoring of the drink change with each different flavor to further that sense of refreshment with flavor. The overall logo was created with a stamp in mind as it is an imported product.

Soju is most often packaged in glass bottles and is meant to be poured into a soju shot glass. With the popularization of flavored soju and flavored hard seltzers in recent years, I wondered if it would make more sense to shift the packaging of the product from bottle to can as it would be easier to drink and eliminate the need to have shot glasses around.

Marketing to the West

My vision for marketing and advertisements would be to emphasize the flavoring of the drinks. The product tastes good and I felt the visuals needed to push the flavors and make it was obvious as possible and delightful to the eyes as well. Falling fruit and splashes seem to do the trick.

Would you drink this?

Image of a bed with a cup of coffee sitting on it

Image of coffee being poured into a glass

Website by Tim Byun