Packaging And Brand Identity For Sooki Sesame Oil
Can a mascot and restrained palette make Korean heritage feel modern?
The Collected Works developed a modern brand identity and packaging for Sooki, a premium Korean sesame oil entering the U.S. market. The design balances traditional heritage with contemporary refinement, elevating sesame oil from a background ingredient to a display-worthy kitchen staple.
Insights
- Creator’s “perfect food branding” formula shows up clearly: a mascot-led identity, a restrained few-color system, and confident lettering/typography that carries the premium feel without visual clutter.
- The Collected Works designed Sooki specifically for U.S. market entry, using packaging as the primary brand touchpoint—positioning a familiar pantry item as a premium product.
- The concept balances Korean heritage with contemporary refinement: warm, authentic cues paired with modern restraint so it reads traditional without looking old-fashioned.
- A key strategic decision was reframing sesame oil from a background cooking ingredient into a display-worthy kitchen staple—packaging that’s meant to stay out on the counter, not be hidden away.
- The overall execution leans into premium signals (refined palette discipline, elevated type, clean hierarchy) while keeping the brand approachable and food-friendly rather than luxury-cold.
