The Reference Point
Brand Direction
Visual identity as a system, monogram, wordmark, and abstract marks carrying stylized Y2K detailing throughout. Tone calm yet energetic, where traditional hospitality meets cultural remix. Positioning Kissaten as more than a café, a cultural crossover space blending Japanese heritage with global subcultural aesthetics.
Finding the balance
The packaging came alive through sketching sessions inspired by Y2K nostalgia, golden ratio layouts, and the physical texture of cold brew bottles. Label fits, cap interactions, and colour shifts were tested across both in-hand prototypes and digital mockups. The design honed in on balance, elegant yet approachable, modern yet warm, tuning font weights, foil accents, and negative space until every angle felt right.
03
Execution
THE LABEL AS A STORY
B. SYSTEM OVER SINGLE ASSET
Reflections
Kissaten solved for a single, high-stakes touchpoint, the bottle. It had to carry the entire tension of the brand, ritual and subculture, heritage and remix, on one small physical surface, and it does that convincingly. What it doesn't yet prove is that the identity survives beyond it. The deliverables scope named packaging, menus, merchandise, digital presence, and café interiors, but only packaging has been designed and shown. A monogram and icon system built for a label is a different design problem than the same system living on a menu someone reads in low light, or a wall someone sits in front of for an hour.
If I extended this project, that's the next test: does the Y2K-anime tension still feel intentional, and not just decorative, once it's stretched across a physical space rather than a 330ml surface. A strong bottle is proof of craft. A coherent café is proof of a system.