We developed a limited collection for the Chinese New Year under the concept “Wishing You a Great Fortune: Sulwhasoo’s Messenger of Good Luck.” By blending the symbolic meanings of Eastern elements with Western design aesthetics, we aimed to create a collection that resonates not only in Korea and China but also with global customers.
Concept
For the main motif, we chose the rat—the zodiac animal of 2020—as Sulwhasoo’s messenger, and the peony, a traditional Chinese symbol of wealth, served as a secondary motif to convey wishes of prosperity and happiness to Chinese consumers. The peony’s shape was inspired by a screen painting in our company’s art museum, reflecting the brand’s commitment to valuing and preserving traditional culture.
To communicate with a global audience in a universally understood design language, we selected Eastern motifs and reinterpreted them in ways that would appeal to Western sensibilities. After an extensive search for an artist who could align with Sulwhasoo’s direction, we selected Antoinette Poisson—a French art studio known for its work in fabric and wallpaper pattern design. Their experience restoring domino wallpaper, a significant piece of 18th-century French decorative heritage, and their philosophy of preserving cultural traditions aligned with ours. Their modern reinterpretation of Korean folk art motifs made them the perfect partner for this collaboration.
Considering that the main audience is culturally Chinese, we composed the collection’s palette entirely of red and gold. The original artwork, painted using traditional French coloring techniques, was converted into a 2D pattern unit. This unit was repeated with additional Eastern elements to create the main pattern for the collection. With bold color choices and dynamic peony arrangements, we conveyed the collection’s message more directly and proactively than in Sulwhasoo’s past limited editions. The Yoonjo Essence container was boldly coated in a vivid red to give it a fresh, modern look, and we added a reusable tassel ornament to the cap for personalization. A unique icon of mice exchanging hongbao was placed at the top of the box to highlight the exclusivity of the collection.
We developed a video storyline based on the concept “The Journey of the Mouse Carrying the Hongbao.” It tells the story of a Sulwhasoo mouse traveling the world with a hongbao on its back, spreading happiness along the way. We illustrated symbols from countries where the collection launched using line drawings, showing the mouse playfully and rhythmically jumping between them to appeal to a younger audience. The soundtrack features a cheerful melody inspired by traditional Korean music to emphasize the Eastern tone.
Rather than designing a one-off limited edition product, we aimed to create a cohesive and impactful voice across all brand touchpoints—product, packaging, store displays, and digital media—to clearly convey Sulwhasoo’s message to a global audience. We developed visual elements that integrated seamlessly with product graphics to enhance the in-store experience and customer engagement.
Even the packaging materials sent directly to customers incorporated these visual elements. We designed a range of accessories—shopping bags, boxes, ribbons, charms, and stickers—so customers could fully immerse themselves in the collection’s theme from the moment they unbox the product to their daily use.
