Su-Man Hsu

Designed by BrandOpus, United Kingdom.

BrandOpus, a global strategic brand design agency, unveils a consumer-facing retail brand created for Su-Man Hsu, celebrity facialist. The brand creation project spans identity, packaging and digital design.

Su-Man’s particular approach to skincare has gathered celebrity notoriety, with her facials sought after by high-profile celebrity clients such as Juliet Binoche, Anne Hathaway and Joely Richardson. Su-Man personally hand-blends the products she uses during her facial treatments, and over time, client requests for these products led to the creation of the Su-Man retail brand, developed in partnership with BrandOpus.

Reflective of Su-Man’s journey and unique facial style, BrandOpus created the Su-Man Skincare brand focusing on the importance of the flow of energy and the strive for balance. The clean and simple style of the brand overall resonates with Su-Man’s direct approach.

The logo incorporates the initial of Su-Man’s name, and portrays it in a brushstroke style, reflective of the Ensō style of calligraphy historically used in Buddhist art. The flowing style of the ‘S’ device is representative of the flow of energy, central to her facial massage technique. A bespoke, fluid word mark was developed in a mulberry tone, echoing the Dragon’s Blood extract, a key ingredient in the range.

Su-Man uses a 36-stroke massage, combining six repetitions of six different movements. This is based around the ancient Chinese philosophy, which states the universe is made up of 6 dimensions: heaven, earth, north, south, east and west. References to the number six also loom large in the design of the retail range, which originates with six products to begin her journey in the retail market.

Su-Man Hsu, founder said of the project, “The creation of the Su-Man Skincare brand feels like a natural continuation of my relationship to beauty inside and out. Working together with BrandOpus has been a remarkable collaboration. They captured the essence of my philosophy and approach to skincare, which means that they captured me!”

Su-Man Skincare is available now from www.su-man.com, and launches into QVC and Cult Beauty in January 2014.