Yuen Yung Lee Storytelling through expressive typography and visual vocabularies. Currently based in Hong Kong.

Kinsman

A Cantonese cocktail salon for past and future.

Creative Direction
Branding
Collaterals

Kinsman is a Cantonese-focused cocktail bar. It is the first bar in Hong Kong to use Cantonese spirits, paying tribute to the the city’s rich history of spirit-making. Kinsman is a noun that means a blood relative; a family member usually by birth. The English name translates to Chinese 建民號, meaning “to build a people”. The combined bilingual identity references the bonds we share with those we drink with; that relationships formed over good cocktails can be as solid as those of your own blood.

The visual identity is inspired by Wong Kar-wai’s filmography and pays tribute to landmarks of Hong Kong. The logo component is composed of three distinct marks, each with its unique inspiration story and concept. The English wordmark takes on a distinctive vintage look and feel, inspired by fonts used in cha-chaan teng* storefronts and menus. The illustrated icon is a handdrawn mark comprised of a bird flying over mountain and ocean, alluding to the landscapes of Hong Kong. A cool caveat to the iconmark is that it reads “KIN” when rotated anti-clockwise.

The brandmark along with the colour palette feels classic and nostalgic. Together with the interior design the bar aims to transport customers into a bygone era of Hong Kong.

Bar concept by Kinsman and Singular Concepts. Illustration and photography are art directed, commissioned and produced by various vendors.

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