Kuki Suki
Product Development
Brand Naming
Brand Strategy
Branding & Identity
Packaging
Copywriting
Kuki Suki is one of the projects closest to my heart, mainly because I built this biz with my mom in mind. She was sick then with cancer, and needed lots of love and little joys through her days.
I kept thinking about how important it is to make people feel loved, even on ordinary days. So I went on and baked my own version of a perfectly half-baked toasted-on-the-outside chewy-on-the-inside kuki that will make a person smile and happy dance on the first bite.
Read along so I can tell you all about it.
I didn’t know how long it would take for me to create the perfect cookie. I had a great recipe to begin with but I knew I can create something better.
And so begun my great perfect cookie experimentation.
Late nights during the pandemic, I’d channel Christina Tosi and get to work, referencing over 20 cookie recipes–studying the technicalities of salts and sugars, making sense of the difference between baking soda and baking powder and then testing a plethora of butter brands, dry mix combinations, chocolate chips, baking time.
My sisters were getting impatient but I was having too much fun. I genuinely didn’t care about how long it would take–I just knew that it would be crystal clear once I had create THE recipe.
9 months later, it was ready. The cookie–my very own cookie recipe, the one that would make me and my family go “mmmmmm!” and jump for joy. I was elated.
It was a very happy time in our home!
Now, won’t you look at that beauty?
Let’s talk branding, shall we?
Because the product is done, but how do we dress ourselves to look and feel different when there are a hundred other cookie shops out there at the height of the pandemic?
I spent a lot of time brainstorming sessions with my sisters–around the dinner table or in the living room up until 2am—so I would always say this is a family project. 😁
We had a lot of silly ideas for the brand name until we decided on Kuki Suki.
Kuki is Tagalog for cookie, and suki is a term used here in the Philippines for someone who is a regular customer but also in Japanese it means “beloved” or “a liking of, or fondness for.”
Love and spreading joy is what Kuki Suki is all about, so it was just perfect–and I just love a play on words that’s full of meaning yet easily rememberable.
With this heartfelt yet playful core, it felt fitting to have bright, romantic colors. To balance out the the vivid colors, I opted to hand write imperfect pencil illustrations and used some IRL floral/nature imagery into social media posts and the packaging as a little piece of the outside world we so longed for during pandemic, stuck in our homes and glued to our screens.
For every touchpoint, I wanted a visual treat that felt like a breather.
Kuki Suki’s packaging was a labor of love. I started with sourcing the simplest, most sustainable materials available on the market–kraft boxes made with zero plastic and adhesives–and then added thoughtful touches with note cards and stickers for a sweet unboxing experience. I’ll spoil one for you.
Notice how there are three “Surprise!” texts on the plastic bag seal? It’s meant to mimic the unison of many voices saying “Surprise!” out loud to you on special occasions, or when friends or family hand you a gift. I wanted that quiet moment of receiving a box of kukis to give that kind of feeling.
A little prep dance-break!!! :)
It’s funny, during the pandemic, I’d do my experiments late nights and early morning, around 9pm onwards. That was my me-time after spending the day hanging out with mom, manning the kitchen and doing the chores. This was my time to unwind and play. I shifted to a morning schedule once orders started coming in so I can ship the kukis out by afternoon. Fun times <3
I took these quick snaps of freshly baked kukis (of course, ate everything afterwards, my reward huehue) and then created a very simple menu for Instagram on the day of the launch. I mean, how photogenic are these kukis? Don’t they have a distinct shape and look? My friends say so! Completely unintentional, but I’m glad you can spot a Kuki Suki when you see it <3
And then of course, social media had to be cutesy, engaging, but also organized since we were operating ! from this FAQ story highlight, check out this epic START-UP kdrama ending theory (honestly, more on this on a longer video SOON—I must share!) and this Binjin celebratory kuki promo when they announced they are dating in real life and not just in our dreams.
Oh my goodness, I can’t even begin to express how fun working on all of this was for me, and my sisters, who were always ready to jump in on my theories, joys and crazy ideas.
Working on this was almost effortless to me, which is quite rare for my personal branding projects. I still had many different ideas for it, going through three very different iterations of the overall direction but I felt very decisive on the kind of look and feel I wanted for the brand identity of Kuki Suki and got to the final identity within 2 weeks of experimenting.
It was amazing working on this, and the truth is, I haven’t even shared most of the concept to the world. More surprises to come with this one!
Check out Kuki Suki and order kukis here. ♡
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