Kakei Chong Mixes Things Up
By Alixandra Rutnik on Oct 13, 2020
One Club Member and Young Ones 2020 Winner designs avec" W+K
« Est-ce que vous voulez boire AVEC nous ce soir? » During our first go at The One Club for Creativity’s Mentor & Creative program this summer, graphic designer Kakei (Vicky) Chong worked with client AVEC– a trendy, colorful, and clean new cocktail mixer company. For those of you who do not speak French, AVEC translates to “with” in English. Vicky worked under two mentors from Wieden+Kennedy, Art Director Rose Sacktor and Copywriter Michelle Lamont. During the six week program Vicky created a new package design plus some fun pins for AVEC mixers. At the end of the program, AVEC’s owners even invited her to pitch her designs to them. We had the opportunity to interview Vicky Chong about her experience working with her mentors at Wieden + Kennedy and her client AVEC.
Vicky is very grateful to have gone through this program, considering Covid has made it difficult for everyone to progress in their careers. “Connecting with Rose and Michelle from Wieden+Kennedy is one of the most extraordinary experiences in my career path to date,” Vicky said. Since AVEC is new and on the rise, “Rose and Michelle tailored the AVEC launching campaign brief to my interest in working with energetic startups. During each meeting, I brought in new updates and they provided feedback based on their creative thinking process and professional experiences,” Vicky added.
“Connecting with Rose and Michelle from Wieden+Kennedy is one of the most extraordinary experiences in my career path to date.”
AVEC has five low sugar or no sugar flavors: Jalapeno & Blood Orange, Ginger, Grapefruit & Pomelo, Hibiscus & Pomegranate, and Yuzu & Lime. In the brief Vicky was asked to design packaging to match and enhance the design of the AVEC cans. Vicky explained, “AVEC is a line of carbonated cocktail mixers. Its brand is about updating the revelry and decadence of the 1920s with the progressive and diverse spirit of 2020. Imagining the 20s roaring party lifestyle, the lavish decor, and the architectural style symbolizes prosperity and dissipation. I wanted to design packaging that interacts with people, brings out AVEC’s interesting backstory, and allows for an endless combination of 1920s architecture.”
“My inspiration came from its name AVEC, which means “with” in French. The products are made specifically to be mixed with. With alcohol. With friends. With feelings. With fun.”
Vicky’s inspiration for this project came from the brand name AVEC, “AVEC means “with” in French and their products are made specifically to be mixed with. With alcohol. With friends. With feelings. With fun. This concept became my inspiration for enjoying the art deco fun by the mixing-and-matching of package designs,” she said. In addition to creating a fun and striking package design for AVEC’s line of mixers, Vicky also made pins for consumers to wear and showcase the brand in another way. “When I look at the image of women and men in the 1920s, they all wore beautiful jewelry, tie bars, hats, and lapel pins. Wearable objects, like fun pins, allow people to carry the brand identity outside of the party,” Vicky explained.
“No concept is good enough at the beginning, and all the beautiful designs need time to be crafted.”
Through this program Vicky learned to work more efficiently and communicate better with clients. “Rose and Michelle have taught me a lot about client presentation, how to be convincing, and how to properly lay out my work to make it self-explanatory,” she said. And to add some wise words from Vicky herself, “No concept is good enough at the beginning, and all the beautiful designs need time to be crafted.”
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