Say Cheese!
A few months back, media outlets went into a frenzy when Gong Cha Singapore announced that it was morphing into LiHo.
Now that the dust has settled, it is time to take a look at the design and branding of this new, made-in-SG milk tea brand.
The LiHo posters should look familiar to you because they are parodies of famous artworks (except the middle one). On the left is Van Gogh's self-portrait and on the right is the Girl with a Pearl Earring. Not making the earring a milk tea pearl was a missed opportunity!
The only way to make Mona Lisa prettier is to give her a foam moustache.
 |
| RIP Gong Cha (for now) |
Now that the dust has settled, it is time to take a look at the design and branding of this new, made-in-SG milk tea brand.
The Cheese Experiment
Despite being a nation famous for its food, Singapore is often late to the party when it comes to following food trends. That is, until now - cheese tea was unheard of until LiHo came along, and if it manages to capture the hearts of Singaporeans (just like how Gong Cha did), it could potentially bring cheese tea to the rest of Southeast Asia.
Made famous by China's HeyTea, cheese tea comes with a thick layer of frothy cream cheese on top. The cream cheese layer can either taste sweet or salty.
Made famous by China's HeyTea, cheese tea comes with a thick layer of frothy cream cheese on top. The cream cheese layer can either taste sweet or salty.
 |
| LiHo queues vs Hey Tea queues |
LiHo's branding is as radical as its signature drinks, with a hip and trendy pop art identity.
You may not know Roy Lichtenstein, but you have definitely seen his works or designs inspired by him. His dotty artworks made pop art mainstream, and brands such as LiHo continue to use this art style in their designs to this day. LiHo's Logo
Just how Singaporean is LiHo? The name LiHo is Hokkien for "how are you"; the logo consists of a red lion and 'LiHo' in both English and Mandarin. The only thing more Singaporean than this LiHo in all 4 languages!
 |
| LiHo's logo |
At times, a simplified logo (just the lion) is used to represent the brand.
 |
| A LiHo drink (Source) |
I'd be happy to see this brand represent the Lion City overseas - the friendliness of the brand is infectious and hopefully it will change the perception of Singapore as a city of unhappy and lifeless people.
A LiHo Art Lesson
 |
| Roy and his world famous dots (Source) |
 |
| LiHo posters |
The only way to make Mona Lisa prettier is to give her a foam moustache.
LiHo's Pop Art Style
While pop art is generally colourful, LiHo's twist includes making stuff black and white, with bursts of colour to highlight its products.
Since this is an Instagram generation (smh), LiHo even prepared a mini photo display where the drink showcased seems to belong on a runway rather than being held in your hand. It's a great (and affordable) way to spread the message about this new brand.
LiHo has definitely in it for the long run - the brand identity looks great and locals are warming up to the brand. With cheese froths often running out before the end of the day, LiHo can thank Gong Cha soon for indirectly causing this brand to exist. Good for them!
As Gong Cha aims to return back to Singapore, I'd love to see a McDonald's vs Burger King advertisement war, given how the split from Gong Cha was bitter to say the least.
Branding Singapore now has a monthly newsletter! Subscribe to it here. Stay tuned for the 1st newsletter in August.
Eh, don't bluetick leh, participate in this poll and leave a comment. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram as well!
 |
| LiHo's cover photo on Facebook (Source) |
 |
| Should the dancing cheese guy be the mascot instead? (Source) |
Since this is an Instagram generation (smh), LiHo even prepared a mini photo display where the drink showcased seems to belong on a runway rather than being held in your hand. It's a great (and affordable) way to spread the message about this new brand.
 |
| Say hi to Singapore's newest influencer, Cheezus! (Source) |
LiHo has definitely in it for the long run - the brand identity looks great and locals are warming up to the brand. With cheese froths often running out before the end of the day, LiHo can thank Gong Cha soon for indirectly causing this brand to exist. Good for them!
As Gong Cha aims to return back to Singapore, I'd love to see a McDonald's vs Burger King advertisement war, given how the split from Gong Cha was bitter to say the least.
Branding Singapore now has a monthly newsletter! Subscribe to it here. Stay tuned for the 1st newsletter in August.
Eh, don't bluetick leh, participate in this poll and leave a comment. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram as well!
LiHo Ho Bo?
CONVERSATION