XSNG XII

XSNG XII is a Chinese fashion and accessories brand aimed at a young target group. With the slogan “Be yourself. Be different. Be quirky. Don’t be afraid to cross into your world”, which runs through all communication materials, it positions itself as a brand for individualists, for teenagers and young adults who do not go with the mainstream and want to show it. The brand name “XSNG XII” stands for “Crossing 12”. In the logo, the short form is reduced even further to the Roman numeral, with two I’s for the ones crossed by an X for the ten. The result is a highly abstracted word mark that shows the character of a code recognisable to the initiated. The brand name is inspired by the proverb “meet the devil at the crossroads”, meaning that the devil is always waiting for us when we have to make difficult decisions. The twelve, in turn, stands for noon or midnight. This double meaning of “twelve” also forms the basis for the division of the brand into two product worlds – a day world and a night world, each populated by different creatures whose aesthetics are borrowed from the graphic works of comic artists such as Ub Iwerks, Max Fleischer or Walt Disney from the 1930s. These comic and cartoon characters are found not only on the clothing and accessories, but also in hidden object book-like concentration in printed materials. In stark contrast to this is the restriction to the brand colours black, white and silver, which in turn refer to the day-night dichotomy. Only red is used selectively as an additional colour. Storytelling in words, pictures and moving images plays a central role in XSNG XII’s brand communication and positioning. Across all media, the story is told of young people who question the world and its rules, form their own opinions and consciously set themselves apart by wearing the brand clothing. In addition, a special brand song was created with partly English, partly Chinese lyrics, as well as a video clip that is aesthetically aligned with the brand image to convey this message in a condensed form.