Brand identity & illustration · 2026

Hoji Tea Studios

Exploring the visual identity of Hojicha through mascot development, hand-drawn logo studies, traditional brush artwork, and brand strategy for a local tea studio.

Explore the artwork

From the sketchbookArt by Malissa Chen

Project: Hoji Tea Studios
My role: Creative Director & Brand Consultant
Focus: Brand identity & character design
Timeline: May 2026 — Present

01 / Overview

Brand Concept

Hojicha has two forms and one identity. Hoji and Cha are the two halves of the name; neither is complete without the other.

The character brief

The brief called for a cozy, nostalgic mood with a little melancholy, like sitting beside a rainy window with a warm drink.

My contribution

As Creative Director & Brand Consultant, I translate the character brief into illustrated form studies and logo explorations, using shape, expression, and shared details to connect the two identities.

02 / Character exploration

Mascot Designing

I designed the mascots with a care-free, hand-sketched art style. The mascot concepts prioritize loose sketchy linework and expression to highlight the playful charm of the character's personality.

Hojicha concept sheet by Malissa Chen comparing the same spirit in boy form, Hoji, and black cat form, Cha, with sleepy eyes, tea leaf motifs, full-body studies, tea cups, and development notes. — Hojicha concept sheet · Alternate forms shown together for design comparisonView full size (opens in a new tab)

Hoji · The boy form

The human mascot is depicted as a young boy with messy dark hair, has a soft round face with sharp cat-like eyes paired with loose clothing.

Cha · The cat form

A fluffy black cat with a round silhouette, relaxed posture, and the same sleepy eyes. Quiet and observant, he watches from windowsills, bookshelves, and quiet corners.

The clues that connect them

Matching expressions, similar proportions, earthy colors, and a recurring tea leaf reveal the shared spirit. The leaf should feel subtle and magical rather than overtly supernatural.

03 / Logo exploration

A mark with
character.

Each logo study explores one of Hojicha's alternate forms: Hoji holding the studio name, or Cha beside the red stamp. Handwritten lettering, color and linework variations, and the recurring leaf carry the spirit into the brand identity.

Logo explorations · Mascot logo concepts, handwritten lettering & a red stamp logoView full size (opens in a new tab)

04 / Business card illustration

The Aesthetic

The studio requested a traditional Chinese painting style for the business-card artwork. I developed a revised landscape illustration, inspired from their original design through revisioned sketches to the final piece.

Step 01

The original card design

The studio’s original business card established the vision for a traditional chinese landscape aesthetic, pairing ink-style mountains and trees with their branding. However, because the original artwork was uncredited internet stock, it presented copyright risks. My goal was to create an original, custom illustration that captured the same classical style without legal conflict.

Original business-card design supplied by Hoji Tea Studios, showing two vertical front layouts with mountain scenery and a horizontal back with contact information and a QR code. — Original business-card design supplied by Hoji Tea StudiosView full size (opens in a new tab)

Step 02

Finding the composition

I sketched three arrangements of mountains and trees to explore their placement, scale, and the open space around them before refining the illustration.

Three rough landscape sketches by Malissa Chen exploring the placement of tall mountains, windswept trees, clouds, and a red sun within a vertical business-card composition. — My rough placement sketches · Three landscape compositionsView full size (opens in a new tab)

Step 03

The final revised artwork

I refined the landscape with soft brush textures, misty mountains, muted green trees, and a warm red sun. Cha sits quietly in the branches, bringing the spirit’s observant presence into the artwork for the business card.

Final business-card illustration by Malissa Chen: misty mountains, muted green trees, a warm red sun, and Cha the black cat perched quietly in the branches, framed by a cream border. — Final revised business-card illustration by Malissa ChenView full size (opens in a new tab)

05 / Visual direction

The color palette

The visual direction pairs soft storybook illustration and a warm indie café atmosphere with the rounded, slightly sculptural feel of designer toys. Simplified features and a muted earthy palette keep both forms gentle and familiar.

The character is intended for stickers, charms, plushies, figurines, packaging illustrations, and story-driven branding. These studies explore that direction through the two forms of one quiet spirit.

Tea green

Warm cream

Dark ink

Stamp red

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