Monday, January 23, 2006

Qoo


www.qoo.com.sg/
(english website)


www.qoo.com.hk/
(japanese website)

"Qoo" is a popular drink from the Coca Cola Company which was introduced in Japan in 1999. It is now available in most of Asia and in Germany. "Qoo" is pronounced "koo," which is what the mascot always says after it takes a drink of Qoo.

I really enjoy the playful and imaginative designs of this product. From the bright, bold colors and thickness of lines to the soft, hand drawn typefaces, Qoo is a perfect balance between cute and sophisticated. At first glance, Qoo designs may seem childish, however, if you take time to explore their websites and look closely at their labels, you will begin to notice the intricate details that make this product full of little surprises.

I especially like their interactive websites. They are designed to be like mini "Qoo communities." In the English website, you can go to the "Qoo mall" and shop for Qoo products, go to the "Qoo Entertainment Center" and play games, etc. And if you look closely at the building with the clock on it, you will notice that it is an actual working clock with the correct time on it (I'm assuming that it adjusts to whichever time zone you are in too). In the Japanese website, you can make the Qoo mascot icon walk around and visit the various categories. In both these websites, the environment changes according to the time of day it is. During the day, the sun is shining and during the night, the stars and moon come out. All these little details keep you interested and make you want to keep searching for what else there might be.

As for their products, rather than just putting their company logo on their products, Qoo labels often consist of mini illustrated scenes which are designed with a particular flavor in mind. So each flavor has a differently designed label. Also, they make multiple designs for flavors and are frequently coming out with new designs, so it is likely that you will get a different Qoo can depending on when and where you buy it. I also like the design of their drink container. It looks like a cross between a soda can and a bottle.


*See Qoo dance! http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-1047052613450433741

7 Comments:

Blogger Courtney said...

This is so your style Ashlee, I knew you are very fascinated by these little QOO creatures, but until i read your blog post, I really was not aware of all the intricate details behind the websites and just the whole Qoo history. I like how there is so much attention paid to all the facets of the product line and how it is almost like a little world of its own.

Additionally, I know you said that your dream would be to work for Sanrio to design characters for them, but have you given any thought to doing something more along the lines of Qoo where it is a whole community of its own (although it is affiliated with Coca-Cola), where it seems the possiblities are endless as well?

6:41 PM  
Blogger brianlauradesign said...

This really reminds me of your screen prints and your website "juice" , I like the playful use of type and of characters that are bright colored, like pop art. Have you ever heard of Brito he does alot of oil paintings I think you might find it interesting, he paints characters in flat color, very pop artish. I like the interacting of web sites, I think that html sites are the thing of the past and flash is where its at.

12:50 AM  
Blogger Matt Desbiens said...

I just wish I knew where the heck to order it from, I remember we used to drink this over in Okinawa all the time when I was stationed over there. I just really miss it. Anybody have any ideas on where to get it?

11:38 AM  
Blogger Sayuki said...

I LOVE THIS DRINK! Qoo is most likely my favorite drink in Japan. Every time i do go to Japan for the summer break... I always get Qoo. My favorite is the apple flavor!

6:07 PM  
Blogger Unknown said...

This comment has been removed by the author.

11:52 PM  
Blogger Unknown said...

you can find Qoo at donkiyoute, a japanese store in hawaii.

11:54 PM  
Blogger mimar said...

we just took a trip to japan and my son is now addicted to Qoo. we found it today at home in seattle at uwajimaya.

2:58 PM  

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