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The Collected Works
May 04, 2026
Mindsparkle Mag
When Hannah Choi decided to bottle her mother's sesame oil recipe, she didn't want it to feel like a product. She wanted it to feel like a memory. The Collected Works built the brand identity around exactly that idea — turning Sooki, named after Hannah's mother's childhood nickname So-Ok, into something that earns a place on your countertop the way a family photograph earns a place on a wall.
The brand identity leans into hand-drawn illustration and warm typographic choices that feel earned rather than engineered. Characters move through the system — loose, expressive, grounded in Korean visual culture — giving the brand a warmth that photography alone cannot carry. The name Sooki itself does quiet work: soft in the mouth, familiar in feeling, carrying decades of family history in four letters.
On packaging, every decision pushes toward restraint. The label does not compete for attention. It holds its ground quietly — the way a good sesame oil should. Present without being loud. Confident without being cold. The design trusts the product enough to step back.
Joseph Choi remembers the moment in their Los Angeles backyard when they knew the oil was ready. The sun was warm. The bottle was golden. Everything clicked into place.
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Credits: The Collected Works
Brand Identity & Packaging Design: The Collected Works
Creative Direction: Justin Colt
Creative Direction: Jose Fresneda
Design: Christian Townsend
Design: Vincent Drayne
Design: Yasmin Mukino
Design, Illustration & Animation: Zedan Peng
Project Management: Justin Raymond Park
