투썸플레이스 ‘한글 심벌’ 소동이 던진 브랜딩의 미학: 혁신인가, 오해인가 > 뉴스

The symbol design at the center of the controversy was created by combining the English letter ‘T’, which symbolizes ‘TWO’, and the Korean letters ‘ㅆ’ and ‘ㅁ’, which make up the pronunciation of ‘SOME’. Some expanded graphics even contain the philosophical meaning of connecting people with the spirit of the Korean traditional ‘Dorae Knot’. Twosome Place clearly drew the line that this design is a sub-graphic introduced on a pilot basis in the space production and package design of some stores, including the Gangnam branch and Anguk branch, as part of the next-generation premium store ‘Twosome 2.0’ project introduced last year. In other words, there was no intention at all to replace the existing brand identity (BI) familiar to the general public, and it was one of the design assets to strengthen its identity as a premium brand. Nevertheless, when this image was exposed to the public during the trademark registration process, consumers misunderstood this as a complete rebranding and began to argue.

Consumer reactions online were very divided. Those with a negative view pointed out that the design was significantly less intuitive. Criticisms such as “It is difficult to understand the meaning without listening to the explanation” and “It looks more like a symbol or traditional pattern of a public institution than a cafe” were reactions that arose as a result of a conflict with the existing sophisticated image of the brand. On the other hand, consumers who gave positive evaluations highly evaluated the attempt to use ‘Hangeul’ as a design element in a market overflowing with global franchises. The analysis suggests that the fact that it breaks away from the typical cafe logo depicting coffee beans or a coffee cup and reveals Korean individuality is fresh enough as a differentiation strategy for the brand. This difference in response clearly shows the gap between ‘familiarity’ and ‘newness’ that the public expects from the brand.

This happening suggests the fierce competitive environment the coffee industry is currently facing and the importance of rebranding strategies. As the strong fandom of Starbucks' Siren has recently been shaken by owner risk and social controversy, the market is accelerating the movement to absorb lost consumers. While low-price coffee brands are growing in size by leveraging overwhelming accessibility, premium brands such as Twosome Place are faced with the challenge of providing a new spatial experience beyond the unique competitiveness of ‘pairing cake and coffee’. The ‘Twosome 2.0’ project is not a simple logo change, but a strategic step to deliver differentiated value to customers through premium stores. Even though the sub-graphic did not completely gain public sympathy, this attempt is proof of the brand's will to constantly evolve rather than stagnate.

Corporate branding is not simply the act of changing the logo, but the process of imprinting the brand's philosophy in the minds of consumers. A Twosome Place's immediate clarification through its official SNS was an essential response to prevent confusion among franchise owners and consumers and maintain brand trust. Preemptively registering trademarks for design assets is a company's natural right and protection strategy, but in the process, it leaves behind a lesson that unexpected misunderstandings can arise if the speed of communication with the public does not keep up. In conclusion, this uproar served as an opportunity to reaffirm the brand power of A Twosome Place, and it remains to be seen how they will communicate with customers and implement their design philosophy as a premium brand in the future.