Compact Yet Mighty
Brand Strategy & Identity for Tochimaya, A Premium Carry Brand
Tochimaya is a refined, modern lifestyle brand built for high-performing women on the move. Designed in Germany by Singapore-born designer Melody Koh, Tochimaya was created out of a personal frustration, the lack of backpacks that truly fit smaller frames without compromising on functionality or style.
For this project, I led:
• Brand Strategy
• Visual Identity Design
• Product Naming
• Brand Strategy
• Visual Identity Design
• Product Naming
The result? A bold, purpose-driven brand that was successfully launched on Kickstarter, earning the “Project We Love” badge and achieving 156% funding.
Process & Strategy
Tochimaya began not as a branding brief, but as a real-world problem. The founder is a designer herself, couldn’t find a backpack that met her needs: compact, elegant, and powerful.
She reached out to me because, despite her design background, she felt too close to the brand to define it visually. It was a humbling experience to be trusted by another creative to give shape to her vision, especially one so deeply rooted in empowerment.
We anchored the brand around three key pillars:
• Refined Functionality: A modular bag that adapts to diverse roles women play daily.
• Quiet Confidence: A brand that speaks with calm strength, not loud trends.
• Empowered Minimalism: Built for women with smaller frames who do more with less.
• Refined Functionality: A modular bag that adapts to diverse roles women play daily.
• Quiet Confidence: A brand that speaks with calm strength, not loud trends.
• Empowered Minimalism: Built for women with smaller frames who do more with less.
Even though the name “Tochimaya” was chosen simply because the founder loved how it sounded, much like how Steve Jobs named Apple, I crafted a strategic rationale that aligned with the brand’s values. “Tochi” loosely evokes land or grounding, while “maya” suggests magic or transformation. Together, they hint at the brand’s belief in finding strength in simplicity and rooted design.
Creative Solution
The visual identity was designed to feel light yet intentional, much like the product itself.
• Logo: A modern, minimalist wordmark with considered letter spacing and rhythm. It projects quiet strength and timelessness.
• Tagline: “Compact Yet Mighty”, a confident message that encapsulates the brand’s promise to empower women who carry a lot in every sense.
• Visual System: I developed a modular layout system inspired by the bento compartments and architectural design, subtle cues that reflect structure and thoughtfulness without being cliché.
• Color Palette: Neutral tones with earthy warmth, reinforcing the feeling of trust, groundedness, and calm power.
• Naming: The modular product system was named BentoMorph, a unique term combining “bento” (Japanese compartmentalization) and “morph” (transformability). It created a story and naming convention the brand could build upon.
• Logo: A modern, minimalist wordmark with considered letter spacing and rhythm. It projects quiet strength and timelessness.
• Tagline: “Compact Yet Mighty”, a confident message that encapsulates the brand’s promise to empower women who carry a lot in every sense.
• Visual System: I developed a modular layout system inspired by the bento compartments and architectural design, subtle cues that reflect structure and thoughtfulness without being cliché.
• Color Palette: Neutral tones with earthy warmth, reinforcing the feeling of trust, groundedness, and calm power.
• Naming: The modular product system was named BentoMorph, a unique term combining “bento” (Japanese compartmentalization) and “morph” (transformability). It created a story and naming convention the brand could build upon.
Photography and campaign visuals focused on showcasing real women navigating real life, from work to play, from city commuting to quiet escapes, always with the same bag adapting to their pace.
"I think you asked a lot of the right questions that I didn't even think about. Especially on the topic of empowerment in the brand and my principles of quality and 'slow-making' of product..."
Melody Koh
Designer & Founder of Studio Tochimaya
Reflection
This project reminded me that great branding starts with empathy.
The founder, Melody, had the skills to design this herself, but she chose to bring me in, seeking fresh eyes and objective guidance. That trust meant everything. It was especially meaningful to design something that resonated with another designer and distilled her belief in creating for women like herself, compact in frame, mighty in purpose.
Tochimaya is more than a backpack. It’s a statement: that thoughtful design can be inclusive, powerful, and beautiful without compromise.
And that’s the kind of work I’m proud to do, helping ideas glow deeper, not just brighter.
"I think as a designer, I knew the importance of Brand. What was interesting for me was in your brand guidelines, there were more applications of the brand than just a logo and typemark, which helps me think about the visual style and how it can develop."
Melody Koh
Designer & Founder of Studio Tochimaya
