MXJ Franchise Platform Identity: A Plus Sign on Top of the J

A plus sign on top of the J

In 2017, Xinming Design created the brand identity of MXJ (盟享加), a franchise service platform, for the China Chain Store & Franchise Association: logo, core visual identity, applications and a mascot. The logo is the letters MXJ drawn in rounded fine lines: the M is a set of linked loops, the X is two interlocking ovals, and the J wears a small plus sign on top. The loops are franchising, the interlocking ovals are fusion and cooperation, and the plus sign is the 加 (plus) in the name 盟享加. The brand colours are vitality green and service teal. The mascot, Xingzai (星仔), is a little teal star with nine expressions and scenes from trade fairs, such as giving a speech, welcoming guests, handing out tickets and security checks. The logo and Xingzai are still in use, in the header of the MXJ website.

A franchise platform has to earn the decision

The title of the MXJ website describes it as a curated platform for chain and franchise opportunities, linked to the China Franchise Expo. According to the website, the expo is organised by the China Chain Store & Franchise Association together with 北京国际展览中心有限公司 and 北京智合联创展览有限公司.

Taking on a franchise means investing real money. People who come to the platform have to make two judgments at once:

· Is the opportunity sound? Is a brand on the platform worth franchising?

· Is the platform sound? Can the platform itself be trusted?

The client's taglines answer exactly these questions: 您信赖的加盟管家 (your trusted franchise steward), and MY CHOICE, MY TRUST.

The design set its direction with three keywords: Alliance, Amalgamation and Cooperation. So the logo had to answer: how can alliance, fusion and cooperation all land on the three letters of the brand name?

M, X and J

The logo is a set of letters, each saying one thing:

· M: rounded lines cross to form linked loops, like the links of a chain: alliance;

· X: two ovals interlock: fusion and cooperation;

· J: a small plus sign sits on top, matching 加 (plus) in the brand name.

All three letters are drawn in the same rounded line weight, as if drawn in one continuous line. The Chinese name 盟享加 was also drawn as a custom logotype, with rounded strokes that match the wordmark.

The wordmark, the Chinese name, the web address MXJ.COM.CN and the tagline 您信赖的加盟管家 form horizontal, stacked and other Chinese lockups, and can be combined with Xingzai.

Vitality green and service teal

The design sets two brand colours:

· Vitality green (#87C219): described in the design as vitality and energy;

· Service teal (#006160): described in the design as quality service.

The design gives CMYK, RGB and HSB values; the HEX values above are converted from the RGB values in the design. Each colour has a five step tint scale.

The supporting graphic is a thick bar with rounded ends, like an enlarged stroke of the wordmark. It runs diagonally across staff passes, posters, tickets and tote bags, giving the layouts a sense of forward movement.

Xingzai: a little star from outer space

The mascot Xingzai is a little teal star:

· Look: a body shaped like the point of a star, pointed at the top and round at the bottom, with a slightly curled tip; two short arms, two little feet, line eyes and pink cheeks;

· Design concept: a little star from the vast universe, unique and full of potential. Every product on display is a shining star, and every new franchisee is a little star around it; together they grow brighter and brighter, and in the end light up the whole world.

· Expressions: content, angry, smirking, happy, startled, sad, amazed, winking and dizzy, nine in all;

· Scenes: speaking into a microphone, speaking at a podium, welcoming guests in a suit, handing out tickets with a messenger bag, holding a ticket, holding a security scanner, reading documents at a table, serving a star shaped biscuit in a chef uniform, and reading a visitor guide on a sofa.

Xingzai was designed as the host of a trade fair. Speeches, welcomes, ticket checks, security and visitor guides are all scenes from the franchise expo floor. Today, Xingzai's head sits inside a shield badge next to the wordmark in the header of the MXJ website.

From staff passes to expo tickets

Office and signage

· Staff passes, foil stamped cards, dimensional lettering for a facade (盟享加 MXJ.COM.CN 您信赖的加盟管家)

Trade fair

· Expo posters, tickets, bus shelter advertising, tote bags

The application images on this page are proposal-stage mock-ups; the small English text, names and photographs of people shown in them are placeholders.

Deliverables and extensions

Logo design

· MXJ wordmark (linked loops, interlocking ovals, plus sign)

· Chinese logotype 盟享加

· Chinese lockups, mascot and Chinese lockups

Core visual identity

· Brand colours: vitality green and service teal, each with a five step tint scale

· Supporting graphic: thick bars with rounded ends

Applications

· Office and signage: staff passes, cards, facade lettering

· Trade fair: posters, tickets, bus shelter advertising, tote bags

Mascot Xingzai

· Design concept and turnaround views

· Nine expressions

· Nine trade fair and everyday scenes

Looking back nine years on

Three points are worth taking from this project:

1. Let the letters speak. The name has only three letters, so M, X and J each say one thing: alliance, fusion, plus.

2. Draw a word from the name. The 加 (plus) in 盟享加 became a plus sign on top of the J, easy to remember at a glance.

3. Give the trade fair a host. Xingzai was designed for the expo floor, ready to speak, welcome and check tickets; nine years on, it still stands in the header of the website.

A franchise platform logo should let people read both its name and its purpose at a glance: bringing people together.

How to verify

· Client: China Chain Store & Franchise Association (中国连锁经营协会)

· Brand: MXJ 盟享加 (www.mxj.com.cn, which uses this wordmark and Xingzai's head in its header)

· This case page: www.xinming.sg/en/portfolio/3149.html

Further reading

· Yikang Pharmacy Brand Upgrade: An OK Gesture, a Cross and a Capsule (www.xinming.sg/en/portfolio/3138.html)

· SOFAR Brand Character Xiaohang: Turning an Energy Technology Company into a Character People Remember (www.xinming.sg/en/portfolio/3054.html)

· TAX FREE EASY Logo Refinement and Visual Identity: From Nine Lines to Seven, Making Easy Visible (www.xinming.sg/en/portfolio/3046.html)

FAQ

Who designed the MXJ logo?

The logo, visual identity and mascot Xingzai of MXJ (盟享加) were designed by Xinming Design in 2017 for the China Chain Store & Franchise Association. The logo and Xingzai are still in use.

What does the MXJ logo mean?

The logo is the letters MXJ: the M is a set of linked loops for alliance, the X is two interlocking ovals for fusion and cooperation, and the J wears a plus sign, matching 加 (plus) in the name 盟享加.

What is the name of the MXJ mascot?

Xingzai (星仔), a little teal star. Its design concept compares every product on display to a shining star and every new franchisee to a little star around it.

What are the MXJ brand colours?

Vitality green (#87C219) and service teal (#006160); the HEX values are converted from the RGB values in the design.

What are the MXJ taglines?

您信赖的加盟管家 (your trusted franchise steward) and MY CHOICE, MY TRUST, both provided by the client.

Which organisations can learn from this case?

Franchise, investment promotion and business opportunity platforms; industry associations and trade fair brands; and platform brands whose names are letter abbreviations and need the letters themselves to carry meaning.

Xinming Design is a brand systems design firm. Its work centres on systematic judgment, turning brand strategy into structures that can run and be inherited. www.xinming.sg