Kaiser Culture: A New Logo for a Listed Company Moving from Apparel to Entertainment

A new industry needs a new temperament first

In November 2016, the company was changing its name from 凯撒股份 (Kaiser) to 凯撒文化 (Kaiser Culture) and moving from apparel into entertainment, and Xinming Design created the logo for its new identity. The mark is made of two flowing strokes whose outlines are cut entirely from circular arcs: the left stroke is tall with its rounded end at the bottom, the right is shorter with its rounded end at the top, one high and one low, facing opposite ways, in a yellow-to-orange gradient. It is paired with the Chinese wordmark 凯撒文化 and a lowercase English "kaiser", and combined with the client's brand line, "Enjoy the moment / 乐在其中". The brand colours are orange (PANTONE 123 C) and grey (PANTONE 424 C). The logo is still in use today, in the header of Kaiser Culture's website and at its reception.

A name can change overnight; perception cannot

Kaiser (China) Culture Co., Ltd. was founded in 1994 and is listed on the Shenzhen Stock Exchange under code 002425. The company began in apparel, later moved into entertainment, and changed its name from 凯撒股份 (Kaiser) to 凯撒文化 (Kaiser Culture). According to its annual report, it is built around premium IP and works in game development and publishing and investment in internet culture.

When a company moves from apparel into games, animation and film, it can change its name quickly, but outside perception does not change with it. Its old identity belonged to manufacturing and retail: heavy, formal, built on scale. An entertainment company answers to players, audiences and content partners, who judge a brand by whether it feels alive and of the moment.

The new mark therefore had to do two things at once:

· For the capital markets: show at a glance that this was no longer the same company;

· For the people who use its content: feel like a brand of today, and fun, rather than an apparel firm with a new name.

Two arcs: a shape in motion

The construction drawing shows that the outlines of the two strokes contain no straight lines; they are cut entirely from circular arcs of different sizes. The left stroke is tall, widening from a pointed tip at the top to a round end at the bottom. The right stroke is shorter, with its round end at the top and its tail tapering down. One high and one low, facing opposite ways, they leave a curved gap between them.

The shape can be read in several ways:

· A lowercase k: the tall stroke as the stem and the short one as the arm, matching the lowercase "kaiser" beside it;

· Two flames: the yellow-orange gradient and the rising tips carry warmth and lift;

· Two shapes answering each other: one up, one down, like the back-and-forth between content and its audience, in tune with "Enjoy the moment".

Its most important quality is lightness. There is no frame, no shield, no closed outline, and no complicated story. For a company stepping out of a traditional industry into content, letting go of weight is itself a statement: this brand belongs to what is happening now, not to the scale it has built up.

A lowercase kaiser and a handwritten line

The wordmarks take the same attitude as the symbol:

· The English name is lowercase. Company names are usually set in capitals to look formal, but "kaiser" is all lowercase, rounded and slightly fast, reading more like a consumer brand than a corporate name.

· The Chinese 凯撒文化 is drawn on a grid, with simplified strokes and rounded corners that keep the same rhythm as the English.

· The brand line is written two ways. "Enjoy the moment" is set in italics, and "乐在其中！" is handwritten, with an exclamation mark. It is the only handwritten part of the whole system, like someone speaking beside the logo.

The lockup guidelines cover horizontal and vertical versions, Chinese and English lockups with the brand line, and reversed use on gradient grounds. The brand line, "Enjoy the moment / 乐在其中", was provided by the client; Xinming Design designed its combination with the logo.

Yellow and orange, with grey

The brand colours are Orange (PANTONE 123 C, #FFC200), used about 60% of the time, and Grey (PANTONE 424 C, #717171), about 40%, with secondary and background colours also specified. The symbol uses a yellow-to-orange gradient and the lettering is grey. In applications, the gradient extends into large grounds running from yellow through orange to red. The warm colours can be read as heat and immediacy, moving the brand from "listed company" in the language of capital markets to "entertainment brand" in the language of content; the grey handles text and steadiness, keeping the restraint a listed company still needs.

From mark to picture: a frame for content

In the proposal's visual exploration, the logo's flowing lines open up into a set of freer, fluid shapes in the same gradient. On posters, these shapes crop images from games, animation and film: the content is the star, and the brand is its frame and its ground.

For a company built around IP, that division matters: the brand does not steal the scene from the content; it makes every piece of content arrive with the same warmth.

Deliverables and extensions

Logo design

· Two-stroke flowing symbol and construction drawing

· Chinese 凯撒文化 and English "kaiser" wordmarks

· Horizontal and vertical lockups; lockups with "Enjoy the moment / 乐在其中"; reversed lockups on gradient grounds

Logo standards

· Construction, clear space and minimum size

· Chinese and English full company name lettering

· Brand, secondary and background colour standards

Visual exploration (provided with the proposal)

· Yellow-orange-red gradient grounds and fluid shapes

· Poster layout studies

The poster images on this page are visual exploration mock-ups. The first image shows Kaiser Culture's reception.

Looking back ten years on

Three points are worth taking from this project:

1. A company in transition needs a new temperament before a new story. Kaiser Culture's logo does not use a picture to explain what the company does. It uses a light, bright shape in motion, so people first feel that the company has changed.

2. Upper or lower case is also a brand attitude. A lowercase "kaiser" and a handwritten "乐在其中！" let a listed company speak like an entertainment brand.

3. A content company's brand should leave room for content. The fluid shapes and gradient grounds are the frame, not the star.

Completed in 2016, the logo is still on the company's website and at its reception ten years later. For a company in transition, the real job of a new logo is to make people feel the change first, and then want to find out what the company does.

How to verify

· Client: Kaiser (China) Culture Co., Ltd., Shenzhen Stock Exchange 002425; filings on cninfo (www.cninfo.com.cn)

· Logo in use: Kaiser Culture website, www.kaiser.com.cn (header logo)

· This case page: www.xinming.sg/portfolio/3275.html

Further reading

· Haosen Fintech: a new identity for a Hong Kong-listed financial company after its renaming (also a new identity after a renaming, www.xinming.sg/portfolio/3015.html)

· Xianlin SciCity Group: a brand identity for a science city that keeps growing (also a brand built after a renaming, www.xinming.sg/portfolio/3480.html)

· Many Idea Cloud: a new identity built on connection and flow for a marketing technology company (www.xinming.sg/portfolio/3272.html)

FAQ

Who designed Kaiser Culture's current logo?

Kaiser Culture's logo was designed by Xinming Design in November 2016, when the company changed its name from 凯撒股份 (Kaiser) to 凯撒文化 (Kaiser Culture) and moved into entertainment. It is still in use.

What does the Kaiser Culture logo mean?

The logo is made of two flowing strokes cut entirely from circular arcs: a tall stroke with its round end at the bottom and a shorter one with its round end at the top, facing opposite ways, in a yellow-to-orange gradient. It can be read as a lowercase k, or as two rising flames, expressing energy and immediacy.

Is the logo still in use?

Yes. As of October 2026, it appears in the header of Kaiser Culture's website and at the company's reception.

Did Xinming Design write "Enjoy the moment / 乐在其中"?

No. The brand line was provided by the client; Xinming Design designed its combination with the logo.

What are Kaiser Culture's brand colours?

Orange (PANTONE 123 C, #FFC200) at about 60% and grey (PANTONE 424 C, #717171) at about 40%. The symbol uses a yellow-to-orange gradient.

Which companies can learn from this case?

Listed companies going through a transition or a renaming, and companies moving from traditional industries into content, entertainment or consumer markets that need a new logo to express a new identity.

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