Sharp and strong: how Peach Blossom delivered a no-fuss identity for fragrance brand TEKES

Hebrew for ‘ceremony,’ fragrance company TEKES embodies the rituals, reflections and moments of intentional self-care that are interwoven into our daily lives. Their fragrances – in the form of candles and soon-to-be perfumes – surpass the confines of gender and draw inspiration from the history and diverse cultures of Tel Aviv. With each scent developed in collaboration with master perfumers in Grasse, France, TEKES have marked their launch with the release of three fragranced candles. 

To coincide with the collection, TEKES worked with Peach Blossom on a striking brand world. For the wordmark, the Tel Aviv-based branding company chose Colophon Foundry’s Fortescue – a typeface which, according to Creative Director Roni Shalev, aligns perfectly with the brand’s values. “On one hand it’s classic and on the other hand it has intriguing sharp serifs,” she tells us.

To create something wholly ownable for the brand, Shalev made bespoke alterations to the typeface, which can be most notably seen in the central ‘K.’ “This ‘K’ was actually part of the reason the font matched the essence of the brand so precisely,” she explains. “The classic logo, with a bold, sharp ‘K.’ This is the balance we wanted to create for the brand; classic, with a hint of mystery and boldness.” Additionally, she continues, “there’s something about the sharp edge that’s reminiscent of a perfume pipette, which connects to the process that the brand’s products go through when being developed.”

In order to balance the sharp serifs of the logo, Peach Blossom opted for Lineto’s Supreme as the accompanying typeface, liking its uniform weight and sharp-cornered capital letters. “It is simultaneously classic, yet very modern,” Shalev adds. 

Opting for a pared-back approach across the identity, the colour palette is kept simple to reinforce the decorative nature of the products and suit a variety of interior styles: black and white, with blue as the accent colour. “Our tactic was to create some sort of separation between the brand and the product,” Shalev tells us, explaining the thinking further. “The product is black and white which makes it classic and luxury, and the brand’s colour is blue. The blue brings with it differentiation and modernity, but always in a controlled amount.” 

To differentiate between each scent without relying on new colours or illustrations, Peach Blossom designed distinct ligatures for the packaging. “One of our starting points was that each TEKES scent tells a story or taps into a memory,” Shalev recalls. “So when we thought about how to present this, we decided that if we use ligatures to write the names of the scents, they would serve as initials that open that story.” Here, Vivaldi was an appropriate choice of typeface, thanks to the flowing and floating forms of the letters, reminiscent of “a scent or smoke wafting through the air.” From there, Shalev adds, “we created ligatures, changed the letters, and tested the most correct form for each ligature.”

Peach Blossom

TEKES