Brand and content systems in English, 中文, and 한국어.
For Canadian businesses serving Chinese-Canadian or Korean-Canadian audiences, Asian businesses entering Canada, and Canadian businesses entering Asia. We design in each language from the start, with native speakers on the team. Not translation. Cultural production.
Brand identity, packaging, web, and ongoing content. Toronto-based, working across Canada, Hong Kong, mainland China, and South Korea. Project work from CA$6,500. Retainers from CA$3,500 per month.
The problem with how most brands handle multiple languages
Most Canadian brands serving Chinese-Canadian or Korean-Canadian audiences treat language as a translation step at the end of the project. The English creative is built first. The "international" version is a Google Translate pass two weeks before launch, signed off by a junior team member who does not read the script. The result is copy that reads as foreign in both languages, a logo that looks balanced in roman type but cramped next to 繁體 characters, packaging that fails CFIA bilingual labeling rules in the first retail audit, and a website that hreflang-tags English content as Simplified Chinese for the Hong Kong audience that reads Traditional.
The mirror version of the problem belongs to Asian businesses entering Canada. Packaging that won the shelf in a Hong Kong supermarket fails Canadian labeling. Brand voice that lands as confident and warm in Cantonese lands as cold or oddly formal in English. The North American buyer does not even register the brand, let alone choose it.
Both versions of the problem have the same root cause: language was treated as the last step instead of the first one. The fix is the same in both directions. Native speakers in the design and writing room from week one, not in the proofreading room at week six.
What this service covers
Four capability areas, each delivered in any combination of English, 中文 (繁體 or 简体), and 한국어. Native speakers in the design and writing room for each language, from week one.
Brand identity in multiple languages
Logo systems engineered to work in roman and non-roman scripts at the same weight and the same scale. Brand voice written natively in each language, with documented voice guidelines per language so future writers stay on brand. Type pairings that respect each script, including Han ideograph weight matched to roman counterparts and Hangul jamo balance preserved across heading and body sizes.
Multilingual web
Hreflang implemented correctly so Google serves the right language version to the right region. Per-language SEO with keyword research conducted in-language, not translated from English keyword lists. Native UX patterns per market: Canadian buyers expect linear scroll, Hong Kong buyers expect denser information architecture, Korean buyers expect mobile-first cards.
Packaging
CFIA-compliant Canadian bilingual labeling for product entering Canadian retail, including English and French where required. Hong Kong and mainland Chinese retail conventions, including SKU code structure, barcode placement, and shelf-talker formats specific to chains like ParknShop, Wellcome, and Jenny Bakery distribution. Korean Food Safety Standards labeling for export, covering KFDA nutrition disclosure rules and Hangul ingredient naming conventions.
Ongoing multilingual content
Social, email, and editorial content originated in each language for each platform. WeChat captions written for WeChat audiences, not translated from Instagram. Naver blog posts written for Korean SEO and Naver search behavior, not adapted from a North American article. KakaoTalk channel messages written in casual Hangul registers, not formal translations of English newsletters.
Methodology: how we work in multiple languages
Eight to ten weeks for a Dual-Market Brand System. Four phases, one team, parallel language tracks.
Phase 1: Discovery (week 1)
Per-language audience research. Market context for each region in scope, covering Toronto, the GTA, Hong Kong, mainland China, or South Korea depending on the project. Regulatory check covering CFIA bilingual labeling rules for Canada, Korean Food Safety Standards for export to South Korea, and retail conventions for Hong Kong and mainland chains. Deliverable: a 14-page Multilingual Discovery Report with one section per language and one section per market.
Phase 2: Strategy (weeks 2 to 3)
Positioning per market, because the same brand often wants to feel different in each region. Voice guidelines per language, written natively rather than translated. Type pairing per script, with character-set coverage tested against the design surfaces in scope. Deliverable: a Multilingual Brand Strategy Document with parallel sections in each language.
Phase 3: Design (weeks 4 to 7)
Parallel design tracks for each language, run by writers and designers who are native speakers of that language. Cultural production, not translation. Retailer and platform compliance baked in: CFIA, KFDA, hreflang, mainland licensing where applicable. Deliverable: a Visual System Master File with editable Figma and Adobe Illustrator artwork for each language version.
Phase 4: Launch (week 8 onward)
Localized rollout per market on the agreed launch dates. Per-language SEO submitted to Google Search Console, Baidu Webmaster Tools, and Naver Search Advisor as applicable. Monitoring per market for the first 30 days post-launch. Deliverable: a 50-page Multilingual Brand Manual with one chapter per language, fully owned by you.
Service tiers and pricing
| Tier | Starting price | Scope | Timeline |
|---|---|---|---|
| Single-Language Project | from CA$6,500 | One service in one non-English language. Examples: Chinese-only packaging system, Korean-only brand identity, 繁中 web microsite | 4 to 6 weeks |
| Dual-Market Brand System | from CA$18,500 | Brand identity plus primary applications in two languages, designed in parallel from week one | 8 to 10 weeks |
| Multilingual Retainer | from CA$3,500 per month | Ongoing content and design across two or three languages, monthly cadence, quarterly strategic review | 6 months minimum |
Pricing reflects scope, not negotiation. We do not run hours-based billing.
Most clients who arrive on this page land in Dual-Market Brand System, because the value of multilingual work compounds when the languages launch together rather than in sequence. Single-Language Projects fit clients who already have a strong English brand and need a focused 中文 or 한국어 extension. Multilingual Retainers fit brands with ongoing distribution into more than one market.
What is included in every tier: source files in each language, full ownership transfer, language-specific brand voice guidelines, and 30 days of post-launch support per market.
The 852 Promise (multilingual edition)
The 852 Promise. If your multilingual deliverables, in every language scoped, are not in your hands by the agreed date, your final invoice is reduced by 10% per week of delay.
The Promise applies across all language tracks. We do not get to deliver English on time and Chinese late. The slowest language sets the clock.
Case study: Lee Kum Kee on the Canadian shelf
Lee Kum Kee is the Hong Kong sauce house that has been on family dinner tables since 1888. When the brand expanded distribution into Canadian retail, the packaging that worked perfectly on the Wellcome supermarket shelf in Causeway Bay needed two things to work in Loblaws and T&T: it needed to comply with CFIA bilingual labeling rules without losing the dense, ingredient-led Chinese typography that signals authenticity to the Chinese-Canadian buyer, and it needed enough English clarity to win the non-Chinese household that picks up Sriracha out of curiosity.
Our team rebuilt the packaging system to carry both audiences on the same SKU. Chinese typography stayed as the dominant brand signal on the front-of-pack, with the Lee Kum Kee 李錦記 wordmark anchored at the same weight it carries in Hong Kong. English ingredient panels and CFIA-compliant nutrition tables ran on the side panels in Roboto Condensed at a hierarchy that read clearly under Canadian retail lighting without competing with the Chinese front-of-pack. French translations were paired with the English to satisfy CFIA rules for products distributed across provinces.
The result was a packaging system that earned shelf placement in T&T, Loblaws, and select Sobeys locations across Ontario and Quebec, without compromising the brand identity that Hong Kong buyers recognize on sight. Same brand. Two markets. One coordinated launch.
Read the Lee Kum Kee case study.
Why 852
Why 852 Tangram.
- Multilingual is the discipline, not a feature. English, 中文 (繁體 and 简体), and 한국어, with native speakers in the room from week one. We design in each language from the start, not translate at the end.
- Strategy first, design second. Every project starts with positioning, audience research, and regulatory check, not Pinterest boards.
- Fixed timelines, fixed price ranges. No hourly billing, no scope creep, no surprise invoices across language tracks.
- Multilingual deliverables on the agreed date, in writing. The 852 Promise covers every language in scope.
FAQ
Do you handle Canadian bilingual labeling compliance (CFIA)?
Yes. Every packaging project that ships into Canadian retail goes through a CFIA bilingual labeling check during Phase 1, covering English and French requirements, mandatory nutrition table formats, ingredient declaration order, allergen statements, and country-of-origin rules. We design with the rules baked in, not bolted on at the proof stage. Lee Kum Kee, Illume Films merchandise, and Elite Tenants printed assets have all gone through this process.
What's the difference between traditional 繁中 and simplified 简中, and which do I need?
Traditional Chinese (繁體) is the script used in Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan, plus most Chinese-Canadian households with Hong Kong or Taiwanese roots. Simplified Chinese (简體) is the script used in mainland China and Singapore, and increasingly among younger Chinese-Canadian buyers from mainland-origin families. The choice depends on your target audience. We can deliver one, the other, or both. We will recommend during Phase 1 based on your customer research.
Do you work in Korean, and what is the depth of your Korean capability?
Yes. Korean (한국어) is a first-class capability alongside English and Chinese. We design, write, and deliver in Hangul with native speakers in the room from week one, the same model we use for English and Chinese tracks. For Canadian-Korean audiences, Korean export packaging (KFDA compliance), and brands entering the South Korean market, we scope Korean into the strategy phase rather than bolting it on at the proof stage.
Can you design for Asian retail markets and Canadian retailers in the same project?
Yes. Most Dual-Market Brand System projects do exactly this. The design team runs parallel tracks for each market with shared brand foundations and market-specific applications. Lee Kum Kee shipped on Hong Kong and Canadian shelves with the same brand system rendered for two retail contexts. Korean department store and Canadian retail can be handled the same way when the project is scoped that way at the start.
Is this translation, or something else?
It is cultural production. Translation takes English copy and renders it in another language. Cultural production starts with the audience in their language, designs the visual system to honor the script, writes the voice in-language with native conventions, and only then aligns the campaigns across markets. The deliverables look like coordinated brand systems in each language, not English work with translated captions.
Who owns the final files in each language?
You do. Full ownership transfers to your business at launch, in every language scoped. Editable Figma, editable Adobe Illustrator, and language-specific brand voice guidelines all transfer in their native source files. We do not retain rights, we do not require ongoing licensing, and we do not lock you into our retainer to keep the files functional.
Pricing recap and next step
Single-Language Project from CA$6,500. Dual-Market Brand System from CA$18,500. Multilingual Retainer from CA$3,500 per month with a 6-month minimum. Pricing reflects scope, not negotiation. We do not run hours-based billing.
A 30-minute scoping call is the right starting point if you have a multilingual project on the horizon, or if you are an Asian business preparing to enter Canada, or if you serve a Chinese-Canadian or Korean-Canadian audience and your current brand is not landing. We will tell you which tier fits, what the realistic timeline looks like across language tracks, and whether your project is a good fit for our team before any contract is signed.
Or read the Lee Kum Kee case study.