Branding · Editorial Design · Art Direction
2026
University/Personal Project
Concept: AP Héritage is a fictional luxury sub-brand for Audemars Piguet, extending the maison's fine watchmaking into a new category: Swiss-made fine watches designed specifically for children.
The project addresses a genuine gap — no major watch house has built a credible children's luxury universe — and asks how a 150-year-old maison can pass its heritage to the next generation without diluting the parent brand.
Role: Concept and Research, Brand strategy, naming, visual identity, product design, packaging, editorial/booklet design, mascot design, and campaign concept.
Process:
Brand Strategy — Starting from why a sub-brand makes sense for AP (collector trust, risk isolation, design legacy, scarcity logic) and why now (market growth, an underserved "occasion gap," rising investment culture around heirloom pieces), the strategy defines a clear target group — HNW children aged 6–15, whose parents are already inside the AP ecosystem — and positions the product as fine watchmaking for children, not a children's watch.
Naming & Positioning — "Héritage" (French for inheritance) was chosen for working across all priority markets without translation, built around the claim "Time, passed down."
Visual Identity — A full identity system: logotype construction and color variations, a 13-color palette, a three-typeface hierarchy (IM Fell English for campaign headlines, Gill Sans for wayfinding, Montserrat for body/legal), and an original illustrated mascot — Vallée, a chamois — used across packaging, campaign, and retail.
Product Design — Three watch references (Héritage I, II, III) scaled by age group (6–10, 8–13, 13–17+), each with distinct materials, sizing, colorways, and price tier, plus a two-strap system that scales in refinement with the reference number.
Editorial & Applications — A children's storybook ("The Story of Your Watch: Vallée and the First Journey") extending the brand world, alongside packaging, retail environment concepts, and a full ad campaign.
Outcome: A complete sub-brand system — strategy, naming, identity, three-tier product line, packaging, storytelling, and campaign — demonstrating how a legacy luxury brand can credibly enter a new category while protecting its core.
