New brand to fuel A.J. Mason’s expansion into North America and Asia-Pacific
Hong Kong, May 13, 2022 – Founded in 1978 in Hong Kong, A.J. Mason is a family business specialising in characterful real estate investment and development. In recent years, the company’s expansion into North America required a strong and succinct brand to help them appeal to business partners for investment and development on a global scale.
Guided by their inherent family values and rich multi-generational history, Eight created a brand based on the promise of ‘legacy’, culminating in the brand DNA ‘The Legacy Builders’, tying the company’s own heritage of creating projects of substance, designed to provide returns for generations to come.
The new brand is demonstrated through a set of complementary logos and visual identities created for the portfolio of group companies - A.J. Mason, Angus Mason and Alexander Mason each of which covers a different geographical region. A simple folded trapezium icon represents the protective roof of a home, as well as the letters ‘A’ and ‘M’, present in all three names.
“Our aim when we created the visual identities was to showcase the companies as established, reliable placemakers with a distinctive modern vision,” says Iain Richardson, Executive Creative Director at Eight. “With its rich and timeless colour palette and elegant wordmark, the new logo represents the long-term value and sense of belonging that A.J. Mason is looking to create in each of their built communities, for all stakeholders.”
As part of the brand creation, Eight also designed a website for A.J. Mason, the developer’s Asia-Pacific arm, to share its unique creative vision. This non-linear site allows users to explore the brand in an unconventional and engaging manner, through charming stories that unveil the heritage and sense of place that they infuse into each of their projects.
“We are proud to have helped this successful business intimately tied to the story of a family, launch themselves on the global stage with confidence,” says Chris Fjelddahl, Partner at Eight. “We admire how they take a sustainable, long-lasting approach, thinking beyond themselves to the people who will use their buildings, now and for generations to come - and we wish them every success for the future.”
About A.J. Mason
A.J. Mason is a Hong Kong-based real estate development and investment family office with over 40 years of experience in developing, investing, and managing residential and commercial properties around the world. Our origins date back to the construction business in the early 1940s in Shanghai when Mr. A.J. Sze co-founded Paul Y Construction Company and moved the business to Hong Kong in the 1950s. Paul Y Construction took off as the industry in Hong Kong grew in the 1960s and 70s and took part in projects including the Hong Kong Cross Harbour Tunnel, the MTR and the Hong Kong Park Lane Hotel. In 1978, A.J. Mason Development Ltd. was established by Mr. A.J. Sze and his son, Mr. Mason Sze. Today, the A.J. Mason brand has established three distinct companies, A.J. Mason, Angus Mason, and Alexander Mason, to distinguish its operations in Asia Pacific, Canada, and the United States. The family office is currently led by its third-generation leader, Mr. Jason Sze, with Hong Kong as its headquarters and the Group continues to succeed and venture into different parts of the world.