BRANDING + DESIGN
DO DEAD DOLLS DREAM OF PROBIOTICS?
AKANSHA KUKREJA | MFAD 2019
CONTEN PART 1 BRANDING
01
PROCESS
Picking The Brand Store Visits Competitors Target Audience The Story Inspiration & Thoughts Initial Sketches Digital Iterations
02
OUTCOME
Obscura, Revised Identity System Visual Assets Applications
NTS PART 2 PACKAGING
03 PROCESS
A Hot, Saucy Conflict Kombucha, Please The Brand + Product Current Label Analysis Line-Up & Competition Target Audience Understanding The Philosophy The Story Visual Inspiration Initial Sketches Digital Iterations
04
OUTCOME
GT’s Logomark, Revised New Label Design Visual Assets Product Photography Communication Style Packaging Guidelines
B w m r h i a o n n d d in s s te o e ra f t xi
PART 1
“
is t c h t t e i w p n it e th h op e th le e m .
BRANDING
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a - BRIAN COLLINS
INCLUDES PICKING THE BRAND STORE VISITS COMPETITORS TARGET AUDIENCE THE STORY INSPIRATION & THOUGHTS INITIAL SKETCHES DIGITAL ITERATIONS
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PART 1
01 | PROCESS
PA R T 1 | B R A N D I N G
PICKING THE BRAND
CURRENT IDENTITY
Obscura is a store that houses antiques and obscure keepsakes that are indescribably odd (a.k.a oddities). The store’s employees search flea markets, personal collections, auctions, and antique shows for unique and unusual artifacts. When I walked into the store as a happen-stance of exploring East Village, I wanted to spend more than a normal amount of time there. The cabinets and drawers and nooks of the store have more to offer than the store-front proposes.
WHY? WEIRD OBJECTS FROM THE 1800s DISCOVERY BECOMES COLLECTION STUFFED SQUIRRELS ON A FERRIS WHEEL UNDISCOVERED EAST-VILLAGE GEM CURATED ODDITIES
STORE VISITS
I happened to chance upon their store in East Village, by Avenue A. The intentional messy curation of non-traditional antiques really pulled me in. This isn’t a run-of-the-mill antique store that everyone feels comfortable in.
OBSCURA
PA R T 1 | B R A N D I N G
OBSCURA
PA R T 1 | B R A N D I N G
OBSCURA
PA R T 1 | B R A N D I N G
OBSCURA
COMPETITORS EVOLUTION, OLDE GOOD THINGS, ECLICTIC COLLECTIBLES, THE HUNT
In New York, a lot of the antique stores offer their own special twist. Some offer really great Historic Artefacts, Jewellery, Antique Furniture and Decor. None of these directly compete with Obscura on the following factors: INTENTIONAL MESSY CURATION. TIMELY REARRANGEMENTS. DISCOVER = NOVELTY . OPEN 7 DAYS. FLEA MARKET PRESENCE. OFFER EXPERT ADVICE & CURATION.
PA R T 1 | B R A N D I N G
CUSTOMERS COLLECTORS DECORATORS SET DESIGNERS PROP COLLECTORS
OBSCURA
“
It’s part museum, part
attraction. Some people want to come in and look but not touch or take anything.
MIKE ZOHN, STORE OWNER
“
Like a car accident.
PA R T 1 | B R A N D I N G
THE ST
Incite d into CABI CURIOS
OBSCURA
TORY
disovery the IN OF SITIES.
A conversation with the owner allowed me to identify that when people come into obscura, they want to dig through the objects to find their own kind of oddity. It always makes a good story when you can take credit for that weird thing that’s staring at the guests that walk into your home.
PA R T 1 | B R A N D I N G
INSPIRTATION AND THOUGHTS
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MOODBOARD 1 | THE SOUL DOES NOT EXIST
DEAD INSIDE TAXIDERMY THINGS THAT ONCE LIVED THE EXPRESSIONS OF RELICS LIVING IN FEAR WAITING FOR NOTHING DEATH ON A SHELF
OBSCURA
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MOODBOARD 2 | DETAILS WITHIN MATTER
INNER STRUCTURE TINY DISCOVERIES DIAGRAMS THE INSIDES OF THINGS STRUCTURE MOLECULES DETAIL BECOMES DISCOVERY
PA R T 1 | B R A N D I N G
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MOODBOARD 3 | LOOKING FOR IMPERFECTION
MISFITS SKEWED GRITTY IMPERFECT EDGES TYPOGRAPHIC TEXTURAL AWKWARD
OBSCURA
REACTIONS AND REFLECTIONS After my intial moodboards, I started to open up a bit more in terms of how I could step out of the run-of-themill antique store realm. This idea of discovering things to combine with others you find at Obscura led to this idea of duality. Combining weird things together - that was at the essence of an Obscura takeaway. The previous moodboards (1 and 2) seemed too safe to carry forward. This idea of the undead object combined with something it would never relate to started to sit with me as I collected images from old books / British Library Flickr archives over the internet. At this point, I also started to consider the various types of logos I could explore for Obscura.
PA R T 1 | B R A N D I N G
INITIAL SKETCHES
OBSCURA
PA R T 1 | B R A N D I N G
DIGITAL ITERATIONS ROUND 1
REACTIONS AND REFLECTIONS With mixed reactions, I was a bit unsure about this route - another peer of mine was designing for Obscura’s competitor ‘Evolution.’ This was too close to art-history and the aesthetics of an apothecary.
OBSCURA
LABEL SYSTEM
PA R T 1 | B R A N D I N G
DIGITAL ITERATIONS ROUND 2
REACTIONS AND REFLECTIONS The idea of duality in terms of the visual collage was well received but the logomark was still too generic. I started toying with this idea of a dual label-system.
OBSCURA
LABEL SYSTEM
PA R T 1 | B R A N D I N G
DIGITAL ITERATIONS ROUND 3
REACTIONS AND REFLECTIONS “Sed ut perspiciatis unde omnis iste natus error sit voluptatem accusantium doloremque laudantium, totam rem aperiam, eaque ipsa quae ab illo inventore veritatis et quasi architecto beatae vitae dicta sunt explicabo. Nemo enim ipsam voluptatem quia voluptas sit aspernatur aut odit aut fugit, sed quia consequuntur magni dolores eos qui ratione voluptatem sequi nesciunt. Neque porro quisquam
OBSCURA
INCLUDES OBSCURA, REVISED IDENTITY SYSTEM VISUAL ASSETS APPLICATIONS
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PART 1
02 | OUTCOME
PA R T 1 | B R A N D I N G
OBSCURA
PA R T 1 | B R A N D I N G
OBSCURA
PA R T 1 | B R A N D I N G
REVISED IDENTITY
OBSCURA
PA R T 1 | B R A N D I N G
WITHOUT TAGLINE
WITH TAGLINE
IDENTITY SYSTEM
The ‘+’ mark remains attached to the typeface as part of the logomark and is consistent throughout the identity system.
OBSCURA
TYPOGRAPHY
COLOURS
This gives an idea of the umbrella coloe palette that the brand communication should be basked under.
PA R T 1 | B R A N D I N G
OBSCURA
The constant change of display allows for a constant change of labels and naming. The more obscure the combination, the better!
PA R T 1 | B R A N D I N G
APPLICATIONS STORE SIGNAGE LEVEL 1
LEVEL 2 On further expansion into signage, I will need to identify from the owner and curators of the stores what the different levels of signage are.
OBSCURA
POSTCARDS & COMMUNICATION
PA R T 1 | B R A N D I N G
APPLICATION ON STATIONERY
OBSCURA
Due to the complexity of the items bought in the store, the takeaway apparatus offers a simple aesthetic using only the identity
PA R T 1 | B R A N D I N G
WEBSITE DESIGN
OBSCURA
PA R T 1 | B R A N D I N G
COMPA
ARISON
OBSCURA
a In p n t a y c c h o k ot e m a h a b m gi e b ra u n r s e m g n n i n d c i a c
PART 2
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c is ar c e at t k e s o h e o s r e ti f e o n n f s g c t o , e h le . e
PACKAGING
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- PHILIP MORRIS
INCLUDES A HOT, SAUCY CONFLICT KOMBUCHA, PLEASE THE BRAND + PRODUCT CURRENT LABEL ANALYSIS LINE-UP & COMPETITION TARGET AUDIENCE UNDERSTANDING THE PHILOSOPHY THE STORY VISUAL INSPIRATION INITIAL SKETCHES DIGITAL ITERATIONS
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PART 2
03 | PROCESS
PA R T 2 | PA C K A G I N G
A HOT, SAUCY CONFLICT To start off the packaging assignment, I picked hot sauce as it seemed like an interesting challenge. Tapatio Hot Sauce was my brand of choice. After a few weeks of research and iterations, I realised I was too far away from the culture and any interaction with the sauce or the state it comes from. All my knowledge of the culture was coming from the internet. My ideas didn’t seem to do justice to the sauce that came with a strong cultural history.
STRUCTUAL EXPLORATIONS
G T ’ S KO M B U C H A
LABEL DESIGN ITERATIONS
REACTIONS AND REFLECTIONS The labels weren’t well-received and both labels seemed too generic to be attached to this particular brand of hot sauce. It could go onto any hot sauce or food & beverage product made of chillies and tomatoes.
PA R T 2 | PA C K A G I N G
KOMBUCHA, PLEASE. After rethinking Tapatio, I was a little lost in terms of how to go about picking what to package next. It’s hard because when you look at good packages, it’s a bit intimidating to package them. My teething problems with Tapatio were that I didn’t feel like I was connected to the brand. I was (and still am) in designing graphics for aeronautic applications and considered food packaging for NASA. However, there would be no way to identify pain-points in this scenario. After a bunch of explorations, I decided to repackage a product I actually used, liked and believed in. I picked my favorite brand of Kombucha - not just because it’s healthy, but also it tastes delicious. My classmate Michael brought me his homemade kombucha to taste - that really pushed me to pick kombucha as my choice of product to design for!
G T ’ S KO M B U C H A
THE BRAND + PRODUCT
So, in 1995, at the age of 15, GT Dave began bottling his Kombucha in the kitchen of his parents’ Southern California home. Over 22 years later, GT’s Kombucha has stayed true to the sacred brewing process of this ancient elixir. Using heirloom cultures from that Himalayan Mother SCOBY, they handcraft our Kombucha in the same size small batches that GT brewed back in his family kitchen. To this day, our founder is still very hands-on, continuing to sample every single batch before it’s bottled. 100% RAW, ORGANIC, AND RICH WITH LIVING PROBIOTICS SPIRITUAL HEALING NATURAL ELIXIR
PRODUCT STRUCTURE
PA R T 2 | PA C K A G I N G
CURRENT LABEL ANALYSIS
INDIAN MOTIFS The spiritual nature of the brand is depicted using generic “Indian” motifs along with silver foiling and handcrafted fonts. This problem arises within the logo as well. TOO MUCH INFORMATION Altough the product embodies healthy elements, the bottle displays too much information that takes a new drinker too long to absorb.
OVER THE TOP The front and back of the bottle uses words such as “Enlightened, Repair, Rebirth, Rediscover.” to a point where they almost seem exaggerated.
G T ’ S KO M B U C H A
LINE-UP + COMPETITION With Kombucha becoming easier to brew at home and the trend spreading world-wide, GT’s Kombucha competes with a range of best-selling brands with varying levels of sugar and varieties of flavor. The quality of GT’s Kombucha is still amongst the top selling but often, it’s overseen by new drinkers due to over-crowding. The quality of the product surpases the appearance.
PA R T 2 | PA C K A G I N G
TARGET AUDIENCE HEALTH-CONSCIOUS YOGA-GENERATION COLD-BREWED-TEA-DRINKERS ATHLETES WORKING PROFESSIONALS PEOPLE LOOKING TO LOSE WEIGHT
G T ’ S KO M B U C H A
“
It is our purpose to bring Beautiful Living Things
together, helping people live happier, healthier lives.
“
GT DAVE, FOUNDER
PA R T 2 | PA C K A G I N G
UNDERSTANDING THE PHILOSOPHY
G T ’ S KO M B U C H A
PA R T 2 | PA C K A G I N G
THE ST
Living combine SCIEN SPIRITU
G T ’ S KO M B U C H A
TORY
things e through NCE & UALITY.
Upon reading between the lines of the company philosophy, two main factors tstand out; Their scientific knowlege and practiice and their belief in aligning our mind body and soul to discover healthier and happier lifestyles.
PA R T 2 | PA C K A G I N G
VISUAL INSPIRATION
G T ’ S KO M B U C H A
I started to look at the molecular structures of living probiotics and comparing centering oneself with the universe and cosmos.
PA R T 2 | PA C K A G I N G
INITIAL SKETCHES
G T ’ S KO M B U C H A
PA R T 2 | PA C K A G I N G
DIGITAL ITERATIONS I PICKED THE ENLIGHTENED KOMBUCHA RANGE TO REDESIGN
G T ’ S KO M B U C H A
REACTIONS AND REFLECTIONS A set of mixed reactions was received on the extremely geometric typeface. It still seemed to lack a connection to the brand. Most people / friends who had tried the product seemed to connect a little more to the visuals of the cosmos. The pastel colours were received as organic and fresh.
INCLUDES GT’S BRAND REFRESH REVISED LABEL DESIGN VISUAL ASSETS PRODUCT PHOTOGRAPHY COMMUNICATION STYLE
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PART 2
02 | OUTCOME
PA R T 2 | PA C K A G I N G
GT’S BRAND REFRESH
CURRENT LOGO
Outdated-gradients, Irrelevant Motifs, Bulky
CURRENT VISUAL LANGUAGE
Repeated Mandala patterns. No synergy in the colours and patterns used.
G T ’ S KO M B U C H A
PROPOSED NEW LOGO
Clean, fresh, light aesthetic with simpler fonts.
PROPOSED VISUAL LANGUAGE
Fresher Colors, Refreshed visuals that speak of science and spirituality. The essence of the patterns and motifs is retained.
REVISED LABEL
PROPOSED INFORMATION ARCHITECTURE With a subtle resemblance to the previous packaging, this revised labels aims at establishing a fresher, more modern connection with the drinker. Most Kombucha drinkers are loyal to their flavours - the colour coding aims to assist that. GT’s brand has trademarked names for their drinks that sometimes don’t explicitly state all the flavours. Below the main circle, the flavour is broken down so as to communicate to the drinker what he / she’s buying.
FRONT
BACK
FLAVORS
VISUAL ASSETS
VECTOR ILLUSTRATIONS IN PLAYFUL COLOURS USES: COMMUNICATION + PHOTO ACCENTS
PHOTOGRAPHY STYLE
CLEAN SIMPLE ILLUSTRATION INTERACTS WITH THE INGREDIENTS
Th EN
he ND
A PROCESS BOOK