Made in Podlasie · Kuwait

Polish folk paper-cuts for the Kuwaiti market

We ran strategy workshops and then designed the logo, identity, labels, social media and trade fair stand for a new Polish healthy food brand from Podlasie, a region in north-eastern Poland, as it entered Kuwait.

See where it came from

8weeksfrom the first moodboard to the production files for the stand
6coloursin the palette, each with its own role
2languagesof the identity presentation: Polish and English
5sizesof paper bags, with print files

Two markets

Products from Podlasie for customers in Kuwait

Podlasie

A region known as the green lungs of Poland: clean air, organic farms and traditional farming methods. All the brand's products come from here, from flours and flakes to oils, teas and dried fruit.

Kuwait

Affluent, well-informed customers are increasingly choosing organic, natural and minimally processed food that is low in sugar. They readily follow global trends, but also value their own cultural roots.

Why now

Customers are looking for organic, GMO-free products with less sugar.
Food from Europe is associated with high quality and strict standards.
More and more people want to try new flavours.

Strategy workshops

First we agreed who the brand should help

The brand was meant for conscious shoppers looking for organic, good-quality products. It had to be modern, consistent and distinctive, with the spirit of Podlasie, while still making sense in Kuwait.

In the workshops with the client we described the brand's market, values, differentiators and audiences. The most important turned out to be the differentiator: products that are safe for people with diabetes and allergies. Customers should know at once that they don't need to read the label several times.

Brand core

Health
Authenticity
Accessibility
Credibility
Calm

Who it's for

Young professionalsshop online and follow health trends
Families with childrenread the ingredients and choose what's safe
Active peoplelook for light, natural snacks
People with diabetesneed products with a low glycaemic index

If the brand were a person

She would be a woman you trust: calm, sincere and well informed. She has a timeless elegance, like traditional flowers, but never overdone. She gives advice with care and thinks of her loved ones first.

Direction

Colour from one moodboard, style from the other

The starting point was folk motifs from Podlasie: embroidery, paper-cuts and floral patterns. We wanted to translate them into a modern, restrained form that shows where the products come from and that they are natural.

We showed two directions. The client liked the fresh colours of the first, because they brought nature and life to mind. But they chose the drawing style of the second: simple, strong patterns from Podlasie, similar in structure to Kuwaiti ornaments. We combined the two.

Combine both directions

01 Colour

Vivid colours of nature, a bold label and graphics rooted in folklore.

we take the colours

02 Style

Minimalist floral and geometric patterns, a restrained palette.

we take the form

The result shows in the brand's ornament: simple geometry in the vivid colours of nature.

Logo

Paper-cuts, embroidery and hand-made letters

The logo is made up of the name and an ornament. Each part refers to the handicrafts of Podlasie.

Show a part of the logo

01The diamond with “IN”

We set the word “IN” inside a diamond, a shape from traditional Podlasie paper-cuts. The diamond catches the eye and recalls local handicraft.

02Ornament

Below the name runs a band of ornament inspired by embroidery and regional floral patterns. The same band comes back on flags, tapes and the stand wall.

03Letters

The letters have small irregularities and slightly flared ends, like things made by hand. This keeps the name warm while staying legible from a distance.

We also tested a version dominated by “Podlasie” alone. We stuck with the clear split into “Made in” and “Podlasie” because it's easier to remember.

Rolls of Made in Podlasie packing tape in red, yellow and green.

Colours

Colour hints at what's inside

Each of the six colours has its source in the region. On the packaging, the background colour depends on the type of product, so the category is visible from a distance, before anyone reads the name.

Yellow Light beige Red Grass green Deep green Blue

Yellow

HEX #FBBB30 · Pantone 136 C

Golden fields of grain, corn and the sun.

The background for cereal products, e.g. corn flakes.

Light beige

HEX #F5F3E7

Natural materials and white embroidery.

The background for flour products.

Red

HEX #E8442D · Pantone Bright Red C

The colour of folk patterns, fruit and flowers.

Accents on fruit products, e.g. strawberry jam.

Grass green

HEX #87BD27 · Pantone 368 C

Herbs and fresh ingredients.

For example, tea bag tags.

Deep green

HEX #29642C · Pantone 357 C

The forests of Podlasie.

The logo colour and large surfaces, e.g. the billboard and the stand wall.

Blue

HEX #1659A4 · Pantone 300 C

Water.

Blueberry and flax products, e.g. blueberry jam and linseed oil.

A yellow Made in Podlasie label for corn flakes with strawberry.

A beige Made in Podlasie wheat flour label with a green ornament.

A jar of Made in Podlasie strawberry jam on a red background with an illustration.

Two tea bags with green and red Made in Podlasie tags.

A dark green Made in Podlasie billboard with folk illustrations.

Seven Made in Podlasie products: coconut oil, flour, flakes, strawberry jam, linseed oil, stevia and blueberry jam.

A sack of Made in Podlasie wheat flour against the meadows of Podlasie, next to a yellow ear of grain.

Packaging

Illustrations that grow with the range

On the packaging we rely on colour and subtle illustrations. They make the product stand out on the shelf, build trust and say straight away which region it comes from.

We draw the illustrations like paper-cuts: ears of grain, flowers, leaves and fruit made of simple, flat shapes. The illustrated band sits in the same place on every pack, and the motif changes with the product.

The client wanted the products to look good enough to eat and to catch the eye of the whole family, children included. New products will simply get a new motif, and the shelf will still look consistent.

We chose typefaces that make the labels easy to read. The letters of the main typeface flare slightly and are a little irregular, as if written by hand.

Main typeface: Port Lligat Slab
Secondary typeface: Serotiva

Seven Made in Podlasie products standing side by side.

Made in Podlasie labels for wheat flour and corn flakes with strawberry on a dark green background.

A sack of Made in Podlasie flour against the hills of Podlasie, next to a yellow ear of grain and a ripe ear of wheat.

Stand

A stand built in Kuwait from our files

The stand was built by a contractor on site in Kuwait, so the design alone wasn't enough. We prepared print files, cutting templates and views from several sides so the contractor knew exactly how everything should look once assembled.

The Made in Podlasie stand: a cardboard display with colourful shelves, a green wall and a cube with bags. — The Made in Podlasie stand

Stand elements

1Product display

A 155 cm tall cardboard display with shelves every 30–35 cm, each in a different brand colour. The manufacturer's template assumed a white interior, so we drew our own cutting template with printed sides and back on the inside.

22 × 2 m wall

The wall talks about the brand rather than the products, and has to carry the Polish flag. A tall shelving unit stands in front of it, so we placed the most important text where the shelves wouldn't hide it.

3Good for diabetics, Low sugar

Two badges with the key differentiator from the workshops. A person with diabetes should see it before they even approach the stand.

4Cube with a slogan

A 50 × 50 × 50 cm light box with the slogan “Test our organic products”, with bags bearing the logo standing on top. Each side has a different colour and illustration.

5Paper bags

Five bag sizes, from 13 × 7 × 18 to 22 × 12 × 22 cm. Dark green with the logo and an illustration, with no extra colours, so they don't compete with the colourful display.

Applications

From flags to an online shop

We handed over the identity together with brand guidelines, the logo in the brand colours, sample posts and print files. This is how it looks in use.

Flags
Posts for Instagram and Facebook
Tea bags
Online shop concept from the identity presentation
Product categories and the story of the region

What the brand took to Kuwait

Made in Podlasie has an identity that shows at once where its products come from. It's also simple, because that's the aesthetic customers in Kuwait like.

The system of illustrations and colours is ready for new products, and the stand was built in Kuwait by a local contractor from our files.

Client: Made in PodlasieOrganic food straight from Podlasie
Market: Kuwait
Scope: Strategy workshops
Branding
Logo
Illustration
Packaging
Animation
Social media
Business materials
Production and print