brand

Packaging

Mama Sopa: Bubbles for Charity

By Delphine Hirasuna |

The Dutch Simavi Foundation, an organization dedicated to promoting safe drinking water, sanitation and hygiene in the poorest regions of developing countries, launched its own line of body soaps to help fund their programs. There’s no need to appeal to public’s sense of duty to get people to buy Mama Sopa soaps and bath gels, however. The playful yet sophisticated packaging of Mama Sopa rises to the level of any high-end branded product on retail shelves. Consumers will want to buy the product simply because they like it, not just because they see this as a way to make a charitable donation. Ina Meijer and Marjolijn Stappers of Con-fetti design agency created the playful hand-drawn identity of a woman with curly tall hair and big eyes. A muted color palette of apricot, taupe and seafoam blue gives the packaging a spa-like style that projects a clean, warm and relaxed look. Mama Sopa undoubtedly makes buyers feel good – doubly so knowing that they are helping to give poor regions sustainable access to safe drinking water, a problem that afflicts more than a billion people today.

Typography

Habibis: Accent on the Arabic

By Delphine Hirasuna |

Mexican food is not considered exotic to locals in Mexico, which is why Habibis, an Arabic-Mexican taqueria in San Pedro Garza Garcia, emphasized the Arabic side in its brand identity. A municipality that is part of the Monterrey metro area, San Pedro Garza Garcia has a large third-generation Arab population that has infused intriguing flavors into the local cuisine. In transitioning from a taco stand to an alluring taco cafe, Habibis looked to Monterrey-based creative agency, Anagrama, to build a brand that conveyed the fine fusion quality of its food, while preserving its street-friendly and casual ambiance.

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Packaging

Illy’s Brand Positioning on the Arts

By Delphine Hirasuna |

Explaining its views on coffee, illy argues “If coffee is experienced with all five senses, the very objects that hold coffee should please the eye.” Given that brand philosophy, the Trieste, Italy-based coffee company sought to elevate the humble coffee cup “to meld the sensory pleasures of coffee and art.” In 1992, it commissioned renowned architect Matteo Thun to design what is now the iconic illy espresso cup. From there, illy asked some of the world’s foremost artists to use the white ceramic surface as a canvas for their original art. The illy Art Collection was born. Over the past two decades, some 70 artists, including such contemporary masters as Robert Rauschenberg, Jeff Koons and Julian Schnabel, have contributed to the collection. The cups and saucers in the illy Collection can themselves be appreciated as works of art worthy of display in galleries and exhibitions.

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