Amer Bakery Hut
Commissioned by Amer Group, Bhopal
July- November 2018
Scope of Work
Identity Re-design, Brand Visual Language, Brand Packaging,
Signage
Overview
Amer Bakery Hut (ABH) was established in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, in 1994, the first bakery in the city. For the past 24 years, the bakery has been a family favourite for cakes, snacks and a meal out. Over the years as ABH grew, so did the market, as more and more people began to eat out. Soon, ABH which had 4 branches across Bhopal, began to seem dated in the way it was branded, when compared to the changing visual landscape of the growing city. In early 2018, the management began to re-work their menu and streamline their product offering, and in July, I was approached by the group to refresh and modernise their identity.
The original visual identity that had remained unchanged for 24 years included a friendly baker with the brand name worked into a unit. While the logo had charm, it was definitely outdated - the logo provided challenges when it came to working it into signage, and the brand’s visual language was haphazard, having grown without clear direction. What the client missed, was visual consistency. What they were absolutely clear about, was that they wanted to retain the elements of their original logo - the baker, and the colour blue, which they believed was strongly associated with their brand. And therein lay the design challenge - to modernise their identity, without losing the essence of the original.
The Logo
Respecting the brand’s heritage, while refreshing their identity
When working on ideas for the logo, I was mindful of the challenges the original logo presented, primarily adapting the logo to a range of collateral that varied massively in size; from tiny logos on paper napkins to large store signage that differed in size and aspect ratio. One of the first decisions I made, was to separate the symbol from the text- working out different versions of the logo that would give the brand the flexibility it needed.
I started with the elements of the original logo- the friendly, moustachioed baker- the brand’s mascot and the brand name; and then added a few more - a descriptor that supported the brand’s wider range of offerings, freeing it from the limitations of the word ‘bakery’ in the brand name, and a nod to their twenty four year old legacy. I worked the logo into a circular ‘badge’ unit that was reminiscent of their original logo, and then designed variants that could be used across brand touch points.
The logo as a badge
The Visual Style
The brand’s mascot, the baker, was central to the identity, since it was the aspect of the logo that my clients were absolutely certain they wanted to retain. This, therefore, was the first and most critical component to work on, and I tried to retain as much of the charm of the original that I could.
I worked with a simple illustration style, incorporating parallel rules- a style from their original logo, to add depth. I continued to work with the moustache, a recognisable feature of their original logo, and the pleated chef’s hat. On the chef’s uniform, I added a badge that read ABH, an acronym that was used locally by loyal patrons that my client wanted to build on.
I typeset the brand name, and supporting text in Gotham by Heofler & Co.- keeping the typography bold, friendly and simple.
Variants of the logo add flexibility to the brand system, allowing for use on a range of collateral
Clockwise from the top left : The original brand language for ABH, taken across cake boxes, packaged bread, signage, take-away packaging, light box signage and their menu
Brand Visual Language
Previously, the brand didn’t really have a distinct visual style- other than the use of blue for their logo, there was no consistent colour palette or typographic style in use. While the vibrant colours worked well in the cafe spaces, the brand lacked clear direction.
Working off the happy, cheery aesthetic ABH was trying to create in their interior spaces, I built a primary and secondary colour palette for the brand that was vibrant, but designed the brand collateral so that the use of colour was restrained and purposeful.
Brand Packaging Design
Packaging was a very big part of the re-design, and I created simple two-colour design solutions that didn’t drastically increase costs. Using the logo in navy on block coloured bases, the packaging was bright and cheerful and followed a system that would be easy to follow when adding in size variants. I designed the packaging so it made for a vibrant stack when displayed in-store.
Takeaway Packaging
As another element of the brand’s visual language, I designed a pair of patterns, based on picnic table style checks. Working the ABH mascot, the baker, together with diagonal hatched lines, I took the pattern across wrap papers that package savoury snacks, as well as on takeaway paper bags.
Premium Packaging
While my clients updated their menu and product offering, they chose to introduce a line of premium products. Observing that a large number of their patisserie offerings were purchased on occasions - cakes for birthdays and anniversaries and chocolate as gifts, they decided to experiment with a few new products. The first, were premium packaging alternatives, where customers could choose to pay a small fee for cake or chocolate boxes that were different from the regular ones. We designed these with high quality materials and gold foiled details, adding value to the occasion in small way.
The bakery also developed a line of cookies with new recipes that highlighted quality ingredients for sale across their outlets. We designed metal tins, sold individually and in packs of four. These were the first of a range of retail products the client wants to introduce over the following year.
Premium cake boxes designed with a window to reveal messaging on a cake. Constructed with high quality paper and finished with a gold foiled logo.
Boxes for chocolate and brownies
Gift Boxes : so customer could choose an assortment of bakery products and present them in a single box with tray compartments within
The newly introduced line of premium retail products : an assortment of cookies, packaged in metal tins and sealed with a gold foiled sticker
A signage system that could adapt to different sizes while staying visually consistent
Signage
Amer Bakery Hut has always been easily recognised in Bhopal with it’s bright blue signage. We took a conscious decision to continue working with this, focusing on a system that would easily adapt to large and small format stores where the space available for signage differed drastically.
We decided to work with a combination of horizontal store-front signs, as well as circular eve signs with the badge logo unit for increased visibility and to reinforce the new identity.
Amer Bakery Hut launched its new identity in November 2018, in time for Diwali festivities. The identity was received extremely well, and their festive sales increased significantly from those in the previous year.