Date:
October 3, 2014
Empathy and Definition
Understanding the essence to chart the course
The initial assignment was to redesign the labels of three artisanal sauces -pasas with morita chile, peanuts with chile de árbol and mango habanero- as well as the brand’s logo. In addition to this, we were asked to redesign a letter-size packaging to create a small sampler of the three varieties. As the process progressed, the work evolved into an integral renovation of the brand, product and packaging.
The main need was to create a graphic label system with a clear, distinctive and functional structure: differentiable colors by flavor, clearly illustrated ingredients and a visually strong image compared to competing products. To this end, a solid colorimetric base was established that could later be extended to the brand’s graphic communication.
Field research was conducted by visiting gourmet outlets -the main distribution channel- and observing patterns in premium brands. While black was predominant on the shelves, Spicy Adama wanted to stand out for its visual energy and its link to Mexican cultural diversity. The meaning of the name was also taken into account: Spicy (spicy) and Adama (earth, in Arabic), which guided the choice of a typography with calligraphic and ornamental features.
The defined challenge was to transform a branding originally developed in PowerPoint, with well-intentioned proportions and structures but without professional execution. Everything was rebuilt from scratch in Illustrator: logo, labels, illustrations and packaging. In addition, barcodes and nutritional information validated by the Ministry of Health were added to the design. The result was a robust and scalable visual system for brand growth.
Flavor from design
Comprehensive brand and packaging redesign to stand out in the gourmet market.
Spicy Adama was looking for more than just new labels: it needed a visual identity that would reflect the authenticity of its artisanal sauces and capture attention on crowded shelves. Through a complete redesign process -from logo to packaging prototypes- a visual system with clear structure, differentiated colorimetry and powerful graphic communication was created. The result: a coherent, professional brand ready to compete in premium distribution channels.
Ideation and Prototyping
Shaping ideas and creating tangible solutions
The ideation stage began with brainstorming sessions to define color palettes, main ingredients and graphic styles. Extensive benchmarking of similar brands was done and a base layout was constructed that could be replicated in the different labels, maintaining the structure but allowing to modify colors and illustrations according to the flavor.
The pallets were selected from pre-established combinations that ensured contrast, differentiation and visual appeal on the shelf. Multiple versions of illustrations were designed for the ingredients, from which the client chose the most appropriate ones. This defined the graphic language for each variant.
The initial prototype took the form of printed self-adhesive labels, manually cut and applied to the original bottles (previously cleaned with Goo Gone to ensure good adhesion). The sample book design was also printed and assembled on illustration paper, manually testing the functioning of the tabs and closures.
After physical validation of the prototypes, adjustments were made to secondary typographies and usage suggestion icons. Customer feedback helped refine key details, without compromising the overall aesthetic line. The result was an integrated solution, ready for production and with potential for positioning in national retail.
