Planting a deeply rooted
Branding strategy
For a nuts brand
How we helped a nuts retailer ripen into a fully realized brand.
Vivaan Inc. wanted to launch a new brand of nuts and dry fruits named Nuts Hut, complete with a wide product range and an exclusive store in Bangalore. Sukkrish Aadds came onboard to create the branding and packaging design.
In India, nuts are no longer seen as just food enrichers or flavour enhancers. The nut and dried fruit industry is estimated to reach an annual revenue of $4 billion by the end of 2020. Nuts are more than a snack in India. They are part of a custom. In such a crowded industry, how can the brand make a stand for itself?
Nuts Hut would have an exclusive store that will house the different varieties of nuts and dry fruits. The name brought a vibe of simplicity and its rhythmic pronunciation was catchy. This helped set the tone for the entire exercise.
The acorn was chosen as the main visual element on the logo because of its symbolic projection of a strong, immortal being. Moreover, the acorn has had a strong association with pop culture owing to its appearances in the Ice Age films. The hand-drawn style weaves in a dynamic and energetic layer.
The body is coloured in purple while the top part of the logo is shaded in olive green. The brand name is presented in a quirky, soft and handwritten typeface, making it look friendly and fun. The whole look gave the brand a playful yet nutty tone.
Drawing on consumer needs and mindsets to create an effective strategy
Research shows that Indian consumers are in active search of information on the packet of nuts he or she picks up at the supermarket or online. Essential information such as health and safety standards, ingredients and preparation measures are key decision makers.
With Nuts Hut, we planned to climb that hurdle.
Packaging is where our strategy was brought to life. Most consumers have their first brand interaction when they pick up your product in the supermarket aisle and take a closer look at it.
We wanted to address the key issues right on the Nuts Hut packaging. Be it the preparation measures, quality and the health element. To ensure that our messaging is not lost, we opted for a minimal style of design with traditional illustrations and a sans serif typeface that’s easier to read. We designed the packaging for over 130 SKUs ranging from plain to flavoured nuts, dried fruits and namkeens.
Implementing a young and fun voice to connect with the new generation
Throughout this branding exercise, we pushed ourselves across the line to create a young and vibrant brand. From the logo to the packaging to other brand collaterals, store livery and environmental graphics, we brought forth a minimal, clean and amicable design that featured harmonious copy.
To us, Nuts Hut isn’t just tapping into the new generation, they are transforming into the new generation. By adopting a young brand voice not just in our communication but also the design, we were able to bring forth such a transformation.
Cracking the case wide open
In an industry that’s flooded with prominent brand names that have established a standing in multiple cities and urban regions, conceptualising Nuts Hut as a young and trendy brand aimed at the health-conscious demographic was a monumental task.
Through a calculated brand strategy that helped us find the pain points such as lack of relevant information or clean and contemporary branding, we gave Nuts Hut the edge it needs to stand out. Our brand guidelines have enabled Nuts Hut to bring in newer product lines and shepherd them to the market with ease, be it in their own flagship store or the online world.
Throughout our branding exercise, we couldn’t help but go nuts and create a solid brand idea that can evolve into a bigger, bolder entity.
