Bao|Lab
Strategy
Identity
Communication
Concept
An imaginative recipe book that cuts across time to reveal the secrets of “baology”: the art of bao and steam.
Bao|Lab is a gastronomic laboratory offering an original interpretation of mysterious recipes born around legends and animal deities, in line with tradition and the most authentic craftsmanship, to keep history alive in the present with a special creative and contemporary twist.
Strategy
Identity
Communication
Development
The brand identity includes a typographic character with mild irregularities and flared lines, which evoke the shapes and expressive gestures of Chinese writing and recall the vertical arrangement of hanging calligraphic rolls, typical of Eastern culture.
Starting from some of the basic ingredients on the menu, original stories were developed to invent and represent fantastic and animal deities that protect the art of bao and its secrets.
Each story inspires part of the illustrations that make up the visuals featured on all communication, from packaging to online menus, recalling traditional Chinese iconography with their varied colors.
The legendary Golden Pig has one head at each extremity: it’s faster than the wind, and its golden bristles glisten as it pulls the Sun chariot that lights up the dark heavens. From a majestic tree, it protects the forests: he is the Great Keeper of day and night.
At the mouth of the great Yellow River, the Door of Courage rises: a place where light spirits can fly, as if by magic. Overcoming the many dangers hidden in the currents, a bold fish once climbed the waterfall: beyond the enchanted threshold, its wings grew to reveal the splendor of a fantastic dragon.
A divine plant grows inside the imperial palace, covered with silver down: it is consulted like an oracle, because it contains the essence of the secret breath. Its thin leaves transform into feathers, and when cut, it gushes a ruby sap that cures all evil, grants wishes and gives infinite wisdom to those who drink it.
The Fiery Chicken returns to the island of Sang Chuang every year. He circles around the conical mountain like an eagle, always veering in the same direction to generate colorful whirls in the sky. From red to yellow to blue, his plumage changes color – only in the eyes of truly pure hearts.
A huge crustacean guards the end of waters. Plants and trees grow on its back, turning it into a speck of land at sea. Here, shipwrecked sailors establish towns, villages and cities on Crab Island – but always return home on the back of the benign creature.
Inside the Cosmic Cave, lives the kindest beast in the world: it has the body of an ox, a tail like a chimera, and two deer antlers on its forehead. He holds the universe in its mouth, and its footsteps echo in the valleys: impossible to catch in any way, it grants great fortunes to those who encounter it in their dreams.
CREDITS
IDENTITY AND COMMUNICATION DESIGN
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PHOTOGRAPHY
PEPE fotografia
ILLUSTRATIONS
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