In Industry Last updated 02 March 2023
As part of the the BA Graphic Design Live Projects module, Angela Simmonds, Founder of Gella’s, a Birmingham-based condiments brand, gave a live brief to students. This involved rebranding and repackaging her product range of jam, oils and condiments with a spicy kick.
The aim of the rebrand was to elevate the existing products, giving them a professional makeover that meant Angela could take her products to an expanding market and drive further engagement with her target audience.
Watch this Instagram reel to hear more from Angela.
Packaging briefs ignite students’ imagination, and this brief was undertaken by a number of second-year students. During the module, the students pitched their ideas at an interim stage and at a final in-person presentation to Angela.
In spite of being overwhelmed by choice, Angela selected third-year student Amber Charlton as the overall winner. Amber revisited Gella's visual identity and chose to collaborate with alumna Mollie Rycroft-Stanley who she had connected with through the mentoring scheme.
The pair have successfully rebranded Gella’s with a bold, bright and expressive identity that nods to Angela’s Jamaican heritage.
Course Director BA Graphic Design Jane Anderson said: “It’s always been a great experience for our students to work with local businesses, and working with Angela has been a real pleasure.
"To help a business grow in this ever-changing environment, branding must work across multiple touchpoints, and that is what Amber and Mollie have achieved. They have created a strong brand identity with the right content strategies, helping Gella’s to build their brand whilst keeping their customers engaged. It’s these real-world experiences that create a richer and more dynamic learning journey within our course.”
Mollie said: "Working on this brief has been a true pleasure and a wonderful learning experience for both myself and Amber. During our time at university, we were always compared to one another as hard workers and we recognised our complementary skillsets would be a recipe for success – pun intended. So when the opportunity to collaborate arose, we knew it had to be done.
"Storytelling was at the forefront of our design thinking throughout the process as, being a small business, personal qualities drive success and create meaningful bonds with the consumer.
"We explored the Birmingham and Jamaican heritage, the client’s background and a crafty and creative visual language leaving any consumer inspired when Gella’s is sitting on their kitchen counter. Each element of the identity, from the colour palette to the words used in social media posts is rooted in research-based strategy resulting in a personal and meaningful outcome that provides a great talking point at markets.
"Having the opportunity to work alongside local businesses and see dreams come to life at such early stages in our careers is truly inspiring and encouraging."