We were thrilled to wake up on this Friday and see that our packaging design work for UMYUM was featured on Brand New’s Friday Likes. At ZAK, we typically start our day with a cup of coffee and checking out the happenings of the design world on Brand New. Always a funny moment when you see your own work without you knowing!
You can check out the post here.
RSS3 is a Web3 company, and one of our favourite new clients we’ve been working with over the past year. We’ve been helping them build their vision for the future of the internet. RSS3 is focused on building a decentralized network, indexing and structuring open information in order to make it accessible and valuable for the next Twitter, Google, and OpenAI.
We’ve worked with them on a variety of pieces, including brand identity, website design, 3D assets, motion design, infographics, an NFT project, and more. They’re always pushing the boundaries of what’s possible and it’s a pleasure to be work with them everyday. You can read more about the new brand on their blog as well!
They’ve just recently launched their biggest project to day, the Alpha Mainnet. They’ve been working on bringing this to their Web3 audience, and you can find out more about it on their blog. Congrats to their team, and we look forward to seeing future iterations of the mainnet and how it affects the open web!
Look out for a case study in the near future!
Super excited to finally be able to share one of our favourite brand identity and packaging design projects we’ve worked on lately – UMYUM! UMYUM is a Vancouver based food company focused on providing a variety of products at the highest of quality. They focus on creating beautiful food experiences that just happen to be plant-based.
ZAK was brought on to work alongside the UMYUM team to refresh the brand strategy, brand identity, and packaging design system to stand out within a competitive plant-based market.
Make sure to check-out the case study here!
It’s always exciting to wake up and see our work featured on a blog everyone knows and loves – this time being The Dieline. We’ve been working with KOKOMO for a number of years now, and it’s really nice to see them get some recognition for all the hard work they’ve put into building such a great company.
You can read the whole article on The Dieline, or see the entirety of the work on our case study!
Some new brand and packaging work up on our site for one of Vancouver’s most influential plant-based restaurants! KOKOMO offers nourishing, plant-based foods that are inspired by the sun and created for you.
We worked alongside KOKOMO to re-establish their brand identity and just about everything that goes with it. Packaging design, website design, store signage and hoarding – you name it, we had a hand in designing it.
Peep the full case-study here!
Continuing on with festival season, the 2023 Vancouver Writers Fest program guide just launched, outlining all the exciting events going on this year. For the campaign design this year we had the pleasure of working alongside the very talented Rafael Mayani for a suite of illustrations. These illustrations showcase Granville Island through the eyes of the Writers Fest, bringing a sense of wonder and excitement to the fest.
Tickets go on sale September 11th, and expect to see more of the illustrations as they rollout across the city.
Read more about the fest on their 2023 Festival website!
Festival season is creeping up quickly and we’re extremely stoked on our work for the Vancouver International Film Festival (VIFF) for the 2023 season! It’s always an interesting challenge to keep pushing the boundaries of the VIFF brand, but one that’s extremely rewarding. The design, direction, and concept were done by us here at ZAK, with the motion being done by the fine folks over at Post Pro Media. Keep your eyes peeled for the campaign as it rolls out everywhere! For the most up to date festival news, be sure to visit the VIFF website.
KOKOMO is one of our favourite clients, and we’ve had the pleasure to work with them on a number of things over the years. Branding, packaging design, website design, store hoarding – you name it, we’ve done it. They’re such a iconic business here in Vancouver, offering fresh plant-based meals for pickup and delivery. Everything from vegan burgers to bowls and shakes, they’re a staple for many people.
They just recently shutdown their Chinatown location, in lieu of opening a brand new location over in East Van. In our eyes, the new location feels like it makes so much sense, and will allow the people over on Commercial to see what they’ve been missing out on.
Make sure you drop by if you’re in the area – 3435 Commercial St, Vancouver, BC V5N 4E8.
In today’s ever changing world, a brand’s unique identity is essential, and one way to achieve this is through illustration. By conveying messages and personality without words, it’s a valuable tool that we, as a creative agency in Vancouver, like to incorporate into our work. As we keep a close eye on the creative talent in the city, we’re thrilled to see the growing community of talented illustrators. From realistic and painterly styles to whimsical and intriguing designs, we’re excited to showcase 5 of our favourite illustrators in Vancouver.
Genice Chan
Genice Chan is an illustrator whose work exudes a cartoony, anime influenced vibe. She’s worked on some amazing projects, ranging from Twitch videos for Pokimane at Giant Ant to the 2021 Vancouver Writers fest with us!
Her use of colour is always so good, and her strong visual development skills are evident in her strong compositions and use of space within her work.
Website / Instagram
Rafael Mayani
Rafael Mayani is an amazing illustrator, as well as associate creative director at Giant Ant, one of the premiere animation houses out there.
Rafael’s style is characterized by vibrant colors, bold lines, and a strong sense of movement and dynamism. His work often features a strong use of perspective, stylized human forms, and scale which is iconic to his style. He has a keen eye for detail and a unique ability to convey emotion and personality through all the work he does.
Website / Instagram
Hanna Lee Joshi
Hanna Lee Joshi is a Korean-Canadian artist from Vancouver, who we’ve had the pleasure of collaborating with for the 2021 Vancouver Writers Fest campaign.
Her work features the use of organic, flowing shapes and gradients which results in a beautiful, whimsical feeling. The female form is usually present within her work, which often explores themes of identity and individuality. Hanna Lee Joshi is one of our absolute favourites in the city, and we’re sure you can see why.
Website / Instagram
Benjamin T. Stone
Benjamin T. Stone is a designer and illustrator based in Vancouver, who collaborated with us on the 2022 Vancouver Writers Fest campaign.
His illustrations are highly editorial, using more muted, natural tones and often depicting humans in emotive ways. His range is spectacular, and the ability to tell a full story through smaller nuances in his work is something we really admire.
Website / Instagram
Spencer Pidgeon
Spencer Pidgeon is a designer and illustrator who’s work bleeds personality and character. Colourful and with a hand-drawn feeling, Spencer’s work communicates through humour and play.
The fact that he’s also a designer is evident in the way he presents his illustrations, as well as the way he integrates illustration into his work. One to watch for sure, we’d love to work with Spencer one of these days.
Website / Instagram
Arvin Paelmo
Ok ok, this one is a bit of a gimme but real recognizes real. Arvin, one of the co-founders here at ZAK and operating art director is an extremely talented illustrator. He can cover a range of styles, has an inherently artistic eye, and drives a lot of the illustrated work we do here.
Instagram
We’re very excited to share some of the brand identity work we’ve been doing at ZAK with the lovely folks over at DeeBee’s Organics over the last few months!
Led by Michelle Leggatt, we worked closely with the internal team at DeeBee’s to understand who they are, and how their brand needs to serve them for the future.
The design strategy came down to the core idea of ‘celebrating a colorful world’ – encapsulating everything from treats made with real fruit, diversity, and the magic of treats.
With that in mind, we overhauled their brand across visual identity, illustrations, packaging, and everything in between. Grateful to the whole team at DeeBee’s for their constant collaboration and joy throughout the process!
You can dig in to find more about the project via our case study.