The Parcel Pantry
The Parcel Pantry
OVERVIEW
When posed the question: “What is something you would like to change, make better, and/or fix in our society, New York, or the world?”— I immediately knew that the issue I wanted to tackle was that of food insecurity. After much preliminary research, my proposed solution to remedy the increase of food insecurity amongst New Yorkers since the 2020 pandemic was to implement a fresh food delivery program. The program would primarily be housed within a mobile app and would work in collaboration with some of the city’s largest food rescue and donor organizations. I wanted to give the program’s members the ability to have food from local pantries and greenmarkets delivered to their doorstep with the touch of a button. With this in mind, The Parcel Pantry was born.
To bring this idea from concept to a tangible product, I first conducted both ethnographic and user experience research in order to further solidify the concept and build the brand strategy. Based on the findings of my research, I then designed the brand identity, collateral, user interface, ad campaign, and social media content for the program.
When posed the question: “What is something you would like to change, make better, and/or fix in our society, New York, or the world?”— I immediately knew that the issue I wanted to tackle was that of food insecurity. After much preliminary research, my proposed solution to remedy the increase of food insecurity amongst New Yorkers since the 2020 pandemic was to implement a fresh food delivery program. The program would primarily be housed within a mobile app and would work in collaboration with some of the city’s largest food rescue and donor organizations. I wanted to give the program’s members the ability to have food from local pantries and greenmarkets delivered to their doorstep with the touch of a button. With this in mind, The Parcel Pantry was born.
To bring this idea from concept to a tangible product, I first conducted both ethnographic and user experience research in order to further solidify the concept and build the brand strategy. Based on the findings of my research, I then designed the brand identity, collateral, user interface, ad campaign, and social media content for the program.
YEAR
2023
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ROLE
Lead Designer
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SCOPE
Concept Developement
Brand Strategy
Brand Identity & Collateral
UX/UI Design
Copywriting
Campaign Design
Social Media Content Creation
Photo Editing
Brand Strategy
The Parcel Pantry strives to empower the underserved communities of New York City by offering convenient access to healthy foods from local food pantries and markets at a nominal cost. We are able to achieve this by mobilizing the hard work and generosity of the city’s largest food donor organizations, such as City Harvest, The New York Common Pantry, and GrowNYC.
Our intention is not to compete with these organization or disrupt the status quo, but rather act as a bridge between their services and the resident who need them most. The reality of the situation at hand is that many New Yorkers, especially those in underserved communities struggle to access services provided by these organizations. For some, the issues is as simple as not having enough time in the day to visit their local food pantry or greenmarket. Other’s have trouble reaching their local pantries altogether due to physical disabilities. And unfortunately, some people feel a deep sense of shame and embarrassment around the optics of being seen at a food pantry despite having a need for the food provided.
We want to imbue New Yorkers with the power of choice, dignity, and self-sufficiency, fostering a community that transcends socioeconomic barriers. Rooted in sincerity, reliability, health consciousness, and supported by technology, The Parcel Pantry embodies a brand committed to a future where everyone enjoys the benefits of healthy, nutrient dense food.
The Parcel Pantry strives to empower the underserved communities of New York City by offering convenient access to healthy foods from local food pantries and markets at a nominal cost. We are able to achieve this by mobilizing the hard work and generosity of the city’s largest food donor organizations, such as City Harvest, The New York Common Pantry, and GrowNYC.
Our intention is not to compete with these organization or disrupt the status quo, but rather act as a bridge between their services and the resident who need them most. The reality of the situation at hand is that many New Yorkers, especially those in underserved communities struggle to access services provided by these organizations. For some, the issues is as simple as not having enough time in the day to visit their local food pantry or greenmarket. Other’s have trouble reaching their local pantries altogether due to physical disabilities. And unfortunately, some people feel a deep sense of shame and embarrassment around the optics of being seen at a food pantry despite having a need for the food provided.
We want to imbue New Yorkers with the power of choice, dignity, and self-sufficiency, fostering a community that transcends socioeconomic barriers. Rooted in sincerity, reliability, health consciousness, and supported by technology, The Parcel Pantry embodies a brand committed to a future where everyone enjoys the benefits of healthy, nutrient dense food.
Logo
The Parcel Pantry’s logotype is a custom logotype built on the bones of the font PP Woodland [Ultralight]. The logotype is set in lowercase and has been altered to contain heavier letterforms as well as rounded corners. These alterations work to increase legibility and implement a sense of warmth and friendliness. The tail of the “y” letterform has been altered to feature a vintage parcel tag, a direct reference to the program's name.
The submark is a visual shorthand of the logotype— a direct callback to the parcel tag seen at the tail of the “y” letterform. The addition of the “p” letterform within the parcel tag shape works to strengthen brand association and has the additional benefit of functioning as a sort-of lettermark. The submark serves to give the visual identity distinction in small instances, such as an app icon or social media profile picture.
The Parcel Pantry’s logotype is a custom logotype built on the bones of the font PP Woodland [Ultralight]. The logotype is set in lowercase and has been altered to contain heavier letterforms as well as rounded corners. These alterations work to increase legibility and implement a sense of warmth and friendliness. The tail of the “y” letterform has been altered to feature a vintage parcel tag, a direct reference to the program's name.
The submark is a visual shorthand of the logotype— a direct callback to the parcel tag seen at the tail of the “y” letterform. The addition of the “p” letterform within the parcel tag shape works to strengthen brand association and has the additional benefit of functioning as a sort-of lettermark. The submark serves to give the visual identity distinction in small instances, such as an app icon or social media profile picture.
Visual Language
The Parcel Pantry’s visual language was born from the nostalgia and personableness of brown paper parcels. This warm, vintage aesthetic combined with the modernity of a program whose primary function is based in technology made for an interesting juxtaposition ripe for exploration.
Color: The Parcel Pantry’s core color palette consists of yellow, greens, and blues that communicate hope, health, and technology. The neutral shades of cream and brown are a reference to the cream colored twine and brown paper used in old fashioned methods of wrapping parcels. They compliment the core color palette and are easier on the eyes when communicating large amounts of information.
Typography: Cooper BT is The Parcel Pantry’s lead display typeface. It is rounded and soft in its design, which makes for a serif typeface that feels sincere while maintaining a sense of maturity. PP Object Sans is The Parcel Pantry’s workhorse typeface. It is a very geometric sans-serif typeface with its Regular weight being carefully tuned for small sized body text.
Brand Mark: The Parcel Pantry’s brand mark is heavily inspired vintage postage stickers and stamps. It allows for a more playful way of incorporating branding into designs, sometimes functioning as a watermark.
Photography: For photography, the main star of the show is food! The stacked and overhead photographs of various produce items is meant to reflect how produce is displayed at local greenmarkets. I also wanted all of the photography to be quite warm in temperature in order to feel inviting and complement the core color palette of greens and blues.
The Parcel Pantry’s visual language was born from the nostalgia and personableness of brown paper parcels. This warm, vintage aesthetic combined with the modernity of a program whose primary function is based in technology made for an interesting juxtaposition ripe for exploration.
Color: The Parcel Pantry’s core color palette consists of yellow, greens, and blues that communicate hope, health, and technology. The neutral shades of cream and brown are a reference to the cream colored twine and brown paper used in old fashioned methods of wrapping parcels. They compliment the core color palette and are easier on the eyes when communicating large amounts of information.
Typography: Cooper BT is The Parcel Pantry’s lead display typeface. It is rounded and soft in its design, which makes for a serif typeface that feels sincere while maintaining a sense of maturity. PP Object Sans is The Parcel Pantry’s workhorse typeface. It is a very geometric sans-serif typeface with its Regular weight being carefully tuned for small sized body text.
Brand Mark: The Parcel Pantry’s brand mark is heavily inspired vintage postage stickers and stamps. It allows for a more playful way of incorporating branding into designs, sometimes functioning as a watermark.
Photography: For photography, the main star of the show is food! The stacked and overhead photographs of various produce items is meant to reflect how produce is displayed at local greenmarkets. I also wanted all of the photography to be quite warm in temperature in order to feel inviting and complement the core color palette of greens and blues.