For this class project, we drew a global cuisine at random, and then created a fictional food truck business. I drew Indian food, so I started with research about the country itself and about its cuisine.

The prevalence of Hinduism and Islam has influenced the food quite a lot, including the popularity of vegetarianism due to religious reasons. The cuisine has also been affected by other cultures nearby, including Mongolian, Persian, and Chinese, as well as historical and social influences like the spice trade and colonialism. The food is fragrant and flavorful, with many spice-forward dishes featuring turmeric, chili powder, and cardamom. Popular dishes include chutneys, samosas, tandoori-cooked meats, and a variety of curries. 

As a way to find a direction for the branding, I created a mind map to highlight important information I found in my research. 

I then created a persona for my fictional owner. I wanted to draw attention to woman and minority-owned businesses, so I decided that my fictional owner would be a 30-year-old, second-generation Indian woman. She would be outgoing, eccentric, and nostalgic for the food of her youth. I wanted the truck to highlight the popular street foods of India, while also having a fun spin on a common cuisine in America. Using the information I compiled in my mind map, I knew I wanted a brand that was colorful, modern, and funky, while also paying a respectful homage to the cuisine and the country it came from. I created a moodboard to highlight the inspiring images I found in my research:

I was really inspired by the vibrant colors of the spices and by the interesting designs that could be found on vintage Indian matchboxes.

I pulled inspiration from the elements in my mind map and moodboard to begin creating sketches for my company's logo. 

To reflect the young, modern feel of the brand, I wanted to incorporate bold, playful typography. I experimented with a number of different typefaces and treatments. 

I liked the modern feel of a bold, sans-serif font, but I really gravitated toward varying letter heights and alternating caps/lowercase because I felt like it added a playfulness and levity that would not be present otherwise. I wanted a text-centric design, so I settled on this fun, eccentric type logo. Check out the animated logo below:

The animated logo amplifies the varying type heights and the underscores I incorporated into the logo by starting out "normal," and then the letters push each other out of the way. This movement was able to capture the playfulness of the brand while still appearing clean and polished. The stylized dot of the "i" appearing later than the other elements also helped to draw attention to this small detail, which was added as a callback to Indian architecture. 

I also created a couple of graphic elements with a hand-drawn feel that could be used alongside the logo or on their own. 

After creating the separate brand elements, I created a full brand board that includes my main logo, alternate logos, colors, typefaces, and inspiration imagery.

Using the elements above, I designed a food truck, menu, and collateral for Mumbai Mama's. Here are my inspiration images and sketches for the menu design: 

And the final menu design: 

I then created my food truck wrap. Like my other elements, I started with research, inspiration images, and sketches. 

Using my sketches and inspiration, I created a design that pulled in some of the texture and pattern that I used in my other elements. I incorporated the mandala pattern into the background and added some grain to the red color. I focused on my two main brand colors, red and gold, and tried to keep the design simple and easy to read from a distance, so that the truck could easily be identified if it were at a festival or on the street. 

Here are some other examples of applications of my branding, including a visor to go with the uniform, take out container, to-go cup, and paper bag to package orders.