Iron Graphics, Illustration and Visual Communication Design · 2025
Happy Olive Tree Identity Design
by Dotbirth
- A' Design Award 2025 Iron Winner in Graphics, Illustration and Visual Communication Design
- Awarded April 15, 2025
- CLIENT: DotBirth
- Estimated Number of Design Views: 10,557
- Verification code 20F80DED8A · Verify this award
About Happy Olive Tree Identity Design
Happy Olive Tree is a brand identity system created for an Australian organic food company. The identity is built on a modular set of graphic elements called Happy Salads, which draw on the colours and shapes of organic ingredients. The elements can be mixed and arranged in many ways, serving as containers for text, frames for images and decorative details. The scope covers the logo, the brand guideline and a packaging design system for sealed polypacks. The colourful approach sets the range apart from organic packaging in muted tones.
Jaman Mehedi Adnan's environmental graphic installation for Happy Olive Tree Identity Design demonstrates the sophisticated translation of a comprehensive brand identity system from digital specifications to large-scale architectural application, engaging the language of contemporary environmental graphic design where building surfaces become brand communication canvases and pedestrian pathways transform into experiential narratives. The work positions itself within the flourishing discipline of place-based brand activation, where identity systems extend beyond traditional print and digital touchpoints to occupy physical space and shape human movement through the built environment, a practice that has gained particular prominence as retailers and food service concepts recognize the value of activating street-level facades to attract foot traffic and communicate brand values at the critical moment of approach and discovery. The compositional achievement here resides in the skillful orchestration of multiple visual languages, the designer balances abstract geometric shapes suggesting paper collage or digital layering with photographic realism depicting abundant fresh ingredients, creating a visual dialogue between playful illustration and documentary authenticity that mirrors the brand's apparent dual commitment to joyful experience and wholesome substance. Chromatic sophistication manifests through a carefully calibrated palette spanning warm and cool registers, the saturated chartreuse fields suggest vitality and growth while evoking young spring vegetation, coral and tomato red introduce warmth and appetite appeal, sunny yellow radiates optimism and energy, cyan blue provides cooling counterpoint while suggesting sky and water, navy grounds the composition with authority and ensures typographic legibility, and accent notes of magenta and purple inject moments of unexpected delight, together these hues create energetic harmony that avoids cacophony through strategic proportion and distribution. Technical facility appears in the large-format printing quality that maintains color saturation and detail resolution across substantial surface areas, the precise registration of overlapping elements, the crispness of typographic rendering at scale, and the successful color management that allows printed surfaces to assert visual presence against competing urban stimuli. The modular panel system demonstrates understanding of architectural rhythm and sequential viewing, each panel functions as a complete composition while contributing to a larger unified statement, a design strategy that accommodates both the quick passing glance of the hurried pedestrian and the sustained contemplation of the lingering viewer. Thematically, the work explores the intersection of nourishment and emotion, the deliberate editorial gesture replacing "Feed" with "Find" and the playful substitution in "heart Add to cart" suggest that the brand positions eating not as mere biological necessity but as a path to happiness and emotional fulfillment, the abundant ingredient photography celebrates diversity, freshness, and wholesome variety while the overlay of bright geometric shapes transforms documentary product imagery into joyful celebration. The installation engages with the visual vocabulary of health-conscious lifestyle branding, organic retail environments, and contemporary food culture where ingredient transparency, nutritional consciousness, and eating pleasure coexist, the aesthetic suggests influences from Scandinavian design sensibilities valuing color, simplicity, and natural materials, the flat design movement's embrace of bold geometry and saturated hue, and the vernacular of farmer's markets and artisanal food retail where handcrafted quality meets contemporary sophistication. One observes how the environmental application activates an otherwise neutral architectural surface, transforming utilitarian brick facade into brand theater and pedestrian pathway into experiential journey, inviting consideration of how identity systems increasingly occupy three-dimensional space and shape the texture of daily urban life, how visual communication extends beyond contained frames to claim architectural surfaces, and how viewers encounter brands not as isolated messages but as environmental presences that color the experience of place.
Press Kit
- Unique Properties
- 50 per cent of Australians are of overseas ethnicity, leading to a demand for organic food, which is a cultural staple for many. Despite the growth of the organic market, its products often feature dull packaging that fails to reflect the vibrant and nutritious food they contain. When Happy Olive Tree decided to rebrand with its own product range, a modular brand identity system called Happy Salads was created, incorporating colours and shapes from organic foods to make the packaging as joyful as the products themselves.
- Dimensions & Packaging
- The team was hired to deliver the following scope of work:
Brand Strategy
New Logo Design
Brand Identity Design
Identity System
Brand Guideline
Packaging Design System (For sealed polypack) - Tags
- Brand identity, Organic food, Packaging, Rebranding, Identity system, Graphic elements, Modular, Food
- Production Technology
- The design team conducted a thorough audit of shelf displays and existing Happy Olive Tree materials, identifying that most organic food brands rely on muted colour schemes for their messaging. To gain deeper insights into consumer behaviour, the team visited supermarkets and local bazaars catering to farm-to-table businesses. Observations revealed that colour and fragrance significantly influence purchasing decisions. This growing farm-to-table movement inspired the development of raw, organic visual elements, which were later combined to form the dynamic Happy Salads system.
- Design Challenge
- The research for Happy Olive Tree's rebranding faced several key challenges:
Consumer Behaviour Insights:
Observing purchasing decisions in real-world settings, such as grocery stores and local bazaars, required time and careful analysis. Identifying patterns, such as the influence of colour and fragrance, was essential but challenging due to the variability in consumer behaviour across different demographics and market conditions.
Market Saturation with Similar Products:
Many organic food brands rely on similar muted colour schemes, making it difficult to pinpoint unique differentiators. This necessitated extensive auditing of shelf spaces and packaging trends to find opportunities for innovation without straying too far from consumer expectations.
Cultural Relevance and Diversity:
Designing a brand identity that resonates with Australia's multicultural population required balancing vibrant, playful visuals with cultural sensitivity. Understanding diverse consumer preferences added complexity to the creative process.
Integration Across Media Platforms:
Creating a modular design system like Happy Salads that functions seamlessly across various media formats required significant iteration. The challenge was ensuring that the visual elements remained adaptable and engaging without compromising consistency across digital, print, and in-store experiences.
Capturing the Farm-to-Table Aesthetic:
Translating the essence of the farm-to-table movement into visual elements that feel raw and organic, yet polished for commercial packaging, posed an aesthetic challenge. The team had to blend authenticity with creativity to create a design system that is both evocative and market-ready.
These challenges were addressed through iterative design processes, consumer observation, and flexibility in creative execution, ultimately leading to a rebrand that aligns with both market trends and the brand's organic ethos. - Project Duration
- This project spanned over a period of 5 months, from August 2023 to January 2024. New brand identity was first published in August 2024.
Happy Olive Tree is an Australian based company which worked with Dotbirth in Bangladesh to create their new brand identity. - Operation Flow
- The language that was created using the Happy Salads allow the brand to communicate colourfully, differentiating it from other brands in the market. This graphic device is so extendable and pervasive that it can be used as containers for texts, and frames for imagery, and decor for recall, allowing it to work across multiple media. The variations of Happy Salads are endless as the system is a manually generative and is only limited to the arrangement of the designer's imagination.
- Research
- This study examines the rebranding of Happy Olive Tree, focusing on how visual identity can align with consumer behavior and cultural trends. An audit of the brand’s previous materials and retail shelf spaces revealed that many organic food brands rely on muted color palettes, failing to convey the vibrancy of their products. Site visits to grocery stores and local bazaars highlighted the significant influence of color and fragrance on consumer decisions, especially within the growing farm-to-table movement.
Inspired by these insights, the design team developed a modular brand identity system called Happy Salads, which draws from the natural colors and textures of organic ingredients. This system allows elements to be mixed and matched, generating versatile and engaging packaging designs across various media formats. The rebranding aims to differentiate Happy Olive Tree from competitors by reinvigorating its product range with joyful, dynamic visuals that resonate with multicultural consumers in Australia, where 50 percent of the population has overseas heritage.
The result is a cohesive identity that communicates freshness and fun, reflecting the richness of organic foods while appealing to evolving market trends and consumer preferences. - Inspiration
- Nature's Abundance is abundant in color. The design team created a new colour palette, drawing inspiration from various food items to reflect the natural richness of organic ingredients. To further enhance the brand’s playful and engaging approach to organic food, they introduced a dynamic and modular brand element system known as the Happy Salads. This system allows for mixing and matching elements, much like creating a favourite salad, offering endless possibilities across a diverse and evolving media landscape. Leveraging the Happy Salads concept, the team developed a cohesive brand identity and packaging system that reintroduces fun and colour into healthy, organic foods.
Colors of Happy Olive Tree Identity Design
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