Inspired by traditional fermentation methods, wild foraged mushrooms, and the bounty of Northern California, Shared Cultures creates brilliant, alternative soy sauces, misos, and marinades using the magic of koji fermentation. Started by Eleana Hsu and Kevin Gondo in their San Francisco apartment, In addition to offering online ordering, this venture has rapidly expanded into the restaurant scene as well as appearing on local grocery store shelves with wildly popular offerings and unique local pairings.
Shared Cultures approached me with an interest in creating an identity that reflects their mission to bring their layered backgrounds in food and foraging together and provide unique products that celebrate fermentation and the California landscap. They needed a flexible identity that could extend to their ever-evolving selection of products. Together, we developed a packaging system featuring illustrations that evoke a sense of wonder and whimsy, and are reflective of product ingredients and the places they come from. The Shared Cultures packaging system is versatile, and can evolve to fit with new offerings.
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BRANDING
IDENTITY SYSTEM
ILLUSTRATION
PACKAGING
COLLATERAL DESIGN
Nisei: (二世, "second generation") is a Japanese language term used in countries in North America and South America to specify the ethnically Japanese children born in the new country to Japanese-born immigrants (who are called Issei).
Restaurant Nisei, founded by David Yoshimura in San Francisco, is the culmination of his Japanese heritage, his American upbringing and his diverse culinary experience working in restaurants all over the world. Yoshimura, a second generation Japanese American, defines his offering as Californian Fine Dining Washoku. Washoku means “harmony of food” and is sometimes referred to as the “home cooking” of Japan. The philosophy of washoku focuses on a set of principles emphasizing balance of color, taste preparations, sense, and finally, respect to food.
The identity for Restaurant Nisei is inspired by family, tradition and seasonality. The mark inherits its shape and graphic quality from Japanese Mon, emblems used to decorate and identify an individual, a family, or (more recently) an institution or business entity. The Restaurant Nisei mark features taro leaves, a nod to the Japanese American Battalion #442/#552 that fought during World War II. Yoshimura’s grandfather served in this decorated battalion, which was represented with a Taro leaf badge. The leaves are laid out in a symmetrical manner, representing the four seasons, which are central to Japanese cuisine and Yoshimura’s mission to serve with the season, highlighting local California ingredients using traditional Japanese cooking methods.
The Restaurant Nisei wordmark is set in Nib Regular by Colophon Type Foundry.
Photography by Tina Y. // @tinastastytravels
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BRANDING
IDENTITY
Rice, kimchi, pickled daikon, Bulgogi Beef. Koko's Korean Burritos.
All that, and a street artist cat complete this mobile food concept. An entire comic strip was inspired by the idea of representing this food through Korean streeet art, K-Pop music, and tiny adorable animal characters that are ever-present in Korean and Japanese comics.
Koko is a street artist cat that becomes very very hungry while making beautiful art on walls and in alleys. She immediately jumps to action and whips up some kimchi, rice, and an over easy egg to produce the most beautiful Korean burrito you've ever seen.
She lives happily ever after.
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BRANDING
DESIGN
ILLUSTRATION
COLLATERAL
SIGNAGE
Keepers of the flame.
THE CLIENT:
Since 1973, Bic has sold more than 40 billion lighters in 160 countries.
THE BRIEF:
Bic was looking for a California-based agency to translate the icons and aesthetic of the Golden State into a series of lighter designs.
THE SOLUTION:
Gershoni emphasized fresh, contemporary expressions that mixed a Bohemian sensibility with California cool. From buildings to beaches and highways to forests, we focused on both man-made landmarks and natural wonders, as well as the roads that connect the two. We combined photography, original illustrations and text to capture the vibe of the state for a national audience. The designs gave Bic an inside-out perspective the California experience and provided the perfect gift for anyone needing a light. As an Amazon review says, “Great stocking stuffers!”
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Creative Director: Gil Gershoni
Design : André Carnevale, Molly Russell
The original chef’s goat cheese.
THE CLIENT:
Laura Chenel crafts goat cheese and goat milk products inspired by the legacy of its namesake founder and longtime owner.
THE BRIEF:
After its sale to a family-owned French company that specializes in boutique creameries, Laura Chenel needed to create brand experience that would reestablish its reputation and shake the deli display from its doldrums.
THE SOLUTION:
Gershoni started by elevating the role of an early brand champion (Alice Waters of Chez Panisse) as part of a repositioning as “the original chef’s goat cheese.” We introduced a heritage feel to the brand identity and elevated the terroir through a digital presence so fresh, it could only come from Sonoma. As a recommitment to consumers, we refreshed the packaging for all 40 SKUs—a rainbow of goat cheese in different flavors and styles—with new messaging to highlight Laura Chenel’s versatility as an ingredient in a recipe or as the star of a cheeseboard.
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Gershoni Creative :: gershoni.com
Creative Director: Gil Gershoni
Design : André Carnevale, Molly Russell
Branding and design for a mobile food concept, Oishii Curry, serving up bowls of Japanese comfort food on the go. This project was completed in partnership with Off the Grid For Work, operating on Google’s Campus in Mountain View, CA.
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ART DIRECTION
BRANDING
ILLUSTRATION
PRODUCTION
Gershoni Creative isn’t all about G’s. There’s a special little room (almost) atop the dome that hosts its very own larger-than-life “A”. I was lucky enough to have the privilege of taking over a wall in this room, and decided to cover it with illustrations depicting the magic of our creative team and what fuels us on a daily basis.
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MURAL DESIGN
CONCEPT
PRODUCTION
Every Friday during the Summer season, the Bay Area’s largest mobile food experience brings together a selection of curated culinary vendors, paired with live entertainment, cocktails and splendid bay views.
Each year, Off the Grid at Fort Mason Center grows, innovating cuisine type, mobile hospitality, technology and offerings to create a one-of-a-kind street food experience. As the event evolved, it needed a consistent visual identity and brand system that could extend to functional aspects of the market as well as provide a cohesive experience to the community around the events.
As the lead designer at Off the Grid, I developed the brand identity for OtG: Fort Mason Center in 2017. Inspired by the important role that food plays in bringing people together, I developed a custom wordmark and graphic system that was flexible and multi-faceted. Additionally, I created an illustration style to accompany communication pieces and elevate the storytelling aspect of the brand. I wanted to highlight the integral role that all aspects of this annual gathering play in building community and culture in a digestible and fun manner. The brand identity was extended to event signage, marketing materials, digital platforms, environmental pieces and more to create a unique and inviting experience for all.
Photography by Robin C. Eagan
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BRANDING
IDENTITY
ENVIRONMENTAL
EVENT DESIGN
ILLUSTRATION
The Fairmont Empress in Victoria, BC is one of the top destination hotels in the world. Tea at the Empress has been served in the Lobby Lounge in this historic venue since 1908. Paired with tea platters piled high with sandwiches, cookies and more delicacies than one could imagine in one sitting, alongside an extravagant and detailed tea menu.
I was responsible for designing a refreshed identity for Tea at the Empress that could continue to live alongside the elegant custom patterned platters and teapots that have been used for several years. The new identity needed to be able to be applied to menus, a website, packaging for to-go pastries, and more. The desired outcome was something modern and elevated, while still nodding to the historical significance of this palatial locale and experience.
My solution for this was custom lettering for the “Empress”, contained in an ornate frame, in a neutral tone that could be embossed or foiled for a more elegant feel. The mark itself can be distilled to a monogram for instances where the entire mark is not necessary or if space doesn’t allow. The monogram seamlessly became a graphic element for the packaging, ribbon, tissue paper and was etched onto the cover of the custom wooden menus presented at each tea service.
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ART DIRECTION
BRANDING
LETTERING
DESIGN
PACKAGING
Dignitá is a small startup coffee bar in San Francisco's Dogpatch neighborhood that supports the local nonprofit organization, Not For Sale by donating a portion of annual sales to their efforts to fight human trafficking on a global and local level. Dignitá works closely with local artisans to provide coffee and food that bring dignity to people and to the planet.
With a small budget and big hopes, I was able to develop a sophisticated look and feel that is comfortable, approachable and supports Dignitá's mission to ensure that producers are proud of their craft and consumers are proud of their choices. Working from the ground up on a project like this was challenging and empowering.
Dignitá was looking for a logo and design guidelines that encompassed all of it's efforts to bring dignity to people and planet. After several rounds of design, we opted to use the logotype I developed with the simple tag line: "eat well. do good." as a standalone logo. In many formats it is supported by a motif containing illustrated graphics that represent different steps in the growth, production, and consumption of food.
I was responsible for the logo design, branding and overall customer experience in this café space. I produced all assets for the Dignitá website and was responsible for the management of social media accounts. Packaging, labels, cups, stamps, stickers and business cards were all my responsibility. I also designed the packaging and labels for a brazil nut milk and cold brew coffee beverage that is produced with nuts sourced ethically from a community in Peru that has a relationship with Not For Sale.
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BRANDING
DESIGN
PACKAGING
SIGNAGE
IDENTITY APPLICATION
