In recent years, hummus has become a staple on the supermarket shelf, heralded as a cheap, easy and relatively healthy snack that can be enjoyed in a variety of ways. However, its lesser-known cousin, labneh, has slowly been growing its own presence, and many consumers are now turning to this fermented cheese spread for its subtle taste, versatility, and similarly healthy profile.

In New York City, one brand of labneh in particular is poised to take on the competition: Bezi. Founded by local New Yorker Ilay Karateke, who cites labneh as her favourite childhood cheese, Bezi prides itself on being “high in protein, low in tang, and ready to party”. In the run up to the launch of Bezi, Karateke reached out to creative agency Red Antler to come up with an identity for the brand that could communicate these key points of difference, as well as capture Bezi’s playful and passionate energy.

The first job was to give the brand a name, and the team at Red Antler landed on ‘Bezi’ as a “short and memorable” name that would entice customers. The word ‘Bezi’ is taken from the Turkish term ‘bez’, which refers to the cheesecloth traditionally used in the process of making labneh. From here, the designers were free to build a visual identity that could champion this personality-packed brand.

At the centre is Bezi’s logotype, which employs thick, curvy letterforms to communicate “humour, confidence and approachability.” This not only celebrates the unique character of the Bezi brand, but also reflects the quality of its products. “We opted for a rounded, geometric typeface that feels friendly and modern, capturing the playful essence of Bezi,” explains Jackson Bernard, brand design lead at Red Antler. “The curves and boldness of the letters mirror the smooth, rich texture of the labneh itself, while also ensuring strong brand recognition across different touchpoints.”

Illustration is also used to convey Bezi’s punchy personality, with Red Antler creating a simple swirly mascot to represent the brand and emphasise the enviable texture of its labneh.

This is accompanied by more detailed, colourful illustrations of food items that appear on the front of the product packaging, including a shiny pepper to symbolise the ‘Red Pepper’ flavour, a bagel to speak to versatility of the ‘Everything’ flavour, and a drawing of the labneh itself to represent the simplicity of the ‘Plain’ flavour. These illustrations are complemented by corresponding colour palettes that nod to the respective tastes awaiting inside each pack.

“What’s challenging is getting customers’ attention on a currently very crowded shelf space,” says Karateke. “For that, we wanted to create packaging that stands out on a very beige hummus shelf. The shelf is the best billboard a brand can have. So, we aimed to make the brand feel inviting and intriguing, so consumers are excited to discover something new.”

Keen to showcase “Bezi’s fun-loving ability to bring people together”, flash-lit photography was also used in the art direction. These photographs emphasise the rich creaminess of the labneh, but also the intimate experiences that the product facilitates. After all, food unites people like no other, and capturing this aspect of the brand was crucial. The photography not only adds an extra dimension to the identity, but also helps it to fit across all of Bezi’s brand touchpoints.

“This is a new brand in a space that isn’t yet clearly defined,” adds Rohan Krishnan, strategy principal at Red Antler, “and we saw it as a massive opportunity to create a snacking sensation – one that effortlessly leaps from the grocery shelf to the Instagram feed.”

  

redantler.com