Doamne Ferește – Mustard Cream

Posted on

Derrick Lin

Global

Creative Agency: Argo
Project Type: Produced, Commercial Work
Client: Doamne Ferește
Location: Iași, Romania
Packaging Contents: Mustard
Packaging Substrate / Materials: Glass jar

In Romania, there hasn’t been a brand that focused on spiciness until now, neither in its product, nor in its advertising techniques. The subject addressed by this product has a lot to do with courage and freedom of expression for even the brand name, Doamne Fereşte, translated in common Romanian language, speaks about God’s name in a way that doesn’t praise it. Doamne Ferește is an idiom, very descriptive for the product’s taste, which is extremely spicy. It can also refer to a saying people use when they are amazed beyond their expectations or, on the other hand, when someone wants to send away bad luck. For those who like searching a little further, they will discover that “ferește” is also a fusion name, meaning “guardian angel”, “supernatural messenger of divinity” or “supreme protector” in both Persian culture and in the Aramaic – Babylonian one.

Doamne Ferește’s visual identity and package tells a different story every time. The fusion concept found in its products’ recipe was transformed into visual representations of the culture it illustrates. For example, The Aztec edition of the Doamne Ferește cream-mustard contains a synthesis of symbols and embellishments found in the Aztec culture. On the other hand, The Hindu edition, the first one from the soon to be three series of cream-mustard, represents a summary of both gustatory and visual elements regarding the Hindu culture.

Fun fact: certain publications, such as The Wine Book of Romania refused to print our ads, claiming they are “unorthodox”. This got us smiling but also wondering about freedom of speech in a democratic country. We sometimes find ourselves under scrutiny by very religious people, especially in Facebook comments.

What’s Unique?
Since our brand is playing with religious elements, starting with the name and illustrating that into the logo, we created a set of ten commandments.

One of the ten commandments of “Doamne Ferește” talks about how boredom can never find its way into our lives, for boredom is the opposite of happiness and one cannot enjoy life without a little spiciness.

Until Doamne Ferește became the first fusion spicy sauce in Romania, there wasn’t much competition regarding this market section, for its combination of flavors came not from studying the market itself but from observing what was missing from the picture. Doamne Ferește and its products are the result of the right amount of culinary education gathered from many parts of this world and put together with a lot of passion for great taste and visual communication.

What people saw in this brand and its products was a lot of courage, originality and dark but somehow smart sense of humor, along with the fact that the products are made with great dedication, testing and “homemade” feeling, one that the Romanian audience always appreciates. The context prior to our product was a tedious one, but now we have created a precedent, one that will create a competitive environment and delicious family meals.

Our mustard jars have become a statement of the brand, the cube shape being a continuation of the square-ish logo, alongside with the Aztec/Hindu elements we combined on their labels.