Burma Burma – Pantry

Designer: Rushil Bhatnagar
Photographer: Swaraj Sriwastav
Art Director (Photography): Ishita Rajesh
Location: India
Project Type: Produced
Client: Burma Burma India
Product Launch Location: India
Packaging Contents: Spices, Condiments, Sauces
Packaging Substrate / Materials: Paper
Printing Process: Off-Set Printing and Spot UV

Established a decade back, Burma Burma Restaurant set out to Introduce Burmese food, that not only would introduce food to an already existing indigenous culture, but a culture that has only been familiar in theory. The dawn of Burma Burma comes from the Burmese roots of Ankit Gupta ( Co-Founder), his mother and her family who were brought up in Myanmar.

In 2021, while the Pandemic in India didn’t allow businesses and restaurants to operate, the challenge was set to how Burmese Food can reach to people, with easy to cook recipes and bringing the same comfort of a restaurant to home.

Burma Burma Pantry acts as a gateway to Burmese Culture and Food, opening nine spices and condiments to Pan India with authentic flavors of Burma. Pantry currently includes – Khowsuey Curry Paste, Spicy Laphet ( Pickled Leaves ), Laphet, Malar Sauce, Balachaung, Crunchy Nuts Mix, Lotus Stem Chips, Sunflower Seeds Snack, Burmese Seasoning Mix. Recipe of each Pantry Products are curated by Ankit’s Mother who hails from Burma herself thus working closely to bring these specialties and a hint of Burma to India.

Looking at the Traditions and Artisans of Burma, it exploded with colors. Attention to details with different techniques that would feel heavy as a name but to the eye it would just feel right. Keeping in mind the Spirit of Burma, the packaging was set to establish a design system within the nine product range, that would give them further value of a collectible artifact than just a spice box.

Each product highlights a key visual element that best represents the product. While introducing names such as Balachaung, Malar etc., unknown to a Pan Indian Audience, it was also important to establish familiarity that could be developed within time through colors and symbols. The Design System of all nine elements sits at the bottom embedded in the line-work. Each marked in an off-white color, denoting the collection of that specific product. A Sub-System was kept in mind for denoting Spices which is established through the usage of more than one symbol in the center represented in an off white color ( For ex – Balachaung, Spicy Laphet ). Hence it was quite interesting to play and conceptualize as to how color and element could denote spice.

Thus giving an ode and a future forward approach to the most interesting artform existed out of Burma called Lacquerware. The challenge was to keep it simple yet bring out the tradition through the label, reflecting the product that has been made keeping in mind that it’s a piece of Burma that would sit in every household.

While this also allowed freedom to explore Design and Culture, it was also a challenge on how to present a craft that is respected all over the country. Each Label would allow a further connection to celebrating Design, Craft and Taste of Burma.

What’s Unique?
We are Introducing the name of each product in Burmese Manuscript which are present in the center of the label as well.

For the accuracy of colors, closer to the colors found in the regions of Burma, we have used Off-Set Printing Technique for each label, that allows the color to be absorbed in the paper and Spot UV for the product title.