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Project · 07

Cooking.Express

Meal service · Identity redesign

Cooking.Express came to me through a graphic design Facebook group after the client saw a logo animation I had shared for Sizzleprint. She already had an identity for the business, but it was not where she wanted the brand to go, so the project started as a true rethink rather than a cosmetic cleanup.

The original presentation preserved the heart of the brief even though the old questionnaire is gone. Cooking.Express delivered fresh, clean ingredients for meals customers could prepare in less than 40 minutes. The identity needed to communicate food and speed, but it also needed enough personality to make the experience feel creative and enjoyable.

I presented five different directions instead of forcing the first idea to work: a serving dish built into a clock, a clean cutting board, a chef's hat, a forward-moving express arrow, and a box packed with ingredients. The client chose the cutting board, then I worked through a much wider set of board shapes and typography to find the version worth finishing.

In the final mark, the board does more than frame the name. The lines running through it can read as natural wood grain, but they also echo the lines you see in a salmon fillet. That small detail let one shape speak to both natural ingredients and the food itself without adding another icon to explain the business.

The identity then expanded into labels, social media, and apparel. That matters to me because a logo is only the beginning. The real test is whether the idea can keep working once it leaves the logo presentation and starts living on the things a business actually uses.

The finished Cooking.Express identity. The cutting board became the framework for a mark that feels clean, fresh, and ready to cook.
The starting point. The client came in with an existing identity she wanted to replace rather than simply refresh.
Five concept directions. I explored speed, cooking, delivery, packaging, and food before the client selected the cutting board direction.
Refining the selected idea. Board shapes, handles, borders, and typography were tested before the final construction was settled.
Label application. The identity carries into a practical customer-facing piece with the slogan and contact information built into the hierarchy.
Social application. The visual language expands beyond the logo into fresh ingredients, food photography, and the Eat Fresher. Live Happier. message.
Apparel application. The front stays restrained while the back turns the service message and ingredient icons into a larger graphic.