For the second year in a row, Brandcenter students partnered with undergraduate students at the University of Richmond to provide brand identities for their food and drink concepts.
NOOSH, a startup putting a new twist on baba ganoush, emerged from the University of Richmond’s Bench Top Innovations course where UR students worked to turn this year’s sauce concepts into real-life products. The fall 2023 semester culminated with UR’s demo day where teams pitched their sauce and dip concepts to a panel of judges to determine the most commercially viable product.
The Brandcenter NOOSH team, led by professor KT Schaeffer (AD, 2001), created a brand identity that tells a story of a healthy dip, made with quality ingredients, that still knows how to party. NOOSH’s branding pairs a rich color palette with playful typefaces and anthropomorphic veggies – including Eddie the Eggplant, representing the hero ingredient of baba ganoush – to give a sense of unstuffy quality.
NOOSH’s win on demo day was a testament to the UR students’ work developing the product and the Brandcenter students’ ability to translate a business plan into a beautiful, cohesive design and creative strategy.
Over the coming semester, the teams at UR and Brandcenter will continue to work on and market NOOSH. With its launch in early February, you can now stock your fridge with delicious baba ganoush and Brandcenter creative design by visiting spreadnoosh.com.
Shout-out to the Brandcenter NOOSH team: Carli Aldape (AD, 2024), Taylor Bendus (CW, 2024), Sarah Hardin (CBM, 2024), Hannah Kent (XD, 2024), Caitlin Kreinheder (AD, 2024), and Ora Watanatham (CBM, 2024).