Underforest: Select Brand Identity | Ekphrastics
Underforest: Select Brand Identity by SHAN MAI FOOD

Underforest: Select Brand Identity

Silver A' Design Award Winner 2021

Deep forest green dominates the vertical banner compositions of SHAN MAI FOOD's Underforest: Select Brand Identity, establishing an immediate chromatic dialogue between cultivated nature and sophisticated visual communication through a masterfully orchestrated palette of hunter green, warm ochre, and crisp ivory that recalls both traditional botanical illustration and contemporary sustainable design sensibilities. The left panel presents an event announcement format where typographic hierarchy unfolds with precision, the date rendered in clean sans-serif numerals descending from the upper register while organic, hand-rendered illustrations of tree bark textures and forest undergrowth elements cascade diagonally through the composition, creating dynamic visual pathways that guide the eye from temporal information toward environmental imagery. The geometric logomark, a stylized mountain or tree form composed of overlapping triangular shapes in white and gold, anchors the upper right corner with quiet authority while its repeated appearance establishes visual rhythm across both panels. The right panel functions as a product catalog or brand overview, deploying a modular grid system where botanical illustrations of mushrooms, bees, orchids, and forest foliage interweave with product photography and informational text blocks in both Eastern and Western scripts. The chromatic strategy employs a restrained analogous harmony where viridian, emerald, and moss green variations create depth within the monochromatic green field, punctuated by strategic warm accents of amber, gold, and natural kraft tones that suggest organic materiality and artisanal authenticity. The illustrative style demonstrates remarkable textural sophistication, with hatched linework creating bark surfaces that appear almost tactile, cross-contour rendering of leaves suggesting dimensional form, and delicate stippling techniques evoking the fuzzy surfaces of bee bodies and mushroom caps. Compositional architecture follows a vertical emphasis befitting the banner format while internal divisions create clear information zones separated by elegant white space that prevents visual overwhelm despite the density of content.

The project, in hand with the government, built the leading brand of "Underforest: Select" for the under-forest economy. Through image integration and packaging specification, designers reduce material costs without compromising quality, strengthen the brand identity and raise the values for their products. The branding colors are forest-green and matte gold. Forest-green portrays the abundant natural resources in the woods, and the matte gold represents the economic potential of the under-forest economy.