Droga5’s identity for Karma Kitchen conveys the “visceral, messy business of cooking and eating”

Never has the phrase “right place, right time” rung so true as it does for Karma Kitchen. The catering start-up by sisters Gini and Eccie Newton launched in Hackney in 2019, aimed at meeting all the needs of delivery-only food and drink businesses – sourcing everything from staff to storage space and equipment. Then, of course, lockdown hit and virtually every food and drink business had to pivot to delivery-only. Pitching for funding to expand, the company hoped for £3 million and raised a smidgen more at £252 million. Now it has rebranded, courtesy of Droga5, with a vibrant new identity including “visceral” photography by Maisie Cousins, and hopes to branch out around the UK and Europe.

The identity itself aims at the restaurant owners and the like, tapping into the chaotic and fun energy behind the scenes. Branding centres on a set of vibrantly coloured graphic assets, which take the form of kitchen equipment – bowls, pots, pans and woks – in profile, creating long strips in various shapes. Some of these are emblazoned with simple, capitalised typography stating the name, tagline “commercial kitchens to rent” and website, plus other info. Others are filled with closely cropped and frankly slightly gross photos of food, taken by the brilliant Maisie Cousins, which “have nothing to do with overly styled food porn and everything to do with the visceral, messy business of cooking and eating,” says the agency in a statement. These can be seen in all their glory in other assets throughout the identity, as richly colourful as the graphic colour scheme they complement.

Chris Chapman, head of art at Droga5 London, says the identity “reflects not only the ingredients of a Karma Kitchen but also its communal start-up energy,” and aims to bring to life what it’s really like inside a commercial kitchen, in an exciting and diverse way. The identity is being rolled out across the brand’s marketing including out-of-home and digital campaigns, aiming to encourage awareness of the company and for potential clients to book tours.