The Bath agency explains how they rebranded Karnival, a London-based catering business that delivers street food to offices, events, and markets.
You’ve heard of Just Eat, Deliveroo and Uber Eats. But what about Karnival? Founded in 2016, this London-based catering business offers something a little different: capturing the magic of street food markets and delivering it directly to their clients.
Karnival works with a roster of established London traders to create bespoke street food experiences that cater for everything from office lunches and corporate events to private parties and public pop-ups. But not a lot of people know about them yet. So they asked Bath-based branding agency Thisaway to help them communicate exactly what makes them unique.
“Karnival wanted a brand with a more defined point of view that would help lift them above the sector noise and really resonate with the traders they work with, as well as the clients they cater to,” explains Adam Cale, design director at Thisaway.
Brand concept
“We quickly established that it was Karnival’s ability to provide the convenience of delivery, together with the theatre and atmosphere of the market, that made them unique,” he continues. “They package up all of the sights, smells and atmosphere of the market and bring it right to you, literally delivering more than any of their competitors.”
This insight led Thisaway to their brand idea: “Built on the notion of indulgence, ‘Hungry for more’ captures the universal desire for fresher food, bolder flavours and heightened experiences—more varied, more authentic, more immersive, and more convenient.”
For Karnival, this acts as a driver for optimising offers and growing their client and trader base. For vendors, meanwhile, it acts as an invitation to grow and elevate their business through greater exposure. And for clients, it acts as a challenge to, as Adam puts it, “stop settling for greasy burger vans, tepid pasties and dreary meal deals”.
Visual identity
To help bring their brand concept to life, Thisaway leant into the rich visual world of street food. This involved layering elements inspired by packaging, stickers, menus, and receipts to create a vibrant visual tapestry.
“The whole street food scene has a very rich and eclectic aesthetic that we really wanted to embrace with this brand,” says Adam. “By immersing ourselves in the culture and taking inspiration from an array of different places, we managed to capture the appeal, diversity and energy of a whole sector in a single identity. “
Hand-drawn stickers and turned-up corners overlay rugged wrappers and vivid photography. The colour palette balances the muted tones of earthy ingredients and packaging with the vibrancy of fresh fruit and vegetables. The bold, robust typeface acts as a consistent thread, tying the flexible system together.
To help anchor the identity system, Thisaway worked with lettering artist Oli Frape to create a signature logo for Karnival. This reflects the scrawled handwriting of traders quickly jotting down orders or scribbling names.
Thisway also developed a clear tone of voice for Karnival that delivers on the promise of ‘Hungry for more’. From the stickers to the headlines, the essence of the brand idea is captured through a clear challenger personality and plenty of punchy messaging.
“Thisaway has been an unbelievable partner in turning our old, tired brand into an amazing one fit for the future,” says Jason Mulhall, founder of Karnival. “From the beginning of the project, you could tell that they really cared about not only the outcome but also the creative journey to get there. Communication was always top-notch, and our constructive feedback always felt like it was being understood and actioned. We couldn’t be happier with the result.”