Kahaw Gelato : A Delicious Story

A Taste of Surprise

Kahaw began in the living room of its founder, Georges, where he handed José, the designer, and partners Guy and Elie their first spoonful of gelato. What followed were widened eyes and an immediate craving for more.

Decadent, bold, and bursting with flavor, it delivered everything expected from an indulgent dessert. Yet its ingredients told a different story: plant-based, locally sourced, free from gluten, lactose, refined sugar, and artificial additives. It tasted almost too good to be true.

In Lebanon, where delicious alternatives for people with dietary restrictions are scarce, this gelato challenged a familiar assumption: that healthier food comes at the expense of taste.

That first spoonful revealed something worth building an entire visual identity around. Led by flavor, the brand would celebrate what makes it delicious before revealing what makes it healthy.

The Art of Contrast

Kahaw was wise in its ingredients, wild in flavor. Created with dietary restrictions in mind, yet enjoyed well beyond them. Appealing to children and their parents alike.

These apparent contradictions revealed the concept at the heart of the identity: contrast.

Beatrice Display (Sharp Type), gave this idea a visual expression. Its distinctive play of strokes and weights became the basis of the logotype.

A variant of the typeface was selected for the flavor names, exploring the fine line between legibility and recognition. Its unconventional character became one of the brand's defining visual signatures.

A Personality for Every Flavor

With the visual concept taking shape, the next step was giving each flavor its voice.

During tasting sessions, participants were invited to close their eyes and share their first associations. These impressions inspired a naming system pairing flavor with personality.

Pistachio Dream became The Luxurious, Coco Cloud The Exotic, and Tiramisu Magic The Alluring.

Set in the playful Guggeli typeface, these personalities introduced another way to choose gelato: by taste, by character, or with someone in mind.

A Spectrum of Flavors

As each flavor developed its personality, color became another way to express it.

The result was a broad, expressive spectrum. Each flavor has its own character; together, they form a recognizable family.

From Identity to Pack

The challenge was now to bring everything together on the packaging.

The pots went through numerous printed prototypes, testing proportions, hierarchy, and legibility across different sizes. Each adjustment brought the identity closer to a balance between expression and clarity.

A simple icon system communicated the dietary benefits without competing with the flavor names. The pleasure comes first. The information follows.

Clean & Delicious

The same concepts guided Kahaw's art direction: clean compositions, bold colors, and striking imagery.

Simple arrangements allowed flavors and details to take center stage, capturing the indulgence of the brand.

The collaboration with Sunchef introduced a gelato sandwich and an opportunity to explore this direction. Close-up photography emphasized its layers and textures, making the product as tempting to look at as it was to taste.

Bringing Kahaw Into Space

As Kahaw grew, its identity moved into physical spaces.

Pop-up booths at Mzaar (Faraya) and Meat the Fish (Beirut) called for a different expression. 

The objective was to create inviting, recognizable installations that captured the brand's character. The colorful range of pots became the star item, turning the product itself into a visual feature.

What began as a visual language for packaging could now shape an entire space.

The Pleasure of Discovery

That sense of discovery had been there from the very first spoonful.

With typography, color, and personality, design gave the gelato a way to express what makes it unique, inviting everyone to discover, connect with, and remember it.

Therefore, the branding became a way to tell Kahaw's delicious story.