Maruchan
Redefining the story of cup noodles
Maruchan is a Japanese-American brand of instant ramen noodles, cup noodles, and Yakisoba produced by Toyo Suisan of Tokyo, Japan.
When it comes to cup noodles, what do you think of? Delicious noodles? Unhealthy late-night snack? Favorite meal of college students?
Maruchan aims for a positive narrative that serves to benefit the well-being of its audience.
Objective: The goal of this personal project is the change the perception of cup noodles through the lens of sustainability and organic ingredients
Materials and Form Study
Roundness in the new forms brings the familiarity of actual bowls in the cup form. For materials, wood fibers and paper pulp can be molded into the desired shape while seaweed(NOTPLA) can be used as a moisture-resistant coating. This combination of materials creates a stronger and more sustainable package that protects noodles from physical damage and moisture.
Typography & Color
Each product color relates back to the flavors of existing products with additional colors added for flavors specific to the organic line such as seaweed and teriyaki chicken.
Drawing heavily on what customers wanted to know and buy in the research phase, taking on a typographic approach that focused on key ingredients, nutrition, and serving sizes was a great way to design labels and bring the product above other competitors. The Maruchan logo was not changed because of its strong identity and potential use for other applications.
This project is focused on packaging, branding, and homage to the original design.
Store Display
These end-cap displays provided an in-store experience where customers could interact with the displays and learn additional information about the line of organic noodles and how it can fit into their daily intake of nutrition.
Additionally, separate types of shelves are designed to accommodate large and small market spaces.
Exploration
During the typography phase, having the type resemble the shape or similarity of noodles was explored in wave-like forms.
Customized icons representing the flavors