Nothing Like Nanna’s Imbuljuta!
Picture this: It’s Christmas Eve, and you’re sitting around the fireplace with all your loved ones around you, playing board games and sharing stories. The aromas of citrus fruits, cinnamon, chocolate, and chestnuts fill the air. Now, imagine receiving that feeling in a box. Most might say that it’s impossible, but we’re not most. Want to learn how we did it? Keep reading to find out.
Design
Photography
2022
The brainchild
In August, we thought to ourselves, “What can we give that truly embodies what the festive season is all about?” That irreplaceable feeling of nostalgia and warmth of time spent with your loved ones on a cold December night. ‘L-Imbuljuta tal-Qastan’ was immediately brought up, ‘just like nanna used to make!’
We all started reminiscing and sharing stories of when we were kids, from gathering around the fireplace after midnight mass with our hands around a warm mug of freshly made imbuljuta to having one before we go out to face the cold on New Year’s Eve. There was no end to the number of childhood memories the mention of this aromatic, chocolatey, and citrusy drink unlocked.
That’s when we knew we had to find a way to gift this traditional drink – with a Pure spin. A drink that would even have Scrooge singing ‘Santa Clause is Coming to Town’ at the top of his lungs. The wheels were in motion, and from there, it was onto the design stage!
An ode to the women that inspired us
Keeping with the theme of a warm and cosy festive night, the idea of putting a face to the gift started emerging. And what else could elicit more nostalgia and holiday spirit than the feeling of gathering at your Nanna’s house? Once this idea was concluded, we worked hard on sketching and designing the illustration. Our office was filled with sketches of sweet-looking ‘Nannas’ until the final draft was designed. We set out to create a design that reminded everyone of getting a big and heartfelt hug from nanna. And that’s precisely what we did.
Retro never
goes out of style
After our beloved ‘Nanna’ illustration was finalised, the box’s design followed. The box’s design was created to give the gift a vintage and old-timey style. The retro blue and coral colour scheme immediately gave somewhat of a 1970s feel to it. Therefore, creating gift packaging in tandem with the nostalgic aspect we set out to highlight.
Whilst concluding the box’s design, we kept in mind that not everyone may know how to prepare this aromatic beverage. This is why we revealed nanna’s secret method through a step-by-step guide on the left-hand side of the box. Don’t tell her we did that; it’s just between us.
Designing the box for the Imbuljuta was not where our wheels stopped turning. Our in-house team of talented designers started working on the designs of the packets that would hold the ingredients. A total of 4 were designed, 1 for each; dried chestnuts, cocoa and dark chocolate, cinnamon, and dried citrus zest. With all designs finalised, we sent everything to be printed and placed the big order for the ingredients.
Upon receiving the ingredients and packaging, Pure’s little helpers perfectly assembled the box and packaged the ingredients. After much deliberation with the main man himself, we drafted our 2022 naughty and nice list.
As it turned out, a lot of clients and suppliers were on their best behaviour in 2022. Hence, we had quite a bit of deliveries to get through and even more traffic to wait in. It was quite a close call, but everyone got their Christmas gifts right in time for the holidays!
case study.Palazzo Paolina Boutique HotelBack in 2017, in the ever-crowded luxury boutique hotel industry, the soon-to-open Palazzo Paolina wanted to stand out from the crowd and that was the task we were facing. This up and coming hotel needed a unique identity, as...