Hi there,

Great news! This is just a quick note to update you on The Marketing Design Awards 09, which as you may know Mystery was shortlisted as a finalist for – in two categories.

I went to the awards lunch last week and was squeezed on a table between some nice people from ‘Landor’ (an agency with offices in 25 countries) and ‘Imagination’ (a global agency with 12 offices). They were all very sweet to me as the owner of ‘Mystery’, a specialist Brand Design Agency with ten people in only one office – well they would be, as we’re no threat…

…until it came time to announce the awards!

Despite their size and weight, the only agency to be recognised on our table was Mystery!

As I may have mentioned, we were delighted just to have been selected as a finalist, so we were not expecting to win anything – not when when we’re up against the great and the good of the industry – so to win a ‘Highly Commended’ award in both categories (Identity Design for ‘Giraffe’ and Product Launch design for ‘Masala Masala’) really felt like a coup for the small guys. (Especially as the judges only awarded these where they felt it was warranted – not in every category.)

I have to say the people around my table were very supportive and cheered loudly when Mystery was called. We didn’t come away with a trophy, but I was very proud of my team and we will be hanging the Commendations in the office for all to see.

Hope all is well in your world.
All the very best,

Dan

Marketing Design Awards 2009

Mystery has been shortlisted in 2 categories of the Marketing Design Awards 2009

Firstly for the identity design work that we have created for ‘Giraffe’, the family lifestyle casual-dining restaurant brand and secondly, for the identity, packaging and flyer design work we created to help with the launch of ‘Masala Masala’, the Indian, fresh, stir-in cooking sauces.



We’re up against some of the biggest agencies, so we’re not expecting to walk away with the prize, but we’re very proud to have been chosen as a finalist. All credit should go to the Mystery teams: Steve & Janfranco for Giraffe and Serena, Beck & Phil for Masala Masala. So congratulations to them!



Above: Hot off the press – the latest Giraffe menu designs.

Below: Masala Masala identity & packaging design.



For more information about Mystery, click www.mystery.co.uk

For more information about Giraffe click here

For more information about Masala Masala click here

The Daily Mail’s ‘Young Entrepreneur of the Year!’

Mystery are thrilled that Priya Lakhani has been named by the Daily Mail as ‘Young Entrepreneur of the Year 2009′.

Priya commissioned Mystery to design the identity and packaging for Masala Masala, her new brand of fresh and natural, authentic Indian ‘stir-in’ cooking sauces.

Within six months of launching, Masala Masala is stocked in all the Waitrose stores, Ocado.com, Harrods, Harvey Nichols and Budgens supermarkets.

It was important to design a package that reflects Masala Masala’s unique charitable promise: “For every pot sold we will provide a meal to a homeless person in India.” To reinforce that ethical stance, Mystery created a ‘hand on heart’ symbol to act as the brand identity.

For more information about Masala Masala visit www.masalamasala.co.uk
To order online visit www.ocado.com

To read the full case study visit our website here