Plot 45 capture flavour through typographic eclecticism in Beaucoup’s bold identity and packaging

From the mind and kitchen of founder Jeremy Nagin, spice mix brand Beaucoup draws from his decades of experience in test kitchens, as well as the signature flavours of his Creole heritage. Launching with three initial flavours – 3:30 Sunday, Tu Sabes and St. Beaucoup – Nagin turned to Barcelona-based design practice Plot 45 for an eclectic identity that matches the vibrancy, punch and attitude of the products in question.

Leaning into the aesthetic realms of sport and fashion, the resulting identity is a brazen concoction of type and texture; combining collectable-esque, ephemeral lead graphics with a striking selection of typefaces – opting for Commercial Type’s Druk Wide, Colophon Foundry’s Aperçu Mono, Founders Grotesk from Klim Type Foundry and Velvetyne’s Terminal Grotesque. “I know people might say there are rules to only having a certain amount of fonts on a pack,” Designer Glen Thorpe tells us, “but each one serves a hierarchical purpose,” he explains, allowing each typeface to tell the stories of each individual spice. “Picking those four typefaces also gives the brand a lot of flexibility to shapeshift too,” Thorpe adds, “so rather than have a matching luggage approach to any design output from the brand, you can switch it up a bit,” allowing the designs to graphically vary but keep a branded consistency.

This variability also manifests in the dual nature of the wordmarks, coming in two separate forms. “Ultimately this was to stop the blanket approach of having the same logo everywhere, to give the brand a bit of flexibility and some diversity,” Thorpe explains, noting that if the context and sectors that inspired Beaucoup’s design – be it music, streetwear, food or fashion – can have flexibility, why too can’t Beaucoup? “Nike has the swoosh and then the Futura logo too, if these brands can have a bevvy of marks, why couldn’t we?” Thorpe adds.

To compensate and somewhat balance the brand’s liberal approach to features, Plot 45 introduced a restricted monochromatic colour palette, allowing both the textural graphics of the packaging and the colour of the spice mixes themselves to take precedence. “The white of the text also serves a romantic purpose too because as you use each blend in your cooking, the bottle will get dirty as you go,” Thorpe suggests, “there was something nice about that, and it feels very Beaucoup,” he adds.

The accompanying illustrations on Beaucoup’s packaging take a form unique to each spice mix, embodying the character and context of their flavour – taking a more abstract and poetic approach. “We explored including flavour depictions in there but felt we were just falling in line with other food brands in the category,” Thorpe concludes, “Jeremy was really keen for Beaucoup to show how food is more than just sustenance and has a story to tell.”

Plot 45

Beaucoup