Yum Bun

Bounce ‘n’ rise. How Yum Bun’s fluffy baos floated high above a busy market.

What’s the truth?

Yum Bun is the original street food seller of bao in London. But its brand was getting lost in a crowded market of copycats. With the number of street food stalls growing by 20% year on year, they needed a look and feel that would raise the bar.

How’d we turn it up?

Speaking to its bouncy baos, playful energy and standard-raising culture, we created the brand idea ‘bounce ‘n’ rise’, pairing it with an identity that’s full of Japanese craft and belly-rubbing warmth.

We went all in on

Instagram reach up 368%
Instagram engagement up 434%
‘Dramatic increase’ in recruitment quality
Table spread of bao, gyoza, slaw and dipping sauces on an orange patterned cloth, with a yellow 'Happy Fusion' sticker
Yum Bun cook in a yellow T-shirt plating bao and fries onto a yellow tray at the kitchen counter

A statement of optimism inspired by Japanese Hanko stamps, with an added sunrise aperture for good measure.

Yum Bun logo: chunky black 'Yum Bun' lettering inside a yellow sticker-style outline, on a cream-to-pink background.
Yellow neon sign of the Yum Bun smiling bun face mounted on a perforated metal screen
Person handing over a filled bun through a circular yellow frame

Nights spent enjoying Yum Bun’s clouds of flavour fusion are immortalised in a fluffy friend of its very own.

Close-up of a soft white bun character with a simple hand-drawn happy face, against a lilac-pink gradient.
Cook in a navy cap and yellow T-shirt with the Yum Bun logo on the back, working at the stove
Yellow order buzzer with the smiling bun face on a white tiled wall
Black apron with the Yum Bun logo embroidered in yellow, enamel pins on the straps and a phone in the front pocket
Printed Yum Bun menu listing buns and drinks with yellow flower-shaped price stickers, on a sunlit tiled table
Two bao and a side of slaw in a yellow compartment tray, framed in a rounded shape on a lilac-to-pink gradient
Yum Bun menu board in pastel pink, blue and yellow bands listing buns, dumplings, sides, bun boxes, specials and drinks
Typography on a pink-to-yellow gradient: 'Umami. Say it with us, oomaamee', with the last letters bouncing upwards
Row of Yum Bun posters pasted along a street hoarding, mixing food photography with lines like 'Take a bao' and 'Full hearts, fuller bellies'
Photography moodboard of rounded frames showing Yum Bun cooks in yellow T-shirts, plates of bao and bowls of gyoza
Two glasses of passion fruit iced drink with green glass straws on a white tiled surface
Yum Bun cook in a yellow T-shirt lifting the lid off a stack of steaming bamboo baskets
Table spread of bao, gyoza, noodles and fries, with a hand holding an iced drink
Bowl of colourful Asian slaw with red cabbage, carrot and kale on white tiles
Metal tray with plates of gyoza and dumplings, a dipping sauce and a bowl of slaw
Pork belly bao with cucumber and herbs on a white plate against a pink background
A chef's hand sprinkling spring onion onto two bao on a tray
Fried chicken bao with lettuce and a red chilli topping on a white plate
Yum Bun cook in a yellow T-shirt tossing seasoned fries in a metal bowl with tongs
Bowl of seasoned fries with a pot of dipping sauce on a speckled countertop
Crispy chicken bao with pickled red onion and greens on a red-rimmed plate
Rounded yellow-framed mirror above a tap, with the smiling bun face etched into a patch of steam

"We're delighted with our new branding and website, and the fresh energy that the strategy work and messaging has breathed into our business. From the very early meetings, HOW+HOW understood which parts of our identity we wanted to reach into and express. The creative team’s skill and lightness of touch made the branding design process feel fully collaborative and so exciting!

"They're also a complete pleasure to work with, both responsive and reassuring that no detail is too small to consider. Love these guys."

Lisa Meyer-Jones, CEO + Founder, Yum Bun
Yum Bun loyalty cards scattered on a wooden table with yellow smiling-face, flower and 'Happy Fusion' stickers

Proof of the truth

37%
increase in footfall to the sites
368%
increase in social reach
434%
increase in social engagement

Credits

Strategist
Alyssa Barbaran
Copywriter
Harriet Stallibrass
Animator
Joana Fatela
3D
Victor Silva
Designer
Carl Doneza
Senior Designer
Luca Bresolin
Senior Digital Designer
Hannah Leggett + Jade Sheils
Senior Account Manager
Fanny Kaminski
Design Director
Christian Beck
Creative Director
Cat How
The Reserve monogram on pattern
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