The Shef story began at the Syrian border where a group of refugees waited to cross. Over home-cooked meals, founders Joey and Alvin forged a new kind of family—and a sense of empowerment. Today, Shef is a food delivery platform which connects home cooks to expats and immigrants searching for authentic, region-specific, home-made meals.

We re-envisioned the Shef brand by translating findings from our workshops into a creative idea and tone of voice which could inform all brand touchpoints. When viewing the supplied photography we were immediately drawn to the images of hands holding bowls of food. Inspired by the use of accents across diverse languages, the Shef brandmark was developed by using a simple sans-serif typeface, using a bowl over the 'e' as Shef's own accent. The colour palette is drawn from the array of ethnicities represented and our imagery focuses on the vibrancy of our shefs, hands involved in food preparation and the meals themselves.

As Shef's audiences, both shefs and patrons, are largely from the immigrant community, the developed principles of voice encourages easy to read language that is natural, clear and warm.

Food is not viewed only as sustenance, but as a way for people to stay connected to their culture and to create a sense of belonging within the wider community. Each dish created tells a story, not only of the food, but of the shefs themselves. In a global world where distance sets us apart, food is one way to keep the memories alive.