The Mean Tomato
Award: Wood Pencil
Wood Pencil / Branding / Print / 2023
Award: Wood Pencil
Wood Pencil / Typography / Integrated
Award: Wood Pencil
Wood Pencil / Illustration / Packaging
The takeout pizza category in the US is an extremely crowded one, and every brand has the same generic message. To help Gopuff stand out among the cheesy noise, Kuba & Friends decided to do things differently by creating The Mean Tomato. The brand revolves around a mascot who, just like the pizza he ‘promotes’, is New York style too – lovably mean. The Mean Tomato exists for two reasons: to eat pizza and to ruin brand touchpoints. Essentially he’s a catalyst for humour and storytelling, allowing Gopuff to have a dialogue with itself, and deliver something that everyone is craving these days: realness.
What did the judges have to say?
I previously judged online, but this time it was in person. When I actually got to see the pizza boxes you could see the exceptional array of illustrations that made the brand truly stand out. I recall fellow judges saying how seeing it physically just made it all the more exceptional. So much beautiful craft and detail throughout, and no lack of imagination with how it was presented across a range of boxes that made me wish I had each one.
Raafaye Ali, Illustrator, Mother London
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