Jamaican patty brand Flaky gets a delightfully quirky identity
Denai Moore’s new patty shop is launching with vibrant branding that features charming illustrated characters, uplifting palettes and irregular lettering
East London will soon be home to a plant-based Jamaican patty shop called Flaky, a new venture conceived by singer-songwriter Denai Moore, who is also a chef, cookbook author and creator of pop-up restaurant Dee’s Table.
Ahead of Flaky launching at Dalston Yard this summer, Moore has revealed the new identity for the brand, which has been designed by Jess Joy.
“From the get go, we wanted the branding to evoke a strong sense of joy – capturing the essence and nostalgia of the Jamaican patty shops from Denai’s childhood,” explains the designer. “I loved the thinking behind the name and wanted to play on this idea of what it means to be flaky, which was used as a starting point for building the wordmark.”
The lettering seen in the wordmark channels all the irregularities and uneven sizes and shapes found in food – and in the flakiest of patties. But it also riffs on the definition of flaky that they came across: “Someone who is ‘off beat and doesn’t function in society like everyone else’.”
“I started off by lots of sketching and trying various combinations of joining up mismatched shapes, until landing on something that felt a little unusual and had an impact, which would work across multiple formats,” explains the designer.
“The lack of hierarchy and the interactions between the letters embody a friendly sense of naïvety and playfulness, reinforced by the exclamation mark, synonymous with retro games and comic books. I wanted each letter to have its own personality, retaining a lively and kinetic energy even when in a printed format.”
The identity also features illustrated characters based on patties which have sprouted legs and grown facial features. Some are decked out in mini booties or a beret. Another is sat happily in a pool of its own crumbs (relatable). “There’s a sassy flaky, the cba flaky, the confident flaky, the introvert flaky … which we want to continually evolve,” the designer explains.
The branding feels in keeping with designs used in Moore’s previous ventures, namely the cover of her 2023 cookbook Plentiful, while embodying a delightfully whimsical character of its own.
