PROJECT TYPE: Brand Design, Graduate project led by Alex Center
ROLE: Brand Designer
TEAM: Srushti Pokerna, AJ Nielsen, Julia Taylor-Brown, Lynne Rennie, Kunal Khunger
YEAR: 2025
How can we reimagine cultural heritage to invite personal ritual-making?
Context:
Jamoon is a vibrant, non-alcoholic digestif crafted from the revered Indian black plum, a fruit long valued in Ayurvedic tradition for its distinct flavor and restorative qualities. The fruit’s flavor profile blends sweet, tart, and subtly bitter notes for a memorable taste. Its natural pigments create a striking purple stain on the lips and mouth. Born from teammate Srushti’s idea to translate her family favorite into a contemporary offering, Jamoon introduces a hero ingredient largely unknown in Western markets.
The Challenge:
How can we design a shelf-ready CPG brand that brings a traditional Indian ingredient into Gen Z culture while honoring where it came from?
The Opportunity:
A small act that restores your heart, mind, and spirit. Rooted in a daughter’s enduring gratitude, the brand transforms a cultural staple into a modern restorative elixir for a new audience.
A Note from the Founder
“Throughout our entire lives, my mother has always been the one taking care of everyone else, never asking for anything in return. My dad and I wanted to change that. To build something that belonged to her. Through much trial and error, we finally centered around the jamun. The bold, tangy fruit widely consumed during Indian summers. It’s more than a product. It’s a gift to my mother for decades of service.”
—Srushti Pokerna
The Jamun fruit supports healthy digestion with fiber and astringents, helps balance blood sugar through jamboline, and protects against oxidative stress with powerful antioxidants. The fruit-forward packaging uses vibrant illustrations to highlight the purity and freshness of its ingredients.
Packaging Design
