The two Thai brothers who founded Dang Foods in 2012, and grew up living between New York City and Bangkok, were used to bringing different types of food to school than their classmates. The love for the food that their mother prepared motivated them to introduce these snacks in the U.S. As the brand continues to grow, their goal now is to expand awareness about Asian food culture with its healthier and flavorful snacks. They turned to creative agency Chase Design Group to rebrand and redesign Dang without using stereotypes or dated ideas of Asian culture and identity.

The challenge was to take the current product line and create a cohesive family of products that articulate the “Asian for All” positioning authentically for the modern, mainstream consumer. They worked closely with the founders/brothers, Vincent and Andrew Kitirattragarn to bring the origin story to life, embracing their Asian/American roots and instilling an irreverent voice. “We named the brand, Dang, after our Mom, but our products turned out to be so flavorful and delicious, that we started using the phrase: ‘Dang that’s good!’ to describe them,” says Vincent Kitirattragarn.

Since the launch of the signature coconut chips, the design system proved not to be flexible enough to extend into new products. Chase helped create a system that can house the full portfolio together while creating enough differentiation between product lines. Vibrant, flavor-driven colors correspond to the natural color of the flavor represented or by category cues. Front of the pack contains product and flavor ingredient information, along with the descriptor, ‘Delicious and Modern Snacks’ in a subtle Thai pattern. The back of the pack includes a description of the product and the brand story signed by the brothers along with their boyhood picture with the ‘Mama Dang Approved’ seal. 

Communication beyond the pack includes guidance for social media posts, promotional materials, as well as a tradeshow booth. A Brand Toolkit was developed for the brand assets as well as rules and parameters for branding and design.