Shwe Pu Zun
A rebranding about honoring 46 years of golden memories while building a visual identity strong enough to carry the brand into new markets, new platforms, and new audiences.
TIMELINE
6 weeks
FOcus
Rebranding
INDUSTRY
Food
TOOLS
Figma
Canva
Adobe Illustrator
Role
Sole Designer
Context
Myanmar's oldest premium bakery, but now new bakeries are winning younger customers.
As Myanmar's food scene grew more competitive, newer bakeries captured the attention of younger generations who had never grown up with Shwe Pu Zun as a household name. The brand's goal was twofold:
reclaim relevance with a younger local audience, and
expand into regional markets where the name was entirely unknown.
From a fishing business to Myanmar's most iconic bakery.
The name "Shwe Pu Zun": Golden Prawn traces back to the family's original fishing roots. What began as a humble business in 1978 grew into Myanmar's first premium bakery: a generational institution known for its signature snacks and drinks. For decades, it wasn't just a bakery; it was a landmark. The rebrand's job was to make sure it stayed one.
Vision & Mission
A bakery that builds memories for tomorrow.
The rebrand began with defining what Shwe Pu Zun stands for in its next chapter, not abandoning its heritage, but reframing it for a modern audience.
Mission
To craft foods with passion and heritage, blending classic flavours with contemporary twist.
Vision
To become a place for generations to have savoury & sweet memories.
Tagline
Golden Memories
The tagline "Golden Memories" was chosen to carry the brand's dual identity:
golden as a direct reference to the name Shwe Pu Zun, and
memories as the emotional thread that connects generations of loyal customers.
It works as nostalgia for those who grew up with the brand, and as an invitation for those discovering it for the first time.
Shwe Pu Zun
Golden Memories
Brand Values
Four values that keep the brand grounded across every touchpoint.
Essence of Joy
Centers on the pleasure of discovery: food that blends tradition and innovation.
Spark of Remembrance
Honors the warmth of sharing a meal with people you love.
Enchant Your Day
Elevates everyday moments into something worth remembering.
Always Your Favoured Delight
Keeps the brand honest: quality and affordability, without compromise.
Logo Concept with Storyline
Every element of the Shwe Pu Zun logo was chosen for what it means, not just how it looks.
Wheat
All baked creations start with flour, the essence of wheat. Wheat embodies longevity, timeless flavours.
The Sun
The rising sun represents vitality and joy, the feeling of a golden moment that becomes a memory worth keeping.
Fireworks
Fireworks mark the moments that matter: birthdays, festivals, reunions. They symbolize the energy and excitement that Shwe Pu Zun brings to every celebration.
The Prawn
It honors the family's original fishing business. The symbol has been part of the brand for so long that customers associate it with the bakery instinctively.
How Typography is Selected?
Typeface that builds trust, fresh, and an inviting vibe.
Its elegant, culturally rooted letterforms give Shwe Pu Zun's wordmark and headings a timeless quality that feels worthy of a 46-year-old institution.
Its rounded, friendly style appears on food item names across packaging and social media, making the product range feel inviting and approachable to a younger audience.
Color Palette
A color palette that tastes like the menu.
Primary Color
The brand color is golden, and it is a direct translation of "Shwe," the first word of the bakery's name.
#f2bd1d
Secondary Color
Deep blueberry navy provides the contrast that gives the golden its richness without competing with it.
#0e1a40
Neutral Colors
Neutral tones: Espresso, Black Sesame, Powdered Sugar, Vanilla Frosting, provide the quiet background that lets the product colors shine.
#585859
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#f2f2f2
#ffffff
Accent Colors
From there, the palette expands into a full range of accent colors named after the products themselves: Strawberry, Caramel, Guava, Chocolate, Falooda, Mint. Each accent maps to a product category, making the color system functional as well as expressive.
#8c2a2a
#d9430d
#f2dbae
#bf6211
#a66c4b
#1a3873
#98ffff
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Patterns
Wheat and sprinkles shape the texture of the brand.
Two sources of inspiration shaped the pattern system:
wheat, representing the craft and heritage behind every product, and
birthday sprinkles, representing the celebratory spirit the brand has always been part of.
The patterns appear across packaging surfaces, giving products a distinctive visual texture that is unmistakably Shwe Pu Zun even without the logo in sight.
Color Stickers System
A flexible logo color system for across every collaboration.
The sticker system solves a real brand challenge: how does a brand with a rich palette stay consistent across dozens of product flavors and external partnerships?
Logo stickers, brand name stickers, and key messaging stickers are each available in the full color range so packaging for a grape juice gets the grape-toned sticker, a coffee gets the espresso tone, and a partner organization's co-branded product gets stickers matched to their own brand colors.
Logo Stickers
Brand name & Tagline Stickers
Key Messaging Stickers
Category Tag System
Category tags that make the product range instantly navigable.
With a menu spanning snacks, drinks, baked goods, and seasonal items, clear categorization is essential. Food item category tag cards and subcategory stickers give each product a clear identity within the broader range so customers browsing in-store or online can find what they're looking for without confusion.
Food Item Category Tags
Subcategory Stickers
APP and Website
Make online, order from anywhere, no queue, no crowd.
Shwe Pu Zun's in-store experience is beloved, but it has always been limited by geography and lines. The app and website extend the brand beyond its physical locations letting customers browse the full menu, place orders, and experience the brand from anywhere.
The digital experience carries the same visual warmth as the physical one, so it feels like Shwe Pu Zun whether you're at the counter or on your phone.
Brand Accessories & Touchpoints
A brand identity only works if it shows up consistently everywhere a customer encounters it.
Uniforms, signage, packaging, and in-store displays were all designed with the same visual language so whether a customer is picking up an order, walking past a shopfront, or receiving a gift bag, the experience feels coherent and unmistakably Shwe Pu Zun.
Shop Environment - Airport Concept
An airport shop built for travelers discovering Shwe Pu Zun for the first time.
Airports are where new audiences meet local brands for the first time. The airport shop environment was designed to make that first impression count: warm, distinctive, and inviting enough to stop a traveler mid-stride.
Whether they're looking for a local gift to bring home or a taste of Myanmar to remember the trip by, the space is designed to deliver both.
Key Takeaways
What I've learned from redesigning a 46-year-old brand
History isn't a constraint, it's the brief.
The prawn symbol has nothing to do with baking. But it has everything to do with Shwe Pu Zun. Keeping it wasn't a compromise and it was the right design decision. Iconic brands carry meaning that goes beyond logic, and a rebrand that strips that away doesn't modernize the brand; it erases it.
Refreshing the tone but need to keep recognition.
New colors, new typefaces, and a new tagline can bring the brand forward but the elements customers have trusted for decades are what carry the emotional weight. Striking that balance is what separates a rebrand from a replacement.