A psychedelic, hand-made brand identity for a crafty artisan.
Design, Motion Design, Illustration, Art Direction: Priya Mistry
In Collaboration with Founder of HPV, Jessica Papp
Jess approached me with the idea of turning her passion of crocheting out of her tiny Toronto apartment, into a business. Hot Pot Variety, inspired by her love of Hot Pot and infused with her cultural roots was an extension of Jess’s colourful personality, style and way of life. Mirroring her love of textiles and making things with her hands, HPV is unapologetically fun, vibrant, optimistic and will truly make you feel happier just by looking at it.
BlogTO: Toronto Woman Lands deal with Holt Renfrew with her Crochet Hats
Visual Elements
Logo & Monogram
The rebranding of @hotpotvariety was inspired by Jess’s Vietnamese-Canadian bicultural identity. Drawing from childhood memories—food packaging, TV shows, posters, and clothing—we crafted a visual identity that truly reflects her vibrant, blended self. Since our launch during COVID-19 in 2020, the brand has gained worldwide recognition. While rebranding was a difficult decision, Jess envisioned a custom hand-drawn logo that felt fluid, with each letterform seamlessly melting into the next. Naturally, I was eager to bring this vision to life.
Colour
The @hotpotvariety colour palette ranges from bright neons to muted tones, offering an energetic yet balanced feel. The colours are designed to be applied in a modern, contemporary way to avoid appearing too loud or overly complex.
Product
I wanted to add a touch of imagination and magic to every product we showed. This could be done by the art direction in the product shoot and also by adding doodles to the creative. I used animation to bring doodle elements to life. Animated GIFS of the products became iconic staple for the brand on the website and social media platforms.
Website
I worked with Scratchpad and Shopify to design a cohesive website that was built to sell, attract and set the tone of the brand. Using a gridded system and minimalistic approach, we designed a clean, accessible yet bold website that struck just the right balance between unique luxury and hand-crafted artisanal, all while showcasing our beautiful editorial video and photography front and center.
HPV in the wild
When showing people wearing products, we always wanted to show them being their authentic selves. I wanted for the brand to depict people in their own element, in various environments, interacting with others, with food, with pets, doing things that make them happy and expressing themselves. We wanted to show how Hot Pot Variety brings in that little extra in their already extraordinary lives.
