Bowler

Bowler started with a gap in Auckland’s CBD. People wanted healthy food they could grab on the go, but most of what was on offer came from clinical, soulless spaces. The food was light when it needed to be hearty, and it rarely felt like a real meal.

Bowler set out to change that. The idea was simple: a salad bar with warmth and character, designed from day one to be franchised. That meant a brand strong enough to hold together across many locations, and one people would actually feel something for.

Nostalgia became the anchor. The identity takes its cue from leftovers packed in old Tupperware, the kind of lunch that tastes like home. That sense of comfort and familiarity shapes everything from the colour palette to the tone, while a modern edge keeps it from tipping into pastiche.

At the centre is a bold, uncomplicated wordmark that holds its own on any high street. Around it, a warm palette drawn from the 70s and 80s brings a timeless sense of simplicity and substance. The whole identity rests on one belief: good food doesn’t need to be complicated, just satisfying, soulful and substantial.

The same thinking carried into the creative direction and the website, so every touchpoint makes the same point. Bowler stands out in a crowded lunch market because it has a personality and a purpose behind it. It proves healthy can have heart.

That brand now has to keep up with a business moving fast. Bowler is opening a new store roughly every six months, against ambitious growth targets. We’re still part of that story, building the brand out with each new site and keeping it as sharp at the tenth store as it was at the first.