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Rotem Gross.
Case study

Mogu

Judged by its cover. Acquitted.

A grow-your-own oyster mushroom kit was living in a plain brown box. I presented two illustrated worlds, the client chose the first, and I refined it into the final box: a curly-haired woman in a mushroom forest, warm and calm, with a dark green label on top.

19 Designed as part of my work at Group19 Digital.

19
Mogu
Client
Mogu — forest mushrooms
Year
2025
Disciplines
Packaging
Role
Packaging designer & illustrator
Agency
Group19 Digital

The brief

Design packaging for a home kit that grows yellow oyster mushrooms.

What I delivered beyond it

Two full directions, Afro and Fantasy, each with working dielines and mockups with the mushrooms actually bursting out of the box. After the client chose, I took direction one further: a new palette of ochre, rust and teal, a hexagon label for the logo, and a print-ready dieline.

Process: the client presentation

Pl. 01
The presentation: every direction is shown on the real box, not just as art.
The presentation: every direction is shown on the real box, not just as art.
Direction one, Afro: the woman whose hair is the mushrooms.
Direction one, Afro: the woman whose hair is the mushrooms.
Direction two, Fantasy: a forest with very serious tigers.
Direction two, Fantasy: a forest with very serious tigers.
Direction one, flat. The dieline is part of the illustration.
Direction one, flat. The dieline is part of the illustration.
A second character for direction one.
A second character for direction one.
Both characters, mocked up with mushrooms growing out.
Both characters, mocked up with mushrooms growing out.
The character that led to the final box.
The character that led to the final box.
Mogu process
Mogu process
Mogu process
Pl. 02
The whole family of directions, side by side.
The whole family of directions, side by side.

The final box

The final box: same idea, calmer palette, a lot more detail.
The final box: same idea, calmer palette, a lot more detail.
The print-ready dieline.
The print-ready dieline.
Pl. 03
The top: a hexagon label so the logo stays readable over the forest.
The top: a hexagon label so the logo stays readable over the forest.