About
Year: 2024
Imli Pop is a nostalgic tamarind shrub soda created in collaboration with Local Ferment Co. with branding, packaging design, and campaign by Studio Sorted. Inspired by 90s Indian childhood culture—matchbox art, comics like Chacha Chaudhary, and iconic candy wrappers—the project explores how culturally rooted, quirky branding can transform a beverage into a memorable brand experience.
Imli Pop is an award-winning beverage branding project by Studio Sorted, created in collaboration with Local Ferment Co. and Panic Press. Inspired by 90s Indian nostalgia, matchbox art, and comic culture, this tamarind shrub soda combines culturally rooted design with a bold, quirky identity system across packaging, merch, and launch experience.
Design that doesn’t behave.
The Imli Pop identity is rooted in the visual language of 90s and early 2000s India, drawing from matchbox art, candy packaging, regional comics, and television graphics.
The label features a naughty parrot holding the Imli Pop bottle, capturing the sharp and expressive “tang” of tamarind. Alongside it is the Pehelwan, a comic-inspired strongman character positioned as both rival and companion. This duality reflects the flavour itself, which is sweet, sour, and slightly chaotic.
The illustration style is deliberately hand-drawn, referencing pre-digital Indian print culture. Colours are bold, saturated, and layered, echoing both Indian visual traditions and Studio Sorted’s signature palette.
Together, these elements create a nostalgic yet contemporary beverage branding system rooted in Indian pop culture.
The label features a naughty parrot holding the Imli Pop bottle, capturing the sharp and expressive “tang” of tamarind. Alongside it is the Pehelwan, a comic-inspired strongman character positioned as both rival and companion. This duality reflects the flavour itself, which is sweet, sour, and slightly chaotic.
The illustration style is deliberately hand-drawn, referencing pre-digital Indian print culture. Colours are bold, saturated, and layered, echoing both Indian visual traditions and Studio Sorted’s signature palette.
Together, these elements create a nostalgic yet contemporary beverage branding system rooted in Indian pop culture.
Panic Press x Imli Pop
In collaboration with Panic Press, the Imli Pop universe extended into limited-edition merchandise. Oversized, screen-printed tees featured nostalgic Indian icons, comic-style graphics, and recurring brand characters like the parrot and Pehelwan.
This merch drop positioned Imli Pop not just as a beverage, but as a cultural object, bridging branding, fashion, and community.
This merch drop positioned Imli Pop not just as a beverage, but as a cultural object, bridging branding, fashion, and community.
Imli Pop is friends with the
'Blue Elephant'
'Blue Elephant'
Imli Pop was awarded a Blue Elephant at the Kyoorius Design Awards, one of the most prestigious design awards in India, recognising excellence in branding and packaging design.
The project was recognised for its distinctive take on nostalgic Indian branding, combining tamarind-based beverage innovation with a bold visual identity inspired by 90s matchbox art, comics, and pop culture.
This award-winning project reflects Studio Sorted’s approach to building culturally rooted, high-recall brand systems for modern Indian businesses, especially in the food and beverage space.
The project was recognised for its distinctive take on nostalgic Indian branding, combining tamarind-based beverage innovation with a bold visual identity inspired by 90s matchbox art, comics, and pop culture.
This award-winning project reflects Studio Sorted’s approach to building culturally rooted, high-recall brand systems for modern Indian businesses, especially in the food and beverage space.
The Launch Campaign:
Class Photo Day, But Make It Chaotic
Class Photo Day, But Make It Chaotic
The launch campaign reimagined the classic Indian school class photo, placing characters in a playground setting where order slowly breaks into chaos.
Teachers stand composed at the center while students lose control around them, holding bottles of Imli Pop. The parrot and Pehelwan appear throughout, reinforcing the brand’s narrative.
The campaign draws from shared childhood experiences such as school uniforms, playground politics, and group photos, translating them into a distinctive visual storytelling system for a modern beverage brand.
The launch, titled Panic Pop, took the form of a 2000s-style birthday party in Bangalore. Guests experienced the brand through nostalgic elements such as birthday cake, samosas, paper plates, and Imli Pop-themed cocktails.
Live screen printing, character installations, and a life-size Sabu cutout reinforced the comic-inspired universe. The space became an immersive extension of the brand, turning a product launch into an experiential branding moment.
Teachers stand composed at the center while students lose control around them, holding bottles of Imli Pop. The parrot and Pehelwan appear throughout, reinforcing the brand’s narrative.
The campaign draws from shared childhood experiences such as school uniforms, playground politics, and group photos, translating them into a distinctive visual storytelling system for a modern beverage brand.
The launch, titled Panic Pop, took the form of a 2000s-style birthday party in Bangalore. Guests experienced the brand through nostalgic elements such as birthday cake, samosas, paper plates, and Imli Pop-themed cocktails.
Live screen printing, character installations, and a life-size Sabu cutout reinforced the comic-inspired universe. The space became an immersive extension of the brand, turning a product launch into an experiential branding moment.
About the Collab 🧃
Imli Pop is the result of a long-standing creative collaboration between Studio Sorted and Local Ferment Co., a beverage brand focused on clean, preservative-free shrub sodas in India. After working together on their original range, this project pushed into new territory-creating a desi, nostalgia-led flavour and translating it into a distinctive brand system.
Over six months, the collaboration expanded beyond packaging into a full brand universe spanning identity, campaign, merch, and launch experience.
Over six months, the collaboration expanded beyond packaging into a full brand universe spanning identity, campaign, merch, and launch experience.
So what IS Imli Pop?
It’s not just a drink.
It’s memory, mischief, and masala in a bottle.
A tangy tamarind shrub soda made with real ingredients, zero preservatives, and 100% chaos.
Inspired by imli candy and built for a new generation of desi soda lovers. If you know, you know.
Imli Pop is a case study in nostalgic branding, cultural storytelling, and beverage design in India. By combining tamarind-based flavour innovation with retro Indian visual language, Studio Sorted and Local Ferment Co. created a distinctive brand that resonates with both memory and modern taste.
It’s memory, mischief, and masala in a bottle.
A tangy tamarind shrub soda made with real ingredients, zero preservatives, and 100% chaos.
Inspired by imli candy and built for a new generation of desi soda lovers. If you know, you know.
Imli Pop is a case study in nostalgic branding, cultural storytelling, and beverage design in India. By combining tamarind-based flavour innovation with retro Indian visual language, Studio Sorted and Local Ferment Co. created a distinctive brand that resonates with both memory and modern taste.
TRY IT NOW!
Team
Design team: Afeef Khan, Tanmay Acharya, Abhishek Durani
Team LFC: Noopur Porwal, Akash Devaraju, Tarini Thakur
Cheerleaders: Netra Ajjampur, Jayanth Rao, Vrinda Gupta, Anshul Gupta, Murtaza Dhilawala, Aishwarya Patil, Riya Waykar, Ridhi Kishore
Team LFC: Noopur Porwal, Akash Devaraju, Tarini Thakur
Cheerleaders: Netra Ajjampur, Jayanth Rao, Vrinda Gupta, Anshul Gupta, Murtaza Dhilawala, Aishwarya Patil, Riya Waykar, Ridhi Kishore
FAQs
What is shrub soda?
Shrub soda is a beverage made using fruit, sugar, and vinegar, giving it a tangy, slightly sour profile. In India, brands like Imli Pop are reinterpreting shrub sodas using familiar flavours like tamarind to create a nostalgic yet modern drinking experience. This makes it a great example of how traditional taste can meet contemporary beverage branding.
What is nostalgic branding?
Nostalgic branding is a design approach that draws from shared cultural memories such as childhood experiences, retro visuals, and familiar references. In India, this often includes matchbox art, comics, candy packaging, and pop culture from the 90s and early 2000s. Imli Pop is a strong example of nostalgic Indian branding, where design triggers memory while still feeling fresh and relevant.
How does cultural branding help Indian brands stand out?
Cultural branding helps brands feel more relatable and distinctive by grounding them in local context. Instead of generic global aesthetics, brands like Imli Pop use Indian visual language, humour, and storytelling to create deeper emotional recall. This approach is especially effective for F&B brands looking to build strong identity and connect with modern Indian audiences.
Who designed the Imli Pop branding?
The Imli Pop branding, packaging design, and campaign were created by Studio Sorted, a branding agency in India specialising in F&B and culturally rooted brand systems. The project is a collaboration with Local Ferment Co. and Panic Press, combining beverage innovation, design, and merchandise into a single brand experience.
What makes Imli Pop a unique beverage branding project?
Imli Pop stands out as a case study of quirky beverage branding in India. It combines tamarind shrub soda with retro Indian design, character-led storytelling, and a full ecosystem including merch and experiential launch. It is also a strong example of a brand collaboration between a design studio and a beverage company, resulting in a culturally rich and commercially distinct product.
How can quirky branding work for modern brands?
Quirky branding works when it is rooted in clear strategy and cultural insight, not just aesthetics. Brands like Imli Pop show how playful, expressive design can still be structured and scalable. For businesses looking to stand out, especially in competitive categories like food and beverage, quirky branding can create strong recall, differentiation, and shareability.
Shrub soda is a beverage made using fruit, sugar, and vinegar, giving it a tangy, slightly sour profile. In India, brands like Imli Pop are reinterpreting shrub sodas using familiar flavours like tamarind to create a nostalgic yet modern drinking experience. This makes it a great example of how traditional taste can meet contemporary beverage branding.
What is nostalgic branding?
Nostalgic branding is a design approach that draws from shared cultural memories such as childhood experiences, retro visuals, and familiar references. In India, this often includes matchbox art, comics, candy packaging, and pop culture from the 90s and early 2000s. Imli Pop is a strong example of nostalgic Indian branding, where design triggers memory while still feeling fresh and relevant.
How does cultural branding help Indian brands stand out?
Cultural branding helps brands feel more relatable and distinctive by grounding them in local context. Instead of generic global aesthetics, brands like Imli Pop use Indian visual language, humour, and storytelling to create deeper emotional recall. This approach is especially effective for F&B brands looking to build strong identity and connect with modern Indian audiences.
Who designed the Imli Pop branding?
The Imli Pop branding, packaging design, and campaign were created by Studio Sorted, a branding agency in India specialising in F&B and culturally rooted brand systems. The project is a collaboration with Local Ferment Co. and Panic Press, combining beverage innovation, design, and merchandise into a single brand experience.
What makes Imli Pop a unique beverage branding project?
Imli Pop stands out as a case study of quirky beverage branding in India. It combines tamarind shrub soda with retro Indian design, character-led storytelling, and a full ecosystem including merch and experiential launch. It is also a strong example of a brand collaboration between a design studio and a beverage company, resulting in a culturally rich and commercially distinct product.
How can quirky branding work for modern brands?
Quirky branding works when it is rooted in clear strategy and cultural insight, not just aesthetics. Brands like Imli Pop show how playful, expressive design can still be structured and scalable. For businesses looking to stand out, especially in competitive categories like food and beverage, quirky branding can create strong recall, differentiation, and shareability.
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Branding isn’t decoration. It’s direction.
It’s what helps people choose you, trust you, and come back.
And it only works when it’s thought through.
It’s what helps people choose you, trust you, and come back.
And it only works when it’s thought through.
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