Banza
Banza
Illustration, Apparel Design, Packaging
Illustration, Apparel Design, Packaging
Price:
Price:
$7,500 USD
$7,500 USD
Price:
$7,500 USD
Turnaround:
Turnaround:
1 Week
Turnaround:
1 Week
Role:
Role:
Freelance Designer
Freelance Designer
Role:
Freelance Designer
Engagement:
Engagement:
Multiple Projects
Multiple Projects
Engagement:
Multiple Projects
Project Outcomes & Highlights:
Project Outcomes & Highlights:
2 New Products
Chickpea Pizza and Waffles created for gluten free customers
2 New Products
Chickpea Pizza and Waffles created for gluten free customers
30+ Illustrations
Created for merch release and free swag give aways for trade shows and customers
30+ Illustrations
Created for merch release and free swag give aways for trade shows and customers
Increased Visibility
The branded merch increased Banzas visibility on social media and at events
Increased Visibility
The branded merch increased Banzas visibility on social media and at events
Banza
Banza is a chickpea-based food company that serves gluten-free consumers with protein-rich alternatives including pasta, pizza, and waffles.
In 2022 and 2023, Banza partnered with me as a freelance illustrator to create branded merchandise for trade shows and product launches.
As a newer company building market presence, they needed distinctive swag to stand out at events like Expo West and on social media. I worked on two major launches: pizza in 2022 and waffles in 2023-2024, producing over 30 illustrations across multiple projects.
The most successful outcome was tote bags that became collectors' items, reselling on eBay for nearly $100 despite originally retailing for $10-20.
Challenge:
Banza needed to build brand recognition and generate buzz at competitive trade shows while establishing themselves as a premium alternative food brand.
As a newer player in the crowded health food space, they required distinctive merchandise that would spark conversations, drive booth traffic, and create lasting brand ambassadors beyond the event itself.
Solution:
I developed a comprehensive merchandise strategy featuring controversial "pizza team" concepts and nostalgic diner aesthetics that transformed functional swag into collectible conversation starters.
By creating over 30 illustrations across two product launches, I helped Banza extend their brand presence into wearable, shareable pieces that continued marketing long after events ended.
Services:
• Illustration
• Apparel Design
• Packaging
• Social Media
Role + Team:
Freelance Designer | I worked with Banza's internal marketing team and marketing managers.
Key Phases:
• Concepting Apparel & Swag Items
• Illustration
• Apparel Design
• Social Media Content
• Small Packaging Design Updates
Banza
Banza is a chickpea-based food company that serves gluten-free consumers with protein-rich alternatives including pasta, pizza, and waffles.
In 2022 and 2023, Banza partnered with me as a freelance illustrator to create branded merchandise for trade shows and product launches.
As a newer company building market presence, they needed distinctive swag to stand out at events like Expo West and on social media. I worked on two major launches: pizza in 2022 and waffles in 2023-2024, producing over 30 illustrations across multiple projects.
The most successful outcome was tote bags that became collectors' items, reselling on eBay for nearly $100 despite originally retailing for $10-20.
Challenge:
Banza needed to build brand recognition and generate buzz at competitive trade shows while establishing themselves as a premium alternative food brand.
As a newer player in the crowded health food space, they required distinctive merchandise that would spark conversations, drive booth traffic, and create lasting brand ambassadors beyond the event itself.
Solution:
I developed a comprehensive merchandise strategy featuring controversial "pizza team" concepts and nostalgic diner aesthetics that transformed functional swag into collectible conversation starters.
By creating over 30 illustrations across two product launches, I helped Banza extend their brand presence into wearable, shareable pieces that continued marketing long after events ended.
Services:
• Illustration
• Apparel Design
• Packaging
• Social Media
Role + Team:
Freelance Designer | I worked with Banza's internal marketing team and marketing managers.
Key Phases:
• Concepting Apparel & Swag Items
• Illustration
• Apparel Design
• Social Media Content
• Small Packaging Design Updates
2 Year Strategic Partnership For Illustration & Social Media
"Working with Nikolai was a great experience. He is quick, a great communicator, and offers great customer service! We look forward to working together with him on future projects."
"Working with Nikolai was a great experience. He is quick, a great communicator, and offers great customer service! We look forward to working together with him on future projects."
Kendall Conroy
Kendall Conroy
Marketing Lead, Banza
Pizza Launch
In 2022, Banza expanded their product line with chickpea-based pizzas, introducing Margherita, Four Cheese, Roasted Veggie, and Plain Crust options for the gluten-free market.
These protein-packed pizzas feature crusts made entirely from chickpeas, providing more fiber and protein than conventional options while maintaining the look, taste, and texture of traditional pizza.
The chickpea crust proved more structurally sound than alternatives like cauliflower, closely resembling traditional flour-based crusts and strengthening Banza's position in the alternative food category.
Chickpea Based Products
Banza has built their entire product ecosystem around chickpeas since 2014, transforming this legume into comfort foods including pasta, pizza, mac & cheese, and rice with a mission to promote chickpeas' positive impact on human and environmental health.
Their chickpea pasta contains 25 grams of protein and 40% fewer net carbs per serving compared to traditional pasta, with twice the protein and four times the fiber. This chickpea-first approach has made Banza the #5 pasta brand in the United States, available in over 23,000 stores nationwide, creating a cohesive brand identity for health-conscious consumers seeking higher protein alternatives to refined grain products.
Pizza Launch
In 2022, Banza expanded their product line with chickpea-based pizzas, introducing Margherita, Four Cheese, Roasted Veggie, and Plain Crust options for the gluten-free market.
These protein-packed pizzas feature crusts made entirely from chickpeas, providing more fiber and protein than conventional options while maintaining the look, taste, and texture of traditional pizza.
The chickpea crust proved more structurally sound than alternatives like cauliflower, closely resembling traditional flour-based crusts and strengthening Banza's position in the alternative food category.
Chickpea Based Products
Banza has built their entire product ecosystem around chickpeas since 2014, transforming this legume into comfort foods including pasta, pizza, mac & cheese, and rice with a mission to promote chickpeas' positive impact on human and environmental health.
Their chickpea pasta contains 25 grams of protein and 40% fewer net carbs per serving compared to traditional pasta, with twice the protein and four times the fiber. This chickpea-first approach has made Banza the #5 pasta brand in the United States, available in over 23,000 stores nationwide, creating a cohesive brand identity for health-conscious consumers seeking higher protein alternatives to refined grain products.
Banza Swag Release
Banza's marketing manager approached me to develop branded illustrations for merchandise releases designed to generate excitement around their pizza launch.
We created over 30 illustrations for apparel and printed materials, centering our creative direction around "pizza teams" based on controversial toppings—team pineapple, team anchovies, team olives, or team ranch. The strategy was to create conversation-starting apparel that would drive booth traffic at trade shows and encourage social media engagement.
After exploring various directions from toppings to consumption methods, we ultimately settled on a retro 1970s-80s pizza parlor style featuring simple one-color designs on white backgrounds for the primary sweater. Other concepts were later repurposed for limited merchandise releases.
Illustration Process
All illustrations were created using a hybrid digital approach, beginning with hand-drawn artwork in Procreate on iPad before vectorizing in Adobe Illustrator using the image trace function. This ensured designs could be scaled to any size for various applications from social media graphics to large trade show displays.
The creative process involved extensive collaboration with Banza's owner and marketing team through multiple feedback rounds. We worked through trial and error to determine which concepts aligned with their brand vision while maintaining flexibility to adapt based on practical considerations like printing costs and production timelines.
Banza Swag Release
Banza's marketing manager approached me to develop branded illustrations for merchandise releases designed to generate excitement around their pizza launch.
We created over 30 illustrations for apparel and printed materials, centering our creative direction around "pizza teams" based on controversial toppings—team pineapple, team anchovies, team olives, or team ranch. The strategy was to create conversation-starting apparel that would drive booth traffic at trade shows and encourage social media engagement.
After exploring various directions from toppings to consumption methods, we ultimately settled on a retro 1970s-80s pizza parlor style featuring simple one-color designs on white backgrounds for the primary sweater. Other concepts were later repurposed for limited merchandise releases.
Illustration Process
All illustrations were created using a hybrid digital approach, beginning with hand-drawn artwork in Procreate on iPad before vectorizing in Adobe Illustrator using the image trace function. This ensured designs could be scaled to any size for various applications from social media graphics to large trade show displays.
The creative process involved extensive collaboration with Banza's owner and marketing team through multiple feedback rounds. We worked through trial and error to determine which concepts aligned with their brand vision while maintaining flexibility to adapt based on practical considerations like printing costs and production timelines.
Mockups
Our mockup process used one standard sweater template in Photoshop to visualize all design concepts, even though final products would span multiple apparel types.
I imported finished vector designs from Illustrator into our established mockup file, which allowed experimentation with different textile colors, patterns, and design placements without needing multiple product-specific templates.
This efficient system enabled rapid iteration through design concepts and maintained consistency in presentations throughout the project timeline.
Project Limitations
Budget constraints increasingly influenced the creative direction as the project progressed, leading to a gradual scaling back from elaborate initial concepts to more cost-effective solutions. Most items would be given away at trade shows, which drove the need for budget-friendly options.
This resulted in extensive revisions and numerous illustrations being created but not produced. However, the limitations ultimately strengthened final designs by forcing us to distill concepts to their most essential elements.
Interestingly, when unused designs were leaked online, customer demand prompted Banza to later produce previously shelved concepts as limited releases, proving their market appeal.
Mockups
Our mockup process used one standard sweater template in Photoshop to visualize all design concepts, even though final products would span multiple apparel types.
I imported finished vector designs from Illustrator into our established mockup file, which allowed experimentation with different textile colors, patterns, and design placements without needing multiple product-specific templates.
This efficient system enabled rapid iteration through design concepts and maintained consistency in presentations throughout the project timeline.
Project Limitations
Budget constraints increasingly influenced the creative direction as the project progressed, leading to a gradual scaling back from elaborate initial concepts to more cost-effective solutions. Most items would be given away at trade shows, which drove the need for budget-friendly options.
This resulted in extensive revisions and numerous illustrations being created but not produced. However, the limitations ultimately strengthened final designs by forcing us to distill concepts to their most essential elements.
Interestingly, when unused designs were leaked online, customer demand prompted Banza to later produce previously shelved concepts as limited releases, proving their market appeal.
Banza Waffle Release
In 2023, Banza launched chickpea-based protein waffles, introducing the first waffles made with chickpeas as the primary ingredient to the gluten-free market.
Available in homestyle, chocolate chip, and blueberry flavors, these waffles contain 10 grams of protein per serving—2.5 times more than leading brands—plus three times more fiber and 35% fewer net carbohydrates.
This launch marked Banza's strategic expansion from pasta into the breakfast market, developed over a year to achieve the right crispy, fluffy texture while maintaining their ingredient and nutrition standards.
New Market
Entering the competitive breakfast market required Banza to adapt their brand identity while maintaining consistency across new touchpoints including social media, packaging, and merchandise.
While a specialized agency handled primary branding and packaging design, I provided consulting services including minor packaging tweaks before launch, social media content consultation, and merchandise design development.
This collaborative approach ensured the waffle line felt like a natural extension of the Banza brand rather than a disconnected venture. By leveraging specialized expertise while maintaining creative consistency through continued involvement in key visual elements, we created a cohesive brand expansion.
Banza Waffle Release
In 2023, Banza launched chickpea-based protein waffles, introducing the first waffles made with chickpeas as the primary ingredient to the gluten-free market.
Available in homestyle, chocolate chip, and blueberry flavors, these waffles contain 10 grams of protein per serving—2.5 times more than leading brands—plus three times more fiber and 35% fewer net carbohydrates.
This launch marked Banza's strategic expansion from pasta into the breakfast market, developed over a year to achieve the right crispy, fluffy texture while maintaining their ingredient and nutrition standards.
New Market
Entering the competitive breakfast market required Banza to adapt their brand identity while maintaining consistency across new touchpoints including social media, packaging, and merchandise.
While a specialized agency handled primary branding and packaging design, I provided consulting services including minor packaging tweaks before launch, social media content consultation, and merchandise design development.
This collaborative approach ensured the waffle line felt like a natural extension of the Banza brand rather than a disconnected venture. By leveraging specialized expertise while maintaining creative consistency through continued involvement in key visual elements, we created a cohesive brand expansion.
Waffle Swag Release
Following the waffle launch, Banza decided to create a PR-focused merchandise release using tote bags as the primary vehicle. I collaborated with the marketing team to develop old-school diner-themed illustrations drawing inspiration from 1980s-90s diners and Waffle House aesthetics, using Banza's signature orange color.
The creative process resulted in four original illustrations capturing retro diner atmosphere while maintaining contemporary brand identity. This provided versatile design assets for online sales and trade show distribution across multiple merchandise applications.
Tote Bags
The tote bag designs evolved from elaborate diner illustrations toward a refined, brand-focused approach incorporating Banza's waffle pattern from packaging and delivery boxes.
I developed three concepts: a "Hot and Fluffy" design with minimalist patterns, an old-school breakfast menu with checkered background, and an artistic grid showcasing waffle toppings like peanut butter, maple syrup, strawberries, and blueberries.
Banza ultimately produced two designs—the "Hot and Fluffy" minimalist approach and the old-school diner menu—both balancing brand recognition with broad consumer appeal while serving as effective conversation starters.
Waffle Swag Release
Following the waffle launch, Banza decided to create a PR-focused merchandise release using tote bags as the primary vehicle. I collaborated with the marketing team to develop old-school diner-themed illustrations drawing inspiration from 1980s-90s diners and Waffle House aesthetics, using Banza's signature orange color.
The creative process resulted in four original illustrations capturing retro diner atmosphere while maintaining contemporary brand identity. This provided versatile design assets for online sales and trade show distribution across multiple merchandise applications.
Tote Bags
The tote bag designs evolved from elaborate diner illustrations toward a refined, brand-focused approach incorporating Banza's waffle pattern from packaging and delivery boxes.
I developed three concepts: a "Hot and Fluffy" design with minimalist patterns, an old-school breakfast menu with checkered background, and an artistic grid showcasing waffle toppings like peanut butter, maple syrup, strawberries, and blueberries.
Banza ultimately produced two designs—the "Hot and Fluffy" minimalist approach and the old-school diner menu—both balancing brand recognition with broad consumer appeal while serving as effective conversation starters.
Solution:
My partnership with Banza successfully addressed their need for distinctive brand presence in competitive trade show environments and social media spaces through strategic merchandise design that sparked conversations and drove engagement.
By creating over 30 illustrations across two major product launches, I helped establish a cohesive visual identity that extended Banza's brand beyond traditional marketing channels into wearable, shareable conversation pieces.
The solution combined controversial pizza team concepts and nostalgic diner aesthetics with Banza's existing brand elements, resulting in merchandise that not only served promotional purposes but became collectible items with genuine market value.
The tote bags' transformation into $100 eBay collectibles and their visibility in everyday settings like NYC grocery stores demonstrated the solution's effectiveness in creating lasting brand ambassadors that continued marketing Banza long after the initial campaign ended.
Reflections:
• Simple concepts often perform best - The most successful designs were the streamlined, one-color illustrations rather than the complex multi-element concepts we initially explored
• Brand consistency across product launches - Working on both pizza and waffle campaigns reinforced how maintaining visual cohesion while adapting to new product categories strengthens overall brand recognition
• Collaborative iteration improves outcomes - The extensive back-and-forth process with Banza's team, while sometimes challenging, ultimately resulted in stronger designs that better served their marketing objectives
• Unexpected viral success - The tote bags becoming collectors' items highlighted how well-designed merchandise can transcend its original promotional purpose and create genuine cultural impact
• Trade show marketing effectiveness - Seeing people actually use and display the merchandise in real-world settings validated the strategy of creating conversation-starting designs for brand awareness
Solution:
My partnership with Banza successfully addressed their need for distinctive brand presence in competitive trade show environments and social media spaces through strategic merchandise design that sparked conversations and drove engagement.
By creating over 30 illustrations across two major product launches, I helped establish a cohesive visual identity that extended Banza's brand beyond traditional marketing channels into wearable, shareable conversation pieces.
The solution combined controversial pizza team concepts and nostalgic diner aesthetics with Banza's existing brand elements, resulting in merchandise that not only served promotional purposes but became collectible items with genuine market value.
The tote bags' transformation into $100 eBay collectibles and their visibility in everyday settings like NYC grocery stores demonstrated the solution's effectiveness in creating lasting brand ambassadors that continued marketing Banza long after the initial campaign ended.
Reflections:
• Simple concepts often perform best - The most successful designs were the streamlined, one-color illustrations rather than the complex multi-element concepts we initially explored
• Brand consistency across product launches - Working on both pizza and waffle campaigns reinforced how maintaining visual cohesion while adapting to new product categories strengthens overall brand recognition
• Collaborative iteration improves outcomes - The extensive back-and-forth process with Banza's team, while sometimes challenging, ultimately resulted in stronger designs that better served their marketing objectives
• Unexpected viral success - The tote bags becoming collectors' items highlighted how well-designed merchandise can transcend its original promotional purpose and create genuine cultural impact
• Trade show marketing effectiveness - Seeing people actually use and display the merchandise in real-world settings validated the strategy of creating conversation-starting designs for brand awareness
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