ÂLÂ is an awarded rebranding of pişmaniye, a traditional Turkish sweet from İzmit, made by hand through a slow craft of pulling sugar into fine threads. The making is delicate and artisanal. The way it reached people was not. Most pişmaniye was sold in bulky plastic boxes along highways and tourist stops, treated like a cheap souvenir instead of the crafted delicacy it is. ÂLÂ started from that gap, between the care in the making and the carelessness in how it was presented.
Reframing the product
This awarded rebranding did not set out to redesign a box. I set out to move pişmaniye from cheap roadside souvenir to something people would treat as a gift worth keeping. Once the product became a gift and not a snack, every decision after it, the format, the material, the visual language, the name, had to carry that idea.
The keepsake decision
The most important decision was the container. I chose metal, for a reason that goes beyond looks. A gift is remembered. Pişmaniye gets eaten and finished, but the box stays. A metal container does not get thrown away. It stays in a home, reused as storage, quietly reminding people of the gift long after the sweet is gone. The product ends, but the object keeps the connection alive.
Material and sustainability
To lift pişmaniye from cheap to collectible, the materials had to feel honest and considered. I rejected the plastics and glossy coatings common in the local sweets market, the very things that made it look mass-market. Instead I worked with durable metal, matte textures, and embossed details. Matte and embossed surfaces cost more than glossy plastic, but they carry weight and craft, and they match the care that goes into making the sweet itself. The metal container is compact, stackable, and durable, so it ships and gives well, and it reduces the need for disposable packaging. Even after the sweet is gone, the box lives on.
Rooting the brand in İzmit
Pişmaniye belongs to İzmit, so the brand had to belong there too. I visited local producers to understand the craft first-hand, then looked to the city itself for the visual language. The patterns and structure draw from old İzmit houses, the ornaments of its train station, and Ottoman tile designs, so the packaging carries where the product actually comes from. Rooting the brand in İzmit’s heritage also connects it to the idea of geographical indication, treating local identity as a real brand asset.
The name
The brand name ÂLÂ comes from an old Turkish word meaning exquisite or elegant, chosen to reflect both the delicate nature of the product and its new position. It is a clear break from generic tourist branding, and it signals value and care from the first word. The collections are named after important places in İzmit, Humayun, Fevziye, Kapanca and Canfeda, so the brand carries its origin down to the smallest details.
Designing for the gift
The format followed the same thinking. I broke pişmaniye into bite-sized pieces offered in two-piece and four-piece sets, small and considered, made for gifting instead of bulk. The redesigned product invites more intimate moments, a tea break, a dinner party, a boutique gift, instead of a roadside snack. The opening and sharing became part of the design itself.
Outcome and recognition
This awarded rebranding turns a humble, undervalued sweet into a collectible gift anchored in its culture. The packaging keeps serving long after the sweet is gone, staying with people as both a memory and a useful object.
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🏅 National Student Packaging Design Competition – by Ambalaj Sanayicileri Derneği (ASD), 2012
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🏅 WorldStar Student Award – by World Packaging Organization (WPO), 2012
This is the same way I work across every project, taking a product and building the whole world around it, from material to name to the object people keep.
Read the full design story and making process on Behance
Discover other circular design projects by Sinem Hallı.
Designed under Sinem Halli Design Lab