Hassani Design BV is a design studio based in Maastricht (The Netherlands) managed by the Hassani Brothers Mahmud and Massoud Hassani. In this holding you can find two main companies:
Mine Kafon Lab: an innovative engineering company that provides a landmine detection system with mapping drones.
Silk Cooking: A cooking brand that wants to reflect Afghan gastronomy's passion through the mix of tradition and innovation.
My responsibilities within the studio were mostly around creating and managing the Silk Cooking brand, besides creating a concept and art direction of the main product, their cooking book Saphar written by Parwim Zamani, mother of the Hassani brothers.
Silk Cooking
The brand aimed to blend tradition with innovation, and my role was to bring that vision to life, building on an idea initially crafted by our design director. He had developed a kitchenware line called *Silk Cooking*, a modern reinterpretation of traditional Afghan kitchen tools with a refined, contemporary twist. The art direction for this collection was intentionally designed to be minimalistic, bold, and graphically striking, capturing the essence of both cultural heritage and modern design aesthetics.
The Logo
For our logo, we envision a versatile design that can serve multiple purposes: it should work effectively as a stamp for printed materials, as well as a sticker, label, and digital icon. To create a strong brand identifier, we chose one of the key items from the kitchenware collection as inspiration for the logo's imagery, paired with a name that connects both the featured product and the broader range of items within the brand. The brand name, *Silk Cooking*, is inspired by the historic Silk Road, infusing the concept with a sense of heritage and exploration. This idea will also provide a rich, evocative foundation for the art direction of the accompanying product book.
The book
The book follows a storytelling format, recounting the journey of Parwin Zamani as she travels across Afghanistan. Each chapter showcases a distinct set of recipes that capture the essence of a particular region. Inspired by Parwin’s immersive experiences in every part of the country, the book’s concept unites these diverse regions into a cohesive narrative, with each chapter reflecting a unique style yet tied together by "a silk thread." This unifying theme creates a cohesive, autobiographical work that weaves personal insight with cultural richness into one seamless journey.
The thread that links the content guides the reader through Parwin's tales, echoing themes of silk, the Silk Route, and her transformative journey. This unifying element creates a seamless narrative flow, allowing readers to experience Parwin's travels and the cultural depth of each region as part of an interconnected story.
Additionally, we implemented a classification system for each recipe, designed to accommodate various dietary needs, allergies, ingredient familiarity, and personal preferences. This system ensures that readers can easily choose and prepare recipes that suit their tastes and dietary requirements, making the book a versatile and user-friendly resource for home cooking.
The Website
The website was built from scratch on Shopify to provide an intuitive, accessible platform where visitors can discover the complete story behind the book and fully understand its essence. Over the years, the site has evolved as the project has progressed. Here, you’ll see its current design, while this deck includes images showcasing how it appeared in earlier stages.
