HLS KITCHEN

HLS Kitchen is a fast-casual soul spot and smoothie bar serving up fresh, flavorful, healthy-ish bites in Maplewood, NJ. Comfort food made with whole ingredients, bold flavor, and zero apology.

The Opportunity
In 2023, HLS had been a Maplewood staple for years, beloved by a loyal following of neighbors who knew exactly what they were coming for. But the name HLS Juice Bar & Grill had served its purpose, and it no longer reflected what the kitchen had grown into.
Grilled chicken wraps, crispy sweet potato fries, Caribbean-inspired smoothies. The opportunity wasn't a reinvention. It was a clarification, positioning HLS as a place where eating well and eating deliciously aren't competing ideas.

The Strategy
The tagline, For the healthy-ish, landed that idea in four words. An invitation, not a prescription. From there, Wonder & Co. developed a full brand voice rooted in warmth, wit, and honesty.
On the design side, we matured the existing logo and rooted the identity in a primary black and white palette. Offset by a secondary palette drawn from the fruits and vegetables at the heart of the menu, the brand leaned bold without being loud.

The system extended into to-go packaging, exterior signage, and storefront visualizations, delivering a complete vision for how HLS could show up in the world, inside and out.