PERMEN ASÉM
• • •
Javanese tamarind candy (permen asem) is a widely known traditional candy from Central Java province of Indonesia. It is made of concentrated Javanese tamarind fruit, shaped into sugar coated small spheres. Because of its sweet and sour quality, people will go 'mésem' whenever they try to eat one. Mésem in traditional Javanese language means 'sour-faced'. Being sour-faced, people tend to curl their mouth, resembling a smiling face. Therefore MÉSEM was chosen as the new product name to show the unique quality of the candy in making people "smile".
The candy are mostly served as treat for guests visiting house in Javanese traditional custom. For that reason, the packaging design are shaped with skewed side to resemble the roof of traditional Javanese house. Driven from Javanese culture elegance, the elements found in Ganggong Paningrat batik are sectioned into different parts. When applied into the packaging design, it created a seamless system which make the packaging feels as a whole whenever put side by side.
