CANNES DESIGN LION 2024

Many believe that gluten-free food tastes like cardboard, so our idea was to challenge these misconceptions by using cardboard as a visual metaphor. We wanted to dispel the myth that gluten-free food tastes like cardboard, by creating a cake that looked like cardboard, but tasted like...cake. And in doing so raise awareness of Coeliac Disease, which is rapidly rising globally. We set out to make gluten-free food sceptics quite literally eat their words and leave Australians in no doubt that you can be coeliac and enjoy your food.

We set out to publicly bust the “Tastes like Cardboard” myth by creating and launching a cake that looks like cardboard but tastes delicious. Coeliac Disease has been steadily rising across the globe over the past decade, with a notable increase of more than 7%. Despite this growing prevalence, a significant number of individuals remain undiagnosed, leaving many to suffer in silence. For those who are aware of their condition, the experience can often feel like a lifetime sentence to consuming bland, unappetising food. This is further compounded by the persistent myth that gluten-free products are tasteless, often compared to cardboard in both texture and flavour.  We wanted to dispel this myth, and shine a light on this issue in a way that would get people talking, tasting, and trying Gluten-free food. The CTA was simply to taste the cake and provide their feedback on social media.