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PR O D U C T Heinz Salad Cream
DE S I G N F I R M Cowan London
LO C AT I O N London, England
CL I E N T Heinz
B E
Ah, the cumbersome, unwieldy Heinz keystone—bravo to Cowan for managing to shake
it up. They’ve given it relevance, an idea, and a welcome lift with this emotive take on a
summer’s day picnic. The green is perfect as the grassy backdrop—the core subrand
color—and it feels fresh and tasty. The care and consideration that have gone into setting
the scene—even down to having a deck chair for the ultra-light versus a heavy wooden
chair for the core—all come together to create a considered and very English design.
M K
A prime example of how consumers interpret packaging designs based on their cultural
backgrounds and why it is imperative for designers and clients to understand that not
every product—or its corresponding design—translates globally. Although this design
is beguiling in the American retail environment (in which I did see it on the shelf in the
international section), it is primarily because the pastel colors so completely break the
shelf set of typical category color cues. Nonetheless, this is a charming design concept
that clearly speaks to a culturally infused brand. With a focus on the details (I especially
like the wrinkles in the blanket/label), the effect is one that smartly positions the product
as central to a lifestyle experience.
R W
Talk about refreshing an iconic brand! This identity absolutely owns a distinct “sense
of place.” The sun-drenched color palette and top-down photo perspective invite the
consumer into this summer afternoon picnic, an invitation that I imagine would work all
year long. What attracts me most about this identity is how well the Heinz logo and its
signature “keystone” icon work—a strong brand badge that lives in concert with the rest of
the identity’s light, airy freshness. The neck label says it all: pourable sunshine, indeed.
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food
PR O D U C T Dorset Cereal
DE S I G N F I R M Big Fish Design Limited
LO C AT IO N London, England
CL I E N T Dorset Cereal
B E
These were the first packs of cereals in the UK to really
break the category expectations, with their natural,
uncoated stock, die-cutting, and foiling on the logo. You
can’t actually see them from this image, but there are about
six different variants, all with a natural, autumnal palette,
that look really stunning together. The rustic simplicity fits
perfectly with the product; the simple leaf die cut shows the
muesli, so no forced photography is necessary. The silver
foiling obviously adds premium, but the simple, considered
type makes this feel fresh and different.
M K
I agree. The die cut and the matte finish set a nice tone to
this original approach. I also like the flush-left layout of
the text and its positioning on the bottom half of the pack.
Lovely use of scale and color to bring the viewer down
through the design.
S W
The leaf-shaped, die-cut windows work extremely well to
reveal the product. The product manages to balance the
line between communicating a natural, healthy, product in
a modern aesthetic and not going too earthy. Normally, I’m
not fond of the corner violators, but this bright, reddish-
orange one balances the design nicely. Nice choice of type
font—a thin, modern serif.
PR O D U C T Trident Sweet Kicks
DE S I G N F I R M Coley Porter Bell
LO C AT I O N London, England
CL I E N T Cadbury
M K
With the wide appeal of ‘60s design, these lips, the
small pinup-girl silhouettes, and the flavorfully fluid
background not only communicate a pop aesthetic but
are seductive and mood-setting. I like that the Trident
identity just so slightly breaks out of the boundaries of the
lips as it subconsciously communicates a real mouthful
experience. Notice how the lyrical background imagery,
particularly the white highlights, nicely flows the attention
around the PDP to focus on the brand. Definitely a
fashionable design statement.
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B E
These work really well together, mimicking a stack of
presents in a simple, graphic, decorative style. The logo
itself doesn’t do it for me, but the solid matte finish and the
colorful patterns are certainly alluring.
R W
What a departure from the “everyday”! Nothing new here
with the brand mark or flavor communication. In fact, much
more could have been made of these elements. Still, the
wallpaper textures and vibrant colors are a delight. Big
brands might shoot this design system down for its lack of
“shopability”—it’s impossible to differentiate flavors—but
after consumers engage this system for the first time,
they may be drawn back to the colors and patterns of their
favorite flavor.
S W
The design strength of these chocolate bars is really how
they look as a group. I want to pick them up and own these
lush colors as an object. But that’s where the design starts
to fall apart. The logo (which could use an update) seems
smashed into position. The ovals don’t relate well in size
or shape to the overall package, and I’m not sure what the
highlight (?) line on the left side of the oval represents.
Individually, the patterns aren’t that special, but as a group,
they’re beautiful.
PR O D U C T Everyday Truffle Bars
DE S I G N F I R M Bungalow Creative
LO C AT I O N Kansas City, MO
CL I E N T Seattle Chocolate Company
PR O D U C T Lake Champlain Chocolates - Holiday
DE S I G N F I R M Optima Soulsight
LO C AT I O N Highland Park, IL
CL I E N T Lake Champlain Chocolates
R W
OK, now I’m back to the brand’s essence. Turning down
the volume on the color palette and warming up the
illustrations immediately strikes a better balance with the
brand. The unusual shapes and painted illustrations carry
the festive message and better reflect the chocolate-eating
experience. Here is a lovely example of the proper balance
between brand authenticity and holiday sparkle. But
where’s the brand block? We are back to a floating logo in a
different staging area, and this erodes brand consistency.
S W
I was immediately attracted to the color palette—it’s bright,
but just off enough to make it interesting—of course I
always love chocolate brown for chocolate packaging. There
is a nice retro style to the illustration, reminiscent of the
days when visiting a good department store was an event
and was treated as such. It feels special and worthy of gift
giving. It doesn’t bother me that, on this special-occasion
package, the brand block isn’t consistent or prominent—I
think it’s appropriately sized for a gift item.
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PR O D U C T Plum Organics Frozen Baby Food Product Family
DE S I G N F I R M Brand Engine
LO C AT I O N Sausalito, CA
CL I E N T Plum Organics
B E
This pulls on all the maternal strings—an adorable baby ambling towards a
tasty, simple-looking product on an unfussy, modern utensil, combined with
a charmingly playful logo that says “healthy” and “handmade”—bingo. The
head shot of a spoon is a lovely touch, and overall it has a clean, cute, strik-
ingly modern feel.
M K
At first glance, I find the white somewhat contradictory for a baby food
product (have you ever seen babies eat?) but then the purity grows on me.
The brand identity’s top-left positioning introduces this friendly line. The un-
derstated color-coding system keeps the focus on the full-color product. The
beauty in this design is that an absolutely ordinary object, presented simply,
becomes the most beautiful detail.
R W
How can you not fall in love with this identity? Organized, efficient, effec-
tive, and absolutely adorable. There is little appetite appeal inherent in the
product itself, but I love how it is presented, on a spoon just about to go into
a baby’s mouth. The black-and-white baby photo is a smart, iconic way to
represent differing age ranges, and I love the side panels. Simply irresist-
ible!
S W
At first glance, this package didn’t excite me, but the large baby face on the
side sold me. They say babies sell products, and I guess they’re right. It
communicates “premium,” with its spare white background and controlled
food photography and silver spoon. I like that the crawling baby is different
on each package. It would be a plus if the baby were older for less-strained
varieties, as a cue to which food is appropriate at what age. There is some-
thing reminiscent of the Michael Graves for Target packaging.
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B E
Putting recipes on the ingredients is a great idea, and the
sans serif caps type looks modern and unfussed. I fi nd the
overall look a little sterile, a little cold, but the black-and-
white imagery helps to make it look upmarket, and they
all work brilliantly as a range that has to comprise a huge
number of products.
M K
These are a knockout, and they glisten on shelf. A clever
push-pull strategy that works with the design by providing
instructions on using the enclosed ingredient—an added
benefi t, since consumers tend to purchase based on the
recipe. The elements work: the light-color labels, readable
two-color design, text sized for hierarchy and readability,
the inset photos. The silver metal, foil, and clear plastic or
glass are particularly alluring.
PR O D U C T Tesco Ingredients
DE S I G N F I R M P&W
LO C AT IO N London, England
CL I E N T Tesco
R W
Here is another sans serif type–driven “brand story”
strategy. The sophisticated organization and black-and-
white imagery make this one stand out. The matte silver
and creamy paper stock echo a simple elegance, classic
and timeless. American retailers are catching up to this UK/
Euro retail brand design aesthetic. Major CPG’s will have
to embrace high-end design to justify their price premium
against store brands with a presence as lucid as this.
S W
I applaud the variety of expression in all of Tesco’s privately
branded products as well as the similarity in design
sophistication that holds the brand together. That is a
diffi cult balance that gives their brands room to grow and
evolve. The unique containers, type-heavy labels, and
monochromatic color scheme are rich and elegant, yet a bit
industrial. I fi nd the color of the toasted pine nuts hard to
see and out of place in the color palette.
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