Packaged to sell

Q: What looks great, is a stellar performer and communicates its message superbly?
A: Every single one of the winners in our 2014 Store Brand Packaging Awards competition!

Dozens of retailers and packaging design firms submitted a total of more than 100 entries into Store Brands’ third annual packaging competition. We then divided the entries into four categories: Beverages, Refrigerated and Frozen Foods, Shelf-Stable Foods and Non-Foods. Product lines or line extensions that crossed more than one of these categories were separated into a fifth category.

Onboard to judge those entries back in April — according to overall appearance, functionality and communication of the product message — were a group of editors with a wealth of experience researching and reporting on packaging and packaging design trends, best practices and more.

We asked the judges to select one Gold award winner and one Silver award winner for each category, as well as one package that deserved to be crowned the “Best of the Bunch” overall. Ultimately, they ended up proclaiming it a tie for Gold or Silver in a couple of categories — and deemed no package worthy of Silver honors in two of the categories.

BEST OF THE BUNCH

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Over the Top baking and decorating supplies
Retail company: Topco Associates LLC (cooperative), Elk Grove Village, Ill.
Design company: Topco Associates LLC

THE JUDGES WEIGH IN:

Jennifer Acevedo: I really like the fact that they really established a brand across a number of different SKUs or types of products, which is not an easy thing to do. I think the design of the logo and some of the graphic design kind of lends itself to that retro or nostalgic look. To me, it really communicates the idea of celebration, of fun. The color palette is the same; you’ve got nice pastels and bright, strong colors that just make it look like a party.

Linda Casey: The packaging really talks to the experience. And when I look at the line, especially the cake mix packaging, I can see myself baking that cake and really enjoying it. It also, I think, ties into this desire to go back to a simpler time with some of those retro graphics. Thinking about the fifties, thinking about those homemade cakes — right now people are enjoying everything from heritage bicycles to baking cakes. ... I also like the logo being the round cake.

Lisa Pierce: I think they’ve done a good job with the color management — especially the blue up at the top, where it’s printed on so many different types of substrates. And keeping a similar color across all those substrates, which is pretty remarkable for what I’m assuming is a bargain brand.

Pan Demetrakakes: I like the concept because, with the exception of the cake mixes and I guess the cupcake cups, just about everything there is for topping a cake. And that’s a very cute concept; the name “Over the Top” captures that perfectly. And like everyone else, I like the logo; I like how it unifies the very disparate product line and different shapes. I like the overall color scheme, the bright colors, and in terms of specific packages, I like the six-compartment sprinkle jars and the stage-type presentation for the candles that spell out “happy birthday.”

BEVERAGES

GOLD AWARD

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Flirty Bird Wines
Retail company: ALDI Inc., Batavia, Ill.
Design company: Prestige Wine Group, St. Paul, Minn.

THE JUDGES WEIGH IN:

Casey: I didn’t believe this was from ALDI. … When I think ALDI, I think of an older consumer. This is young; this is fresh. Everything from the type choice to branding is fun, and it definitely does say premium in the minimalism of the design. Jennifer also pointed out that it’s great for the younger consumer because it actually has a description of the wine — style, taste notes, etc. — and that would be great for a young consumer who might not be well-versed in the different kinds of wine and how to pair them. And this is just an amazing package to me. Well done to ALDI.

Acevedo: I would agree. It’s a very cohesive package, from the color selection to the naming of the product to the overall design, it’s just really well executed. They dotted all of their i’s and crossed all of their t’s.

Pierce: What I liked about this is even though the colors seemed to be a little bit avant-garde for this particular category — for wine — for the younger consumer, that actually will be a benefit. It’s going to attract the younger consumer, which is what I believe they are going after in this case. I also love the color schemes that they are using, where the neck label or cap or whatever you want to call it is pulling in the color from the logo, and that they do change up the color of the logo depending on the varietal of the wine. The other thing that I like about it is that bird is flirty. I mean look at her; she’s wearing shoes and pearls.

Demetrakakes: This does seem to fit in very well with, I don’t know how to describe it, but there is a type of wine that’s being marketed to millennials that has almost that cartoonish-type character and logo on it. Yellow Tail. And what you have to know about ALDI is that they don’t have [many] national brands, so when they do something like this, it’s got to stand on its own two legs, and really take the place of the types of national brands you’d find in the liquor store, and I think it does that really well.
 

SILVER AWARD

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Western Family Mocktails
Retail company: Overwaitea Food Group, Langley, British Columbia
Design company: RKW Communications Inc., Delta, British Columbia

THE JUDGES WEIGH IN:

Demetrakakes: I like the idea of the four cans in the paperboard carton. I like the color scheme, especially where the top panel is the dominant color and then gets picked up on the sides. And then they were able to go to that nice black background, which looks very elegant. Other than that, the design is very good. I like the jaunty angle of the can, and it just looks very appealing. I also like that they didn’t go too nuts with the primary packaging, the can. I think that it’s just very simple and elegant. Obviously, they didn’t need to work with the primary package for consumer impact, so they were able to just tone it down a little.

Acevedo: I like the clean design. I like the way that it’s organized as far as the different varieties of product. I really like the color blocking. I think that draws a lot of attention to the line. And it obviously helps identify which flavor you happen to be choosing. The slim cans are cool. I can definitely see this appealing to that 20-something kind of market. Nice use of product photography; the can shot is really nice; it’s beautiful.

Casey: Something we’re seeing throughout all of the packaging is the ingredients, in the photography as well. Not only telling people what the flavor is through the words, but also showing the pictures to help people imagine the flavors. The color block is even tied in with the flavors.

REFRIGERATED AND FROZEN FOODS

GOLD AWARD

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Primo Taglio Meat and Cheese Line (Redesign)
Retail company: Safeway Inc., Pleasanton, Calif.
Design company: Sterling Becker, San Francisco

THE JUDGES WEIGH IN:

Casey: It’s just absolutely gorgeous — everything from the color scheme to execution. We’ve seen this in some of the other packaging with the experiential type of photography. It’s got a picture of someone doing something with the meats and actually something being freshly cut, and just really makes it seem premium — something you would get from behind the [deli] counter vs. in front of the deli counter. … We’ve seen a lot of black for premium throughout all of these lines, but something that’s fairly new for premium is this gold. … I really thought this was fresh and new because it really touched on that use of gold as premium.

Acevedo: I really like the use of black-and-white photography here. It really goes back to that time when things were simpler, when you went to your local grocer and he cut it himself — nothing automated, everything done by hand. ... I think the typography is beautiful. Everything is super simple; everything is there for a reason, which I really like. I don’t know if that’s a new logo for them, but the logo is just beautifully done. … Obviously, all of the packaging really showcases the product, makes the product the star. I really like how they have the pronunciation of the [brand] name there, too.

Demetrakakes: The only thing I’ll add is that the retro touch, by which I mean the black-and-white photography and the somewhat art deco-ish design of the seal, is very nice because they are trying to, as Jen mentioned, call to mind the olden days when the grocer sliced everything for you. So those are very subtle reinforcing touches, but very effective ones.

Pierce: I think this is the ultimate of the heritage design, with a very contemporary upscale design for a modern customer. … It is very inviting and easy to navigate because of the clean typography, as well as the size of the product name. Makes it very easy to shop. And what I would imagine is that the design really communicates a premium product, and yet what I know from experience that these are usually the best-priced items there, which makes the shopper feel like they got a real value. … I really like the contrast of the round logo with the rest of the label, which is really very horizontal, including the horizontal bar that’s there.

SILVER AWARD (TIE)

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Sensations by Compliments Stuffed Burgers
Retail company: Sobeys Inc., Stellarton, Nova Scotia
Design company: Fish Out of Water Design Inc., Toronto

Demetrakakes: The best product photography I’ve seen in years. I just want to grab that burger off the box and shove it in my face with both hands. That’s pretty much it.

Pierce: I agree with the stunning photography. But they also have done a very good job in having it be multilingual without having the package, especially the front of the package, be too busy. Still keeping the product as the star, which we’ve talked about in some of the other entries we’ve seen in the competition this year. And the variety that they have is quite impressive, too. In the photography, you can see how well and how unique the product is lit, where you’ve got a little bit of glow from behind.

Acevedo: I’ll third the comments about the product photography — it’s gorgeous; it invites you right in to the package and the product. The front panel is just super, super clean, and it’s dominated by what you’re looking for, which is a nice big, juicy stuffed burger that looks delicious. Everything is just nice and clean and well-organized.

Casey: It’s definitely restaurant quality. They put it on a bun even though it’s just a patty and included the checkered pattern behind to really emphasize that restaurant experience. They do a good job of providing a lot of information, as Lisa had said, on the pack with different languages, ingredients, as well as product photography.

SILVER AWARD (TIE)

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Kroger Hispanic Street Cuisine
Retail company: Kroger Co., Cincinnati
Design company: Brandimage, Cincinnati

THE JUDGES WEIGH IN:

Casey: I love this packaging. It speaks so well to its target market. … I think it really plays into a trend that millennials really enjoy right now — with food trucks and gourmet and bringing gourmet to you. So I really think that it works very well because the frozen food in this case actually brings the restaurant experience to your freezer. So that food truck is just a great image that resonates with the target audience. But then it also talks to some of the Gen-Xers, people in different generations, because it has the chalkboard, the restaurant chalkboard. … Usually on the chalkboard, it’s the specials, the things the chef loves. … To me, each package says “I’m special.”

Acevedo: I think the food truck image says “special” or “gourmet “or “a little bit off the beaten track.” I think it’s obviously going to appeal to millennials, who like to try new things, different ethnicities. The bright pink and the teal, you don’t necessarily see in the category, but they are very effective. … My only objection is that [the] Kroger logo just does not go with the overall design.

Demetrakakes: I really like the whole blackboard motif; the whole front panel of the package is a blackboard. It’s obviously supported with the typography and the graphics. The product shots are not only gorgeous, they’re perfectly proportioned, and the identity of the product and the appeal are made instantly clear. A very well-executed package.

NON-FOODS

GOLD AWARD

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plnt herbal supplement line
Retail company: The Vitamin Shoppe, North Bergen, N.J.
Design company: The Vitamin Shoppe Creative Department

Pierce: One of the things that I love about this is that the brown color scheme is something very unique to this category, and it’s a little unusual for a store brand to develop what would be considered an ownable color. And they’ve done that.

Demetrakakes: The color scheme is excellent, and so are the graphics. What I really like is the around-the-corner nature of the graphics, where they have the root or the plant the product is based on. … It leads shoppers around to the description of what it is and what it’s supposed to do, which is important because a lot of people don’t really know much about dietary supplements.

Acevedo: I agree on the color. I think brown is a great color, as well as the accent colors — they use the yellows, the greens. I think you see this product scheme more so with natural products, but I love the fact that they adopted it here for what essentially is a natural product supplement. You’re not going to see that type of design traditionally in the supplement category. You tend to see the more medicinal type of look. This is something that’s really experiential; I think it’s more accessible where people really get more of an understanding of what’s in there, what’s it’s for, that type of stuff. I love their logo; I think it’s beautifully simple. I love the product photography and how it does bleed around the edge. They carried [the design] through to the bottles and created a nice cohesive system between the outer package and the primary package.

Casey: I love how accessible it looks. For this particular retailer, it’s more of a consultative sale. And so many of the vitamins/supplements have this clinical look. … At Vitamin Shoppe, you’re going to walk in and have a consultant who’s going to help you choose the nutritional supplements that you need or you want. You don’t need to sell it so strongly with strong iconography on benefits or really huge benefit typography that just takes over the front panel. They have that — if you don’t have a consultant — on the side panel, but it’s not shouting from the front panel. I think that’s really wonderful because it takes into consideration in the design the environment in which the product is to be sold.
 

SILVER AWARD

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PAWS Premium pet care line
Retail company: Topco Associates LLC (cooperative), Elk Grove Village, Ill.
Design company: Topco Associates LLC

THE JUDGES WEIGH IN:

Demetrakakes: There are different things that I like about different products. One is that the kid and the kitten — and this might be a cliché, but as the other judges pointed out and I kind of missed the first time around, that’s a drawing, not a picture — is just very well-executed. It’s got just the right level of detail, but it also has a certain level of whimsy, which is appealing. As for the chew toys, I like how they let the product sell itself, and I like how they pair it up with catnip and the toy in one particular product.

Casey: The logo lockup is stellar. The choice of type is fun; it’s very whimsical. As a pet owner, I think there’s nothing cuter than my pets’ paws … so the idea of the paw print is just such an emotional thing for so many pet owners. It just really plays on the emotions of the prospective buyer. And then to have this beautiful lockup with the bowtie in the back — we’ve seen a lot of heritage elements with the illustrations and the bowtie, and they really do bring us to a simpler time.

Acevedo: I think the first thing that drew me in was actually the kind of photo-quality illustrations. ... I agree that the whole system is fun; it tells me quality, which is one of the things I want to know as a pet owner going into a store — “Am I compromising on quality?” This tells me, “You’re absolutely not.” The illustration shows me just the amount of effort that was put into the packaging, ... I like how they united the cat and the dog with the sense of PAWS, because you don’t always see cat and dog items marketed under the same branding. The color is just awesome. I think it’s a very different palette than you would normally see in the category. It just looks like a brand.

Pierce: The only thing that I would add to that is I think the logo is so well done, and the way they’ve used it as more of a graphic element throughout their packaging rather than just a logo really works well for the packaging design, as well as for the brand awareness.

SHELF-STABLE FOODS

GOLD AWARD (TIE)

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Western Family Premium Tortilla Chips
Retail company: Overwaitea Food Group, Langley, British Columbia
Design company: RKW Communications Inc., Delta, British Columbia

THE JUDGES WEIGH IN:

Pierce: I like the hierarchy of the design, where they have the solid color at the top with the flavor reversed out of it in a very unique font. The other thing that I like about it is that the graphics are showing both the ingredients, which shows the quality of the ingredients, as well as an illustration of the actual product that’s inside so the consumer knows what to expect when she opens the bag. And then the final thing that I like about it is the matte finish, which feels very premium and just adds to the whole sensation of enjoying this product.

Demetrakakes: I agree with most of what Lisa said. The thing that drew my eye was the presentation of the ingredients on top, and that’s especially because some of them are unusual — black bean, quinoa, agave with cinnamon and sweet potato. These are highly distinct flavors; it’s very good that the package gets that right in the shopper’s face with that dominant image.

Acevedo: The color palette that they selected really ties in with the exotic feel of the ingredients.

Casey: I agree with Jennifer. The color palette does tie in with the ingredients, and definitely the hierarchy with the flavors is wonderful. And the colors all go well together. Definitely distinctive colors for distinctive flavors.

GOLD AWARD (TIE)

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Brookshire’s Reserve Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Retail company: Brookshire Grocery Co., Tyler, Texas
Design company: Galileo Global Branding Group, Stamford, Conn.

THE JUDGES WEIGH IN:

Casey: The execution’s gorgeous. Everything from the bottle shape, the structure — love the square bottle. The dark-colored glass immediately says to the consumer “premium.” It tells you it’s a premium product that they’re spending the money to protect. Ingredient photography is present here with the olives, which are then bathed in the olive oil to make this gorgeous-looking photo; it’s very high-end, very appetizing, against a gorgeous background. … It really brings the experience in, and the color palette is amazing, taking the green from the olives and not using one green, but two, to really emphasize that extra virgin with the lighter color — it’s new — and then bringing the olive oil in in the darker color.

Acevedo: The logo works really well. And that’s something I’ve really noticed with entries this year is that sometimes the logo is a disconnect with the rest of the package. Here, they really made a point to make a nice holistic design where every component of the design actually contributes to the final picture.

Pierce: I do think that it is very high-end photography.

LINE OR LINE EXTENSION ACROSS MORE THAN ONE CATEGORY

GOLD AWARD

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Roundy’s Select product line
Retail company: Roundy’s Inc., Milwaukee
Design company: Equator Design, Batavia, Ill.

THE JUDGES WEIGH IN:

Pierce: I like the way that throughout the line they’re able to pull in the silver accent. As well as on the premium coffee — instead of just the silver accent, silver is the main background for the coffee bags. But I also do like the mix of matte and gloss for the bags, and just the quality of the photography for the sleeves that they have — the sausage sleeves — the photography on that is really quite appetizing.

Demetrakakes: Like Lisa, I like the silver accents and the overall quality of the photography. I even like the gelato, which Jen didn’t. And the only other thing that I’d add is I think that Bob Mariano’s signature in the logo is a nice touch. It personalizes it a bit.

Acevedo: Even though there are lots of disparate products here — gelato, coffee, sausages — the system works really nicely together to unify the line, but there’s also enough distinction between each of the products. … I just think they did a really nice job of that, with the exception of the gelato. … I think the experiential photography on these — where you get the sense of like the dew in the morning, the hazelnuts, the nice big hot cup of coffee — kind of ties everything together.

Casey: I love the packaging for the [K-Cup Packs equivalents]. The black is premium, and the signature, again, is very prominent. It definitely says premium coffee, convenience; it helps you distinguish which coffee you would like by having the strength indicator on the bottom. If you’re going through an aisle and see this selection of coffee on the shelf, you’d be able to pick out the coffee you want within 10 or 20 seconds. SB