Enterprise Expansion
Respected Canadian favorite undergoes redesign and line expansion.
Canadian dark rum brand Lemon Hart recently underwent a complete redesign and brand expansion by Perry Visual Works Inc. (PVW [www.pvwdesign.ca]). After Mosaiq acquired the brand from Pernod Ricard, the challenge of creating a packaging design worthy of the brand’s rich history was enthusiastically approached.
Perry Diavatopoulos, principal, creative/design director at PVW explains prior to the design project, Lemon Hart was synonymous with the round red bell graphic on pack. One of the biggest questions to address approaching the redesign and brand expansion was, ‘How much equity is there on this round red bell?’ Diavatopoulos questioned, “Was it the red equity, or was it the shape?” After research and discussion with Mosaiq, Diavatopoulos determined “that it wasn’t the shape.” He adds, “It is proven that our brain will process color before it processes shape. So, if I were to put that diamond shape and the round shape both in red, you will see them as the same. The focus group qualified that assumption afterwards,”
The new two-part labels are now printed on a metallized silver substrate, pressure-sensitive, with eight to nine colors, including varnishes. Primary identifiers are embossed.
Challenged with creating a new architecture that could accommodate a line expansion, color selection and differentiation was imperative. A horizontal treatment was utilized, replacing the former red bell. “This horizontal treatment provided a more efficient way to deal with ongoing line extensions and at the same time provide a consistent branding platform for anything else that would be coming afterwards.” says Diavatopoulos.
The bottle structure changed to a stock pinched-neck classic rum or dark spirits bottle. PVW pursued a custom capsule design for the new line extension. Produced by Enocapsule (www.enocapsule.com), the custom capsule plays on the Lemon Hart signature, with a matte-and-gloss finish.
Double-digit Design
Cosmetic packaging specialist commemorates 10th anniversary with perfume launch.
In honor of its 10th anniversary, Quadpack (www.quadpack.com), has issued a limited-edition perfume, titled Wood. The package design’s directive embodies the idea that wood, used as a packaging component can add dignity to luxury brands.
The collaborative effort behind the Wood perfume development was made possible by Quadpack’s partnership with Premi Spa (www.premispa.com), designer and decorator of the bottle and pump; Technotraf (technotraf.com), manufacturer and designer of the inner and outer cap; GRC Parfume (www.grcparfum.it), perfume developer; and filling partner, Maxim (www.maxim-srl.com).
Wood was officially unveiled at LuxePack Monaco and is intended to be a special gift, bestowed to clients and partners. A shaded spray coating effect graces the bottom of the bottle and was selected to evoke a dream-like, natural aura. Light brown coloring is used for the copy, and foliage graphics drew inspiration from the wooden coloring of the cap. All graphics are carefully silk-screened onto the rounded surface of the glass Hollywood style Premi bottle. A challenge faced along the way encompassed creating a striking design with the logos of both Premi and Technotraf, while maintaining the bespoke technique of the silk-screen process on the small, rounded bottle.
Anne-Laure el Khouri, trade marketing specialist at Quadpack, remarks, “The idea was to create something unique, something precious, paying attention to all the little but very important details, with elegant finishing touches. The tapered cap combined with the broad cylindrical bottle makes for a surprising silhouette; the gold anodised spray pump is the perfect complement for the woody color palette; and the organza pouch makes the whole package simply feel special, which is how we wanted the recipient to feel when presented with their gift.”
Sweet Shop Splendor
Popcorn packaging redesign evokes heritage and sophistication.
Golden Popcorn, a family-owned manufacturer of cinema-style popcorn in Northern Ireland, has refreshed its popcorn package designs.
The new look was created by Paperjam Design Ltd., (www.paperjamdesign.com) and aims create a connotation of heritage, tradition and establishment, reminiscent of a bygone era.
A subtle nod to the traditional and iconic red-and-white striped old-fashioned sweet shop style was channeled in the packaging redesign of the sweet and salted varieties to set alongside the established salty and sweet offering. Paul Malone, director at Paperjam, comments on the redesign project, “Having an existing product can make life a little easier. Using existing packaging you can assess pros and cons—seeing what works and what doesn’t work on the existing packaging can really help in the development of a new design.”
The popcorn purveyor wanted the branding on the packaging to remain recognizable to its existing consumer base; therefore the “comic explosion symbol” continues to be a mainstay in the redesigned packaging. Borrowing from the previous packaging, Golden Popcorn fancied the differentiation between the red and blue coloring to help consumers clearly distinguish flavoring on shelf. Muted tones of red and blue were implemented to contribute to the heritage feel of the design.
Callouts, including “Gluten Free” and “Suitable for Vegetarians” appear on pack, housed in popcorn-shaped graphics to blend nicely with the package design. A challenge conquered by the design team at Paperjam included a logo dilemma; the logo supplied by the company was of low resolution and couldn’t be used on the final packaging. Paperjam overcame this challenge by redrawing the logo, using the same typeface as the rest of the packaging and toning down the vibrancy of the coloring to blend better with the new design.
Designed to Delight
Traditional European snack hits the market with a smile.
New Foods Inc., which owns Russian cheesebrands Syrceedy and Cheeser, enters uncharted territory, with the introduction of Seeds of Happiness; a line of extra large white sunflower seeds of Turkish origin. New Foods embarked upon the Seeds of Happiness project as an experiment, along with design agency Babich Design and Branding (www.babich.tv), which created the packaging for New Foods’ cheese products.
Babich Design and Branding approached the project with a “no-limits” design brief, instructed only to bring maximum creativity to the project. Designer Oleg Babich reacts to the directive, “Despite that working without limits is a rare pleasure for any designer, it is also an obvious challenge, because limitation is a starting point of creating distinctive design,”
The tradition of Russians vacationing in Turkey, seeking refuge from the cold climate of their native land stood out to Babich, contributing to the package design theme of happiness and fond memories. Using happiness as a root, Babich developed a chain of associations connected to the word and feeling.
Four distinct package designs were created, each “seed” persona featuring its own vision of happiness. A green package represents the happiness a sports fan feels after their favorite team wins the big game. Yellow represents the nostalgic reflection of a past relaxing vacation. Pink symbolizes romantic feelings and fond memories of time spent with a loved one. A violet hue evokes the feeling of pure joy one feels relaxing on a hot night gazing at the southern sky.
The Eye of Fatima, a traditional Turkish talisman became a central element of Babich’s concept, inspiring the anthropomorphic portraits to convey the four diverse feelings of happiness. Seeds of Happiness, launched during the end of vacation season in Russia, and intends on providing a warm reminiscence of summertime.
Babich details the typeface direction, “Typography is a very significant element in Seeds of Happiness as it transmits the ‘monologues’ of the heroes. The font style that is used gives a perfect feeling of direct speech. It is inspired by the font Cyrillic Veles, but instead of using the font as is, we developed special lettering, calligraphic compositions where you will not find two similar letters.”
Shelf Splash
Sunscreen package design adds a splash of vibrancy to retail shelves.
“The SolScents line has three unique features: a special formula that feels more like moisturizer than sunscreen, a choice of scents that can be used in any outside setting without smelling like you’ve lathered up to get a tan, and a bottle that doesn’t look like anything else on the sunscreen shelf.” explains Maxim Weitzman, managing director of SolScents. The agency responsible for this uniquely refreshing bottle design? Berlin Packaging’s Studio One Eleven.
SolScents, a line of seven scented sun care products with fragrances such as Piña Colada and Cucumber Melon, is housed in custom, heart-shaped 8-oz. high-density polyethylene bottles, inspired by the design of classic Americana perfume bottles, the likes of Polo Ralph Lauren and Tommy Hilfiger. The distinctive structure was conceived, engineered and supplied by Berlin Packaging (www.berlinpackaging.com) and Studio One Eleven. “We told the Berlin team that we didn’t want the typical elongated sunscreen bottle or the standard blue, tan or orange color scheme. Scented sun care is an original concept, and the package had to be equally unique to differentiate our product and capture consumers’ attention,” says SolScents, managing director, Daniel Bittner, a former L’Oreal executive.
A white SolScents logo graces the face of the bottle, printed over a monochromatic sun icon. Studio One Eleven, devised the sun icon to be several shades deeper than each SKU color, utilizing a two-stage silk-screen printing process to deliver a tone-on-tone brandmark. SPF indicators, 15, 30 and 50 are boldly displayed on pack utilizing the same silk screen printing process. SolScents’ desire to present an “American look” inspired Studio One Eleven to add a custom “shooting star” icon, accompanied by the words “Made in the USA” on the face of the pack as opposed to the back.
Bittner explains SolScents philanthropic efforts through Seven Scents, Seven Causes, “As entrepreneurs, we have in our hands a great opportunity, and responsibility, to help others in need, so we came up with a concept that supports seven different cause whenever a bottle of SolScents is sold.” Causes and color denotation include: orange, Hunger Awareness; yellow, Hope for Education; green, Environmental Protection; blue, Bully Awareness; purple, No Animal Cruelty; pink, Breast Cancer Awareness; and red, Heart Disease Prevention.
Berlin Packaging coordinated with the mold maker and cap supplier to ensure a proper fit with the closure threads of the bottle. The closure, a stock pearl white, no-mess, flip-top cap is sourced through Aptar Packaging (www.aptar.com). The unique heart-shaped bottle is manufactured and decorated in China through the Berlin Global Packaging Group.