Energy Boost
Beverage packaging gets a facelift to appeal to larger market.
Celsius energy drinks revamps packaging with an updated look with hopes to reach an even wider demographic. The beverage proprietor introduced what it says is the world’s first calorie burning drink in 2005. Available in five flavors, the beverage is offered in carbonated and non-carbonated varieties as well as a powder stick packets that consumers can mix with water. Celsius’ aim towards a target audience of health conscious consumers offers appeal with no sugar, no high fructose corn syrup, no aspartame, no artificial preservatives, flavors or colors, and it is low in sodium.
Gerry David, CEO of Celsius Holdings Inc., comments, “The redesign is just the first step in a large-scale marketing effort to expand the Celsius brand. The new design release coincides with our single-serving distribution strategy, which provides a lower entry price for the consumer to stimulate trial,” The brighter colors and icons depicting athletics aim to engage the consumer.
The redesign project lasted six months from start to launch and was designed in-house by Celsius. Irina Lorenzi, vice president of innovation and marketing at Celsius, explains that one of the challenges for Celsius during the redesign process was the limitations of printing on a silver can, which allows a maximum of five colors.
Peter Amato, senior graphic designer of Celsius says, “The differences between the old and new can design is how each flavor now has its own distinctive color and at the core of the new design is the circular flame representing Celsius’ calorie burning process,” This circular flame highlights the ‘Burn More Calories Plus Lasting Energy’ mantra on each variety.
Old Meets New
Herbal martini introduces 1920s apothecary to California contemporary.
Founder of Altar, Jagatjoti Khalsa aspired to offer the contemporary adult beverage market something fresh yet evoking a lineage from yesteryears. Khalsa describes the foundation behind the product, “Altar embraces the concept of Considered Curation by hand selecting, nurturing and looking after each ingredient, cultivating each flavor, engaging each tea, and thoughtfully applying each herb in an effort to create the world’s first Herbal Martini.”
The package design, from bottle to label, is meant to mimic 1920s apothecary meets California contemporary. Gooder Companies (www.thegooder.com) lead the initial groundwork for the brand’s design, aesthetic, typography and information hierarchy. The design firm also developed the glass bottle for Altar, a tall and slender vessel that could easily fit in amongst an apothecary shelf. The custom-made tapered glass bottle is produced by TricorBraun (www.tricorbraun.com).
OKO Design Studio, (okodesignstudio.com) in conjunction with the Altar team, designed the label to capture a retro speakeasy and apothecary aesthetic. Lubosh Cech, founder of OKO Design Studio, reflects on the label design process, “The challenge was how to combine these two streams visually and also for me as a designer, how do I work with something that’s already given which was the bottle size and shape, and the typography and the colors.”
LabelOne Connect (www.labeloneconnect.com) printed Altar’s front and back labels for five SKUs. The language and product descriptions are written to read like poetry. Each of the five flavors feature an ingredient profile on the front label and Khalsa’s quote about Considered Curation on the back label. A few challenges Cech faced while designing the label included: selecting the right paper with the right texture to use a metallic ink on without absorbing the ink, all the while mainlining a vintage look; organizing clunky, rectangular nutritional information and the bar-code on the curvy tapered back label; and addressing a cold front label by adding a visually stimulating antique quality design element via the incorporation of an endless knot motif to represent eternity.
Fist Pump for the Latest Cocktail
Reality star introduces pre-game cocktail to the spirit market.
World-famous DJ, headphone designer, reality TV star and now cocktail developer, MTV’s hit show Jersey Shore star Pauly D has a new occupation to add to his already lengthy list. Remix, a 750-mL pre-game cocktail is the first spirit label designed for the event before the party or a night out at the club.
Remix is a vodka-based prepared cocktail that’s offered in four varieties including: Oye Mojito, Yeah Yumberry, Strawberry Holla-peno and Starfruit. Each flavor selection offers a nod to Pauly D’s catch phrases or stardom from his gain to fame
Jersey Shore.
The Remix pregame cocktail is available in nine major markets throughout the U.S. including: Rhode Island, New Jersey, Georgia, Massachusetts, Maryland, New York, Nevada, Illinois, Connecticut and Texas and online at DrinkUpNY (www.drinkupny.com). The targeted audience consists of male and female adult beverage drinkers’ ages 21 to 35 years
of age.
To gain attention and standing as a premium spirit, Remix enlisted the help of Saxco International, LLC (www.saxcointl.com),
a company long renowned for packaging experience in the wine and spirits industry. Rob Belke, Saxco’s vice president of sales and marketing comments on the Remix project, “Our challenge was to help create an attractive package with a bold and colorful eye appeal and handsome shelf presence that appropriately conveys this exciting new spirit’s celebrity aura,”
A flint bottle with a Stelcap finish was sourced and supplied from Owens-Illinois (www.o-i.com) for the 750-mL Remix cocktail. A spray powder coating was applied to the bottles by Serigraphie to achieve a frosted appearance, who also silk-screened the four-color decorations. Matt black Stelcaps from Amcor (www.amcor.com) finish off the vibrant packaging. The Remix logo is encircled by a graphic of a DJ’s turntable continuing with the package branding.