Toast to Healthy Lips
Vaseline introduces a lip therapy inspired by champagne.
Vaseline sets aim to appeal to consumers with the release of the limited-edition Pink Bubbly Lip Therapy tin. With the success of last year’s limited edition Crème Brûlée Lip Therapy launch under belt, Vaseline approached branding design firm Hornall Anderson (www.hornallanderson.com) to raise the bar.
Pink Bubbly was introduced in September exclusively at Selfridges & Company department stores (U.K.) and later made its way to national supermarkets. Vaseline’s Pink Bubbly Lip Therapy had large shoes to fill as its predecessor Crème Brûlée, the brand’s first-ever limited-edition product became the fastest selling product in Selfridges’ history.
Inspired by the decadence of French Champagne, Hornall Anderson designed an elegant black-and-pink tin with a high gloss finish that retained the core elements of the Vaseline brand, including its logo and “Lip Therapy” descriptor. The limited-edition lip therapy was designed to elevate the product beyond everyday lip care. Lucy Fox, Hornall Anderson account director comments on the original design goals, “It needed to feel premium enough to be secure prime retail space at launch in the beauty hall of Selfridges’ flagship Oxford Street store,”
The results reflected Hornall Anderson’s design work with more than 3,000 packages of Pink Bubbly Lip Therapy sold during the Selfriges’ 2012 launch compared with last year’s 2011 launch of the Crème Brûlée, which sold 1,000 units.
Just a Skip, Hop and Jump Away
Growing parenting brand expands audience with a packaging redesign.
The English proverb “necessity is the mother of invention” became reality for Ellen Diamant, founder of New York City-based parenting brand Skip Hop. Frustrated with the search of trying to find a diaper bag that both looked great and functioned well, Diamant decided to invent her own in 2003. To create a cohesive shelf presence for the ever growing brand, Skip Hop sought out the expertise of Parham Santana (www.parhamsantana.com). Parham Santana explains that when approaching the redesign designers created a cohesive line of packaging that conveyed the Skip Hop brand statement, “Always a leap ahead.” This was achieved by creating simple, clear brand guidelines across all SKUs and categories.
Materials used to create the large variety of packaging include various fluted-corrugated board substrates with four-color coatings. A PMS red for the Skip Hop identity and proprietary brand elements, an underused color in the baby industry. Plus a low-gloss varnish to protect against wear and tarnish in high-traffic retail environments. Parham Santana explains that occasionally the team used PVC window or blister cover but these materials were kept to a minimum to lower the number of substrates in any one package, creating a more sustainably responsible packaging.
John Parham, president and director of branding, reflects on the package design project, “One of the simple things the team contributed was to give a name and meaning to the “Skip Hop Spark.” All of a sudden this abstract shape had a communication purpose that was clearly spelled out in the packaging guidelines.”
Hydration of the Future
VBlast offers the energy drink market technology in a bottle.
New York Spring Water combines brains and brawn in a 16.9-oz. package. VBlast Gator Pit Energy Formula, a sugar-free, taurine-free, B-complex infused, pure spring water with natural flavors mix, is the company’s latest market offering.
Consumers interact with the packaging by unleashing a blend of special liquid vitamins into the spring water through the patented reservoir cap. “The unique VBlast reservoir cap also ensures that the vitamin blend maintains full potency, even after nine months of room-temperature storage,” explains Luke Zakka, New York Spring Water’s vice president of operations. “While being protected from UV and water dilution on the shelf”.
The packaging features a two-panel label on a square bottle for easy-to-read brand and nutritional information. Continuing with branding, a gator skin pattern with a cold foil method was utilized to add interest to shelf presence.
The VBlast Gator Pit Energy Formula packaging design was inspired internally, and Logotech (www.logotech-inc.com) was the label house utilized. Zakka comments on the packaging design, a QR code is featured on the front of the packaging which New York Spring Water foresees as, being able to deliver live interactive content after the lifecycle of the bottle. VBlast Gator Pit Energy Formula is available in East Coast convenience stores, groceries, sports clubs and delis.
Timeless Taste
Captive Spirits aims to create a lasting brand image with Big Gin.
Less than a year old, Captive Spirits may be a newbie in the spirits market but the team’s combined years of distillery, bar and restaurant experience matched with passion aims to make an imprint in the spirits industry. Ben Capdevielle, a third-generation distiller heads up the team as co-owner and distiller.
Captive Spirits approached the packaging design of its Big Gin bottle with the goal of creating a timeless design. Holly Robinson, Captive Spirits sales and marketing leader, comments on the design process, “So many designs nowadays have to be revamped, losing their brand image. We were trying to create a product that will still be viewed as a edgy and relevant design in 10 years,”
The Seattle-based distillery collaborated with local graphic designer Chris Jordan of Shipwreck Design (www.shipwreckdesign.com) to create a shelf-popping label. The focus was to create an ageless product that still claims shelf appeal. “We think we’ve created a delicious gin, but if people don’t like the way it looks, the chances they’re going to pull it off the shelf of 20-plus gins in their local liquor store is slim,” says Robinson. Minimal copy; hand written and hand-stamped information on the batch, proof, bottle number and volume in red ink; and a simple yet classy branding add to the intimate and personalized appeal.
Captive Sprits aspires to stimulate consumer’s senses with more than just taste, “When we were originally choosing the paper and bottle, the feel was something that we focused in on. We wanted to design something that people felt good holding, like it added to their image,” continues Robinson. Locally sourced Richmark Label (www.richmarklabel.com) utilized every plate in their press to create the texture and design Captive Spirits desired. Almost all components of the packaging design and product were home grown in the Emerald city aside from glass supplied by Bruni Glass (www.bruniglass.com).
The small but zealous team at Captive Spirits aims to make a lasting imprint on the spirits market with Big Gin and hopes to launch that imprint with the help of their timeless package design, “We needed a design that matched the spirit inside: Bold, striking and timeless. After several attempts, we choose a label that felt and looked intrinsically valuable–the bottle has weight, the label has texture, all with prominent branding,” states Robinson.