Packaging Design

BENCHMARK CONCEPT DEVELOPMENT ARTWORK

Emotive Packaging Design

The most rewarding and enchanting aspect of creative design is packaging design, I have been lucky enough to design packaging for a variety of industries. Food packaging is my main speciality and I have been producing delicious packaging design for the past 18 years. I live and breathe the food industry from foodservice, manufacturers to retail, frozen and catering. I understand each strand of the industry and how branding and packaging can be invaluable to achieving results that not only add value to a brand but that can help increase sales, listings and overall growth.

I believe that great food brands are built with creative chemistry, design expertise and good client relationships which all leads to innovative packaging with iconic identities that last a lifetime. When it comes to the details, I am well versed from adhering to Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011 of the European Parliament and of the Council to understanding packaging nets and printing techniques. I believe in producing work that not only creates an impact but helps to achieve sales and growth.

Food Industry Clients


Food packaging and design clients I work with
CASE STUDY

Foodservice Branding and Packaging Design

One of my saucy foodservice clients Piquant recently appointed our design team to take on a number of branding, design and packaging projects for them. Piquant are an established midlands based foodservice sauce manufacturer who have been producing a range of sauces, marinades and dips for over 28 years.

Piquant initially instructed our designers to refresh their logo; they wanted an innovative look that still retained some of the original elements of the old one. Our design team researched the sauce and mayonnaise industry and they produced a number of creative and original concepts. Piquant were really impressed with the selection of concepts and decided on their final logo which our team then further refined.

5ltr – 10ltr tubs. Development of logo and brand new label designs, colour palette, typography, photography and print ready artwork.

We really wanted to give Piquant a new look, we didn’t want to alienate any of our existing clients therefore we wanted to be delicate with the rebrand. The end result is perfect for Piquant; the logo still embodies the tradition and history of our brand but it now has a clean and modern look to it.

Mike Hooker, Sales Director at Piquant

After the rebrand Piquant wanted to extend their new look to a number of their packaging and labels. In particular they wanted some very colourful and vivid looking labels for their foodservice tubs. Our designers created a very bright and foodie range of labels as well as a template design that could then be printed out easily in house by the Piquant team. The client were very happy with the final look and Piquant have also had some very positive comments from the rest of their team members, clients and suppliers

The team at Piquant shortly after decided to work with us again on some food marketing and advertising. The team instructed our designers to create an advert showcasing their new packaging and products. Our designers worked with Piquant to include all the relevant copy, contact details and we then added our creative flair to create a unique and innovative foodservice advert.

Our marketing and PR team also worked with Piquant to create a bespoke newsletter that would then showcase all the news that Piquant had to shout about. The PR team constructed the copy and articles and also put together an advertorial for Piquant. The client was very impressed by the final outcome and at how seamlessly we worked together as a team.

Some of my thoughts...

10 sweet secrets to a tasty brand


A strong clear brand is an essential part of every commerce, not only is it the face of the company but it should represent the ethos and ‘feel’ of the business….it is what connects your product or service to your customer. A brand is not one single element, nor is it created within a few weeks but here are a few tips on how to create a successful one.

As with all aspects of business research is and should be the first port of call, being aware of what others are doing is vital. From researching your competitors to gathering a variety of ideas, photography, samples, Pintrest pins to materials and text will help to give you a clearer idea of the direction you want to take.

Knowing your audience is also essential before you start your branding journey, the market and the audience that you want to engage will influence every aspect of the brand for years to come. Market research is also advisable at this stage to get a feel for your typical customer, conducting a survey or a focus group could give you some beneficial data.

Change the color to match your brand or vision, add your logo, choose the perfect layout, modify menu settings, add animations, add shape dividers, increase engagement with call to action and more. Change the color to match your brand or vision, add your logo, choose the perfect layout, modify menu settings, add animations, add shape dividers, increase engagement with call to action and more.

Mood boards are a great way to combine and collate all the research, ideas, samples, text, materials and images. Mood boards not only help visually to create structure but are very important when it comes to showing clients and for when you eventually produce various branding concepts.

The world of typography and colours is incredibly vast and trends, technologies not to mention the industry you are in will help you to narrow down the selection. Most brands incorporate primary and secondary typefaces and each of those can have up to 40 variables these will all help to tweak and create a bespoke style. Typefaces may be adjusted from time to time to suit the theme of your advertising or promotional campaign. For example for our food newsletter we alter the typeface and colours by using ‘foodie colours’ making the design appear tasty!

Imagery is integral to branding it can illustrate the product, create a mood or feeling as well as transmit a story. Imagery can also explain the brand values and the message that you are trying to convey. For example at Clip our designers recently worked on a branding project for a crab product package, the designers created various concepts that all included imagery or illustration, each one told a different story and transmitted different brand values.

Photography is also a crucial element within the branding process, photography can be used to give products and service a more personal or professional edge. Photography can capture details, people  and professional settings which can be used alongside other elements of the brand within marketing literature, advertising, stationary, websites and much more. For example for our U.S food client they opted for a straightforward photograph of their food product which was supported by subtle typography giving the packaging a high-end, clean and fresh look.

Visual elements encompasses a list of techniques and processes that can include graphics, colours, gradients, shapes, blends, margins as well as use of space. Visual elements are usually the refining process of the branding stage and combines the typeface, images and illustrations.

Once the branding is nearing to completion the next stage should be marketing and promotion. If time and effort has been spent on fantastic branding then it needs to be shouted about! For example a lot of our design clients combine our PR services to ensure their peers and target audience are aware of the new brand as well as their products and services.

Enthusiasm is essential to creating an iconic brand, whether you are the owner, designer or marketing profession without passion for the company, product or service the brand will never fulfil its potential.

food label design

When it comes to branding we like to think there is a secret formula, however in reality branding really is a journey. If all the processes that lead to the final brand have been completed thoroughly and with passion then the end result will be impeccable.

External factors such as design, fashion, lifestyle, tastes, ethics and other economic factors will impact your brand and as a business it is necessary to evolve so that your brand stays connected with your target audience. This does not necessarily have to result in a complete re brand, the fundamental elements of your brand can remain. However your secondary colour pallets, typography, graphical elements, imagery, art direction and public relations can all help your brand to remain at the forefront of its field and stay ahead of the competition.

Using all of these elements will transmit your business’s values, beliefs and ethos to the rest of the world and give your company ‘personality.’ Your brand will become a very valuable asset not only in creating awareness for your new products or services, but will also help you win new business, customers and ultimately be an intellectual asset.

Recent Projects