Computer Arts - UK (2019-11)

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ESSENTIAL TIPS FOR

FOOD & DRINK DESIGN

1

“Try not to follow trends or steal

from Pinterest. Take a look if

you must – then go in the opposite

direction.” Rachel Smith, Creative

Partner, & SMITH

2

“Never start a project from the

viewpoint that the end result is

purely packaging. Always approach

from a ‘head up’ position. Consider

food packaging to be part of a broader

set of touchpoints that together create

coherency, distinction, ownership

and energy.” Caroline Dilloway, client

service director, StormBrands.

3

“ Throw yourself into research. It

will open your eyes and mind, and

give you, your client and the consumer

the best quality work possible.” Leigh

Chandler, creative director, Vault 49

4

“Honesty is paramount. Whether

that’s depicting the food in its

genuine presentation or representing

portion size, food should only ever

be ‘beautified’ to an extent where

it is aspirational, but real.” Caroline

Dilloway, client service director,

StormBrands

5

“Always try to make the best

decisions for the brand, budget

and the impact their packaging has on

the environment.” Melissa Preston,

design director, Hunger

6

“Getting under the skin of the

consumer and understanding the

drive to purchase is key. Anyone can

create a great-looking pack design,

but it’s understanding those consumer

need states that allow us to create a

deeper emotional connection with the

consumer.” Steph Oglesby, creative

director, Robot Food

decision making. So how can strong
food packaging persuade a consumer to
choose one product over another?
“I think there are two important
things that persuasive packaging design
should do,” says Chandler. “Disrupt
and stand out to catch consumers
attention. Sometimes it’s about being
simpler or more minimal, sometimes
about shouting louder and being more
maximalist. It all depends on the
category in which you’re looking to
stand out.” Chandler also believes brands
should ‘delight up close’. “Think crafted
imperfections and surprising details that
make a consumer fall in love with what
they’re holding,” she explains.
Brand owners need to understand
if or not their assets are iconic. Are they
creating memorable products that catch
the shopper’s eye, or just relying on
hackneyed packaging ideas. Elmwood’s
creative director Helen Hartley says
that it’s not so much a case of one
product over another, more of one
brand over another.
“You want to drive brand advocacy,
because a focus on product tends to drive
you to price,” Hartley says. “Look at the
added value in a brand like Heck. It’s
more than a pack of sausages because of
the intrinsic common values it possesses.
A brand must live and breathe its values
for consumers to truly believe in it.”

LEVEL OF AUTHENTICITY
To create something authentic for
the limited edition Smirnoff Spicy
Tamarind, the Vault49 team travelled
to Mexico to immerse themselves in
the culture surrounding the Day of the
Dead festival. Photos and inspiration
were gained first hand rather than from
Google or Pinterest.
“We didn’t hold back on the design.
We took a leap with the concept and
executed in a collaged maximal style
that was new and fresh, unlike anything
we’ve ever seen,” says Chandler, who
worked with the in-house production
team at Diageo to layer in inks that
respond to black light “During the night
in bars, it takes on a completely different
feel. It’s original and manages to capture
the essence of our work as an agency
while also being unique to the brand.”

London-based branding design

agency & SMITH launched in 2007 by

ex-Pentagram employees Rachel Smith

and Dan Bernstein. Its main focus is

branding for hotels, food and drink,

covering a range of disciplines from

packaging to restaurant branding,

hotel signage and brand experiences.

Designing packaging ranges for their

existing clients was a natural extension

of their brand work.

“We loved these ‘own brand’

packaging projects, and they stood out in

our portfolio enough for new clients to

take a chance on us with their packaging

design.” reveals & SMITH creative

partner Rachel Smith. “It’s all about

relationships at the end of the day, and

we got on really well with our first few

packaging clients.”

ALL-ROUND UNDERSTANDING

When approaching a branding project,

you need to understand the market,

the competition, the opportunity and

the audience. For & SMITH, its work is

all approached from the same ideas-led

angle, although one difference with food

packaging is remembering how long

you have to catch someone’s attention.

“We’ve been working on some ice cream

recently and we have to remember that

this aisle is freezing so people hang

around for even less time, and also the

freezer door can mist up once it’s open,”

explains Smith. “You have to adjust your

design to take all of this into account.”

Over at Elmwood, its process is

always one of collaboration with the

client and the team from the beginning,

working with a client to build the

journey of the brand and understanding

the business challenge.

“We base our creative thinking on

consumer insights, wider world societal

trends and brand truths,” says Hartley.

“Our recent project with Yushoi, a range

of Japanese-inspired snacks, brought

this approach to life. We started with an

insight: that’s there’s a conflict in the idea

of ‘healthy snacking’. By contrast, Yushoi

offered a unique product: better for you

but at the same time, offering consumers

complex layers of intense flavours.”

Working closely with the client,

Hartley’s team developed an idea to

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NOVEMBER 2019 FOOD AND DRINK DESIGN