Project completed with industrial designer Charlie John-Melendez and graphic designer Ashley Persia. Logo, colors, and majority of copy by Ashley; packaging shape, dielines, and monster illustrations by Charlie; flavor illustrations, packaging layout and renders by me.
Project Objectives
Design three different SKUs
for a novel granola brand that stands out in market.
Design a sustainable packaging solution that is unique & memorable.
Consider nutrition, dietary needs, convenience, & relevance to our audience.
Research Summary
We took a look at major local retails such as Target, Walmart, Wegmans, etc.
We took note of trends (earthy colors, boxes and plastic bags) and whitespace (mostly target hikers or everyday people) based on our audit and Mintel reports.
Based on this, we narrowed our audience to include Gen Z endurance athletes in late high school to early college. This audience is an untapped market in granola. They value nutrition, portability, aesthetics, cost,
and sustainability.
Moodboard. Bold, bright colors; macro grahics; hand-drawn imagery and textures.
Sketches throughout the process—ideation on concept as well as logo and packaging layout sketches.
Digital ideation for packaging layout (with a previous packaging shape idea).
Challenges
We faced several challenges while designing for this project. We spent a long time struggling with the brand name as many that fit our audience were already taken.
Our primary struggle, however, was with the packaging shape. None of us are packaging scientists; therefore we had many ideas for a single-serve package that fit in the hand that were very difficult to produce. Other shapes (like those above) resembled coffins more than the Grecian vases they were meant to. We did away with the idea of curved forms altogether and found a packaging shape that could be produced on the line and still fit well with our audience.
Branding
Logo, Type, and Colors
Packaging Materials
SBS Paperboard (coated both sides)
This is sturdy, sustainable, easy for customers to deal with at end of life.
Papkot Coated Paper
This is 99.9% recyclable and biodegradable.
No plastic or fluorine and food safe.
This is sturdy, sustainable, easy for customers to deal with at end of life.
Papkot Coated Paper
This is 99.9% recyclable and biodegradable.
No plastic or fluorine and food safe.
Sketches by Charlie John-Melendez exploring different shapes that conform to a natural grip.
Paper prototype of the box form. Quarter view.
Paper prototype of the box form. Side view.
Render of breakfast SKU based off the hydra.
Hydra dielines.
Render of pre-workout SKU based off the hippocamp.
Hippocamp dielines.
Render of post-workout SKU based off the phoenix.
Phoenix dielines.
6-packet multipack carrying case for athletes to bring to a meet/event.
Final prototype of the package, made out of paperboard.