Over the last few years, veganism has really taken off in the UK and worldwide. With approximately 1.6 million people in the UK now embracing the vegan diet. It’s not just individuals that are getting into the vegan spirit, with major brands like Greggs, Heinz and a few of our own clients like Simpsons Fish and Chips and Naughty Vegan producing vegan products and alternatives to suit those who have welcomed the vegan lifestyle.
Understanding how to market your vegan products can be difficult as it's still quite a new concept to many brands. We’re here to help with our top 5 ways on how to do vegan marketing properly.
When Greggs announced that they’d be launching a new vegan sausage roll in 2019 they did so using a comical, over dramatised video that broke down the ‘features’ of the infamous vegan sausage roll. From its ‘vegan core’ to its ‘optimal flake resolution’ their video acknowledged all parts of the baked vegan good, paired with the hashtag #vegansausageroll.
The announcement of their vegan sausage roll was perfectly timed, as it coincided with Veganuary, where people commit to not eating any animal products for the whole month of January.
Their vegan marketing strategy didn’t stop there, anticipating some backlash from the public, Greggs amped up their social media strategy. This saw the official Greggs Twitter account sarcastically replying to those who were outraged by the vegan announcement, including a funny response to Piers Morgan, who was less than impressed by the new launch. Piers preceded the release of the vegan sausage rolls tweeting to his huge number of followers: “Nobody is waiting for a vegan bloody sausage, you PC-ravaged clowns”. Digital Brand Manager of Greggs Neil Knowles, replied from their Newcastle headquarters, within a few minutes saying “Oh hello Piers, we’ve been expecting you.”
Their witty and lighthearted responses to those that were less than impressed by the meat free alternative was a great way to engage their audience, keeping people talking about the product and increasing anticipation for its release. It was a clear success, with vegans and non-vegans raving about the vegan sausage roll on the first day of trying it, and many branches across the country even selling out on the first day. The vegan sausage roll now has a permanent place on the Greggs menu, 3 years later and it doesn’t seem to be going anywhere anytime soon.
In January 2020, the food giant, Heinz, launched a vegan marketing campaign that saw them relabel all of their beans tins. They changed their memorable slogan from ‘Beanz Meanz Heinz’ to the catchy ‘Beanz Meanz Vegan’. The campaign along with its simple headline went down a treat with fans of the brand, whether they were vegan or not.
Heinz’s clever campaign, not only acknowledged the growing vegan population, it also educated consumers and playfully reminded everyone that their product is free of animal products, including the no-added sugar variety that formerly contained honey. Their catchy strapline managed to put this to the forefront of their consumers minds. In a more general sense the campaign successfully showcased vegan food that wouldn’t break the bank. A lot of people’s perception of vegan products is that they have to be expensive and ultra fancy. Heinz beans are cheap and cheerful, keeping it real and catering to vegans at a time when their numbers are growing.
For those who were trialling veganism during Veganuary, Heinz is a simple and familiar solution for any new vegans who may be struggling for meal ideas and they’re a brand the nation knows and trusts. The labels were only limited edition, but a great way to spark conversation and encourage vegan marketing for their brand.
It's true when they say people eat with their eyes. Award-winning fish and chips shop, Simpsons Fish and Chips, went beyond the traditional fish and chips experience with a variety of new vegan options added to their menu. From tofish, fralapenos and even vegan patties they covered it all to celebrate World Vegan Month.
They used veganism as an opportunity to try new flavours and capture a larger audience, making it possible for vegans to enjoy food from a fish and chips shop with a difference. With the support of social media they showcased their new vegan dishes that came packaged in their fish and chip boxes to really add to the authentic experience. A great way to get people excited to try your vegan food and products is by showing it off as the norm, ensuring everyone feels included in the typical experience within your business.
The reason why a lot of people may have initial reservations about trying vegan products is because they look different to what they’re used to. Making sure you include tasty images that are just as mouth-wateringly delicious looking and, tasting of course, as your non-vegan products is essential when creating your vegan marketing strategy.
A vegan brand we’ve loved working with is Cookoo. Their brand ambassador, Christian Day, an ex-rugby player and Masterchef contestant, was passionate about promoting vegan food on social media. He published and engaged with his 17.3k following on social media, to showcase Cookoo’s vegan range to a new digital-focused audience.
Using social media food influencers is a great way to directly target consumers and reach new customers too. It sparks immediate interest when someone with a large following shares a food recommendation and naturally through word of mouth and sharing this on social media more people will want to try your products. It also makes your brand more personable, as you’re not behind the pushing of your own product, a real person is doing this for you instead which is a nice change and fulfils consumers with trust. Their sweet and savoury vegan products were shown off by the influencer and worked really well with onboarding new customers.
We also had fun working with Naughty Vegan, a vegan brand with a difference. They have a cheeky and distinct brand personality which really bodes well when trying to stand out in the vegan market. When creating their brand identity we knew it had to be bold, full of character and differentiate Naughty Vegan from any other competition.
It was important that their brand attracted customers and stood out on the shop shelves. The best way to do this was to be bold and fun with their packaging, using bright yellow and playing on the naughty vs nice narrative with their images. With vegan pasties adorned with halos and their sausage rolls wearing devil horns. The creative copy lines like ‘no piggy in the middle rolls’ for their sausage rolls also add to their branding and set them apart from the ordinary plant-based company’s.
Making sure your brand doesn’t get lost in the crowd is essential when vegan marketing. As the years have gone on there are more brands hopping on board the vegan train, meaning there's more competition. Don’t be afraid to stand out, be bold, clever and creative to ensure your brand has a distinct personality of its own.
Since their brand launched, Naughty Vegan have been acknowledged in The Grocer New Product Awards which honours for the greatest innovation and creativity in the food and drink industry.
As veganism grows in popularity within the UK, brands need to make sure that they’re marketing their vegan products and brands in the right way. By following these 5 ways on what you should do to market vegan properly, it will help your brand’s vegan marketing strategy grow from strength to strength.
If you’re looking to launch a new vegan product, and would like a hand in organising your marketing strategy get in touch with our creative team!
Image sources:
1) https://www.marketingweek.com/masters-brand-of-the-year-2019-shorltlist-greggs/
3) https://simpsonsfishandchips.com/5-vegan-dishes-enjoy-simpsons/
4) https://eat-marketing.co.uk/naughty-vegan-branding/
Over the past few years, there’s been a definite shift towards plant based eating and now the vegan food boom seems to be everywhere.
In fact in April 2021, The Vegan Society hit an all time record after registering the 50,000th vegan food product with their official trademark, following more than 15,000 new products registered in 2020 alone.
And with almost 600,000 sign-ups for Veganuary in 2021, the popularity surrounding the meat-free movement sees no sign of slowing down. But with a rapid rise in brands entering the market, how can your vegan food packaging design stand out on supermarket shelves?
When it comes to new food launches, companies are putting a lot of effort into their vegan food packaging designs as they can see it is not just vegans who are interested in plant based foods, but also those looking for healthy meat-free options too. There can often be a stigma that some vegan food (especially meat alternatives) isn’t as healthy as it seems, so your packaging really needs to reflect the health benefits.
But what about vegan food perceptions? The interest in plant based foods may be rising, yet there is still a perception amongst some that vegan food lacks flavour. This means when it comes to your packaging design it should be fun, attractive and enticing, reflecting the new exciting wave of tastes and flavour combinations seen in the market. Here are some examples we feel do this really well...
This is not just vegan food, this is M&S vegan food
The Marks & Spencers Plant Kitchen range is a great example of vegan food packaging design that looks as good as the food inside. The full range consists of 60 products including burgers, pizzas, curries and drinks.
The design for the Plant Kitchen range is deliberately informal and both the packaging design and recipes draw inspiration from street food and foodie festivals.
It’s fresh, modern and has that artisan effect with its cool blue hues on the cardboard covering. The colour used is also the opposite colour in the colour wheel of the food itself, which immediately makes it stand out more. The aim was for the packaging to reflect the superior taste of the food inside, as well as communicate to the consumer that the meals unleashed the power of plants in every mouthful.
We’re particularly taken with the unusual blue packaging colour. It’s an important part of the design as the colour was specifically created for the brand, so it’s not only category-defining but it also stands out from other ranges in store. We also love that the font has been adapted to reflect the organic shapes of leaves within the letters, such as in the A and the H.
Clean, delicious-looking photography and playful food descriptions such as ‘dirty fries’ and ‘chilli non-carne’ also add a distinctive, playful edge.
One way to ensure your food packaging catches customers’ eyes is by adding a dose of fun to your designs. Your packaging is a perfect place to show your personality and by adding humour or playful interaction with your audience, it can help humanise your brand creating a hook to entice repeat customers.
Vegan pastry and pudding business Naughty Vegan does just this in their product packaging. Playing on the ‘naughty vs nice’ concept in relation to their name, you’ll find pasties adorned with illustrated angel wings and halos on their packaging, alongside sausage rolls kitted with devil horns.
The overall effect is fun, cheeky and intrigues the customer to find out more about the food.
The Meatless Farm Company is another plant based food business whose aim is to make meat-free meals delicious. Their product range can be found in supermarkets such as Sainsbury’s and Morrisons and as with M&S’s Plant Kitchen range, you can clearly see the products through the packaging.
However, when it comes to the actual vegan food packaging design, it’s very different. The simple illustrations and strapline ‘Lovingly Made From Plants’ is designed to feel friendly and even quite homely.
The font used feels organic and welcoming, whilst the illustrations create a friendly feeling, reassuring customers into feeling comfortable and confident in choosing The Meatless Farm’s food.
It’s not just in store vegan products that are going for eye-catching packaging designs either, as a growing appetite for ‘dishes to your door’ has seen a whole range of new companies crop up to meet demand, including Cookoo.
Cookoo have been creating award-winning indulgent desserts and savoury dishes for restaurants for over 30 years, but when the world changed and dining in became the new dining out, they launched their own vegetarian and vegan range for customers to order directly to their door.
We love their mission to offer restaurant-quality dishes and even food ambassador Christian Day has been involved in developing the recipes. The design is so eye-catching too, with bright, bold colours and images that reflect the delicious food photography used on their website.
From introducing illustration, patterns and bright colours, to creating cheeky personalities or unique colour palettes, choosing your vegan food packaging design will have a huge impact on whether customers choose to buy your food. Just as you took the time to nail your recipe, taking the time to perfect your packaging design will help see your sales increase.
Unfortunately, the saying ‘don’t judge a book by its cover’ is not always applied in the food industry. Packaging can be the difference between someone deciding to purchase your product or not.
To help, we’ve put together a list of packaging design trends to give your food business some inspiration to ensure your packaging is visually appealing to modern consumers.
One trend that shows no sign of slowing down is eco-friendly packaging. With more and more people becoming conscious about the impact they make on the environment, there is an increasing demand for product packaging that is easily disposed of without causing any kind of detriment to the planet.
This trend can be widely seen in the rise of reusable cups, bottles and supermarket bags for life. McDonalds have also vowed to use completely renewable, recycled packaging by 2025. So, creating packaging that is reusable, recyclable or even compostable is likely to make it appealing to consumers.
Personalisation
With shopping online soaring following high street closures as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, the experience felt more disconnected and impersonal than ever before. This has caused brands to step up their game and go that extra mile to ensure their customers feel as though they have a unique unboxing experience.
This year, tactics such as including customers’ names in your packaging design and selecting imagery or messaging targeted to a specific customer’s interests, are powerful ways to create a connection and build customer loyalty from a distance.
In a crowded market, one way to stand out is opting for either a minimal or maximal style of packaging design. Whether using intense shades and busy patterns or going in a clean and simplistic direction, choosing to go extreme in your choices can develop a strong identity for your food brand.
Before making a decision, it’s important to determine which style suits your brand, your product and your business.
To find out more about the standout brand and packaging design that we created for Border Honey, read our case study.
Again, due to the lack of social interaction between your food business and its customers, clear labelling and honest packaging is another way to gain consumer trust through your packaging design.
From October 2021, new legislation also comes into effect in England, Wales and Northern Ireland that mandates full ingredient and allergen labelling on foods which are pre-packed for direct sale. This is part of ‘Natasha’s Law’ which was created after the tragic death of Natasha Ednan-Laperouse, following an allergic reaction to a baguette which was not clearly labelled.
We've worked with Naughty Vegan to help reflect the brand's bold personality in their product packaging. Read our case study to learn more.
Both anxiety and depression have risen significantly in the wake of the pandemic. This is why some food businesses are using their packaging copy and design to reassure consumers and create more relevant brand messaging. This could be done by simply using less dark colours in your design and swapping them for brighter or calmer shades.
What changes could you make to your packaging to provide consumers with peace of mind, while telling your brand story?
With time outside being limited as a result of the pandemic, people appear to be more appreciative of nature and the outdoors than ever before.
A way to utilise this and make consumers feel as though they are close to nature is to incorporate earthy and organic colours into your packaging design. What’s more, as people continue to become more environmentally conscious, this trend is likely to stick around, hence making these tones part of your brand’s identity won’t do your business any harm in the long-run.
Taking inspiration from popular design is not guaranteed to drive business to your food brand, however, trends do indicate consumer patterns so it is highly useful to be aware of them.
If you’re curious about refreshing your packaging design, why not drop us a message?
Over the years, one of the most common questions we’ve been asked by clients is whether it’s really worth investing in branded food packaging or merchandise for their fish and chip shop.
Our Sales and Marketing Manager Maria recently spoke to Florigo, an established name in the fish and chip industry known for their frying ranges, on her top three reasons why branded packaging is so much better than off the shelf standard options.
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1. It promotes your brand
Great packaging is essentially another marketing tool for your fish and chips business to take advantage of. Whether it’s branded sauce pots, greaseproof paper, takeaway boxes or paper bags, designing unique food packaging will mean your business is being promoted as soon as customers leave your shop.
This is a great way to expand and elevate your brand identity beyond the standard, non-branded packaging. Custom packaging is an important element of maintaining your brand’s consistency and experience, and it can also help you develop a better brand presence by acting as an extension of your digital platforms. This can not only help you enhance engagement with your target audience, but it can also help you demonstrate your brand's credibility and retain a great reputation all the way through the customer's experience, making your fish and chips more unique to you.
With an increasing demand for eco-friendly, recyclable products, we’ve also helped many clients brand reusable merchandise such as coffee cups, water bottles and jute bags.
2. It helps grow customer loyalty
Taking the time to establish a unique design for your packaging or merchandise will help your brand make a lasting impression on customers. Encouraging familiarity with your fish and chip shop through branded food packaging will help grow your brand recognition, a factor that’s been seen to increase revenue by 23%.
More recently, there has been an increase in concern about our impact on the environment. As a result, many businesses are attempting to do their part to help combat the problem, which in this case can be accomplished through sustainable packaging. There are various ways your branding can be environmentally friendly, from cardboard serving boxes and vegware containers to recyclable cutlery and greaseproof paper.
Businesses have a window of opportunity to establish brand transparency through environmentally-friendly packaging, as conscious customers look for methods to lessen their carbon footprint. As a result, this will grow customer loyalty if they believe you are doing right by the environment since 81% of consumers are more inclined to buy from brands that practice sustainability.
You’ll also be able to provide a consistent experience for your customers that will eventually lead to a loyal following for your business.
3. You’ll stay ahead of the competition
Creating a bespoke design that’s unique to your shop and stands out from the crowd, will put you at an advantage over your competitors. Branded food packaging or merchandise acts as a mobile advertisement, promoting your business to potential new customers who may not have heard of your brand before. Investing in unique packaging may be the deciding factor that encourages a customer to choose your fish and chip shop over another they do not recognise.
Although eye-catching packaging is important, there is much more to packaging than just the appearance. It echoes your brand story, engages customers to your social media, emphasises your sustainable message, and drives traffic to your website, all of which will create a lasting impression on your customers.
As Maria also mentions in the video, it’s important you find a reputable supplier and printer to make your chosen designs look great.
For more information on how Eat Marketing could help your fish and chip business with branded food packaging get in touch, or explore how we’ve worked with our clients to define their brand.
With the UK’s submitted Withdrawal Agreement from the EU now passed through parliament, what effect will Brexit have on product labelling for those in the food industry?
We’re currently in a transition ‘implementation period’, where business operations will typically continue as usual, however it’s still an important time for food manufacturers to be preparing product labels and produce ready for market once the UK has officially left the EU by 2021.
When will I need to make Brexit product label changes?
According to Government and EU guidance, food products placed on the market before 1 January 2021 can continue to be sold, distributed or transferred in the EU without making any labelling changes.
Label changes for distributing your product in the EU
Following Brexit, product labelling (particularly for food that will continue to be distributed in the European Union) will need an EU Distribution address listed on the product, label or packaging.
Unlike before, UK food manufacturers won't be able to use 'Made in EU' or EU flags without prior permission. New or updated labels will be required to list the United Kingdom as the country of origin, both for products sold in the UK and the EU.
You’ll also not be able to use the EU organics logo from 2021 unless the UK and EU agree to recognise each other’s standards - so this means if no standards deal is made with the EU, you won’t be able to export organic food from the UK to the EU.
Other important product labelling changes
For Products of Animal Origin which are sourced in the UK, these will no longer be able to use the 'EC' reference code within the Product of Animal Origin oval, instead they’ll require a 'UK' 'GB' or 'United Kingdom' reference code.
For more specific details, the Government’s website has the full list of requirements for labelling the source of origin for each food product.
The CE quality mark will also be phased out of use for products on the UK market, being replaced by the new UKCA mark.
How can I prepare for the changes?
Although the changes don’t come into play until January 2021, there are still ways you can be preparing today.
If you need to update existing labels or food packaging, cover-up opaque labels are a great option. They feature an additional layer in the material to stop print underneath showing through so you can cover outdated information or product origins.
You can also consider enlisting the help of a design company to help take the pressure off preparing products inline with new Government regulations. They can work with you to ensure all logos are clearly presented and product information included.
If you need help with Brexit product labelling changes or new packaging designs, just get in touch with our team at Eat Marketing, or why not explore how we worked with Nookie on their product packaging design.
From David Attenborough’s passionate documentaries to plastic pollution campaign groups and powerful social media hashtags, the pressure on food and drink brands to offer eco-friendly packaging is rising.
Reacting to this pressure, many big brands in the food industry have made statements about how they plan to cut down their plastic use and reduce their impact on the planet.
Sainsbury’s have said they’re committed to reducing their branded food packaging by 50% by 2025, whilst Heineken has announced it’s refreshing its brand packaging with a more eco-friendly focus, replacing its single use plastic rings and shrink wrap with a recyclable cardboard instead.
But what does this all mean for the future design of food packaging?
Cut waste, not creativity
For food brands trying to transition to eco-friendly packaging, it can be a confusing process. However going ‘green’ doesn’t have to mean being bland with your design.
We’ve spotted a few brands who are leading the way with sustainable yet creative packaging…
Loving Earth
Chocolate and superfood bar brand Loving Earth have managed to combine the nation’s love of chocolate with sustainable packaging. The majority of their product packaging is compostable and can be disposed of the same way you wood with food waste.
Made with a compostable film from renewable plant resources, their chocolate boxes and boxed cereals are made of 100% recycled wood fibres. They also use non-toxic vegetable-based printing ink on some of their chocolate boxes, to prevent toxic chemicals and dyes seeping into water supplies.
We were drawn to the two-tone colours used on their chocolate bar packaging along with the bold type, as it helps the products stand out against competition. Loving Earth prove you can be bold in both design and brand ethos.
LICKALIX
Leading the way in eco-friendly packaging design for the frozen lollies industry is LICKALIX. Their 100% compostable packaging is made from wood pulp and displays the world’s first ‘Plastic Free Trust Mark’.
Their fun, colourful and standout packaging design immediately catches the eye and helps define their brand identity. We particularly like their playful logo design.
LovetheWild
After a year of development and testing, LovetheWild released a compostable tray for their line of ready-to-cook sustainable seafood meals. Made from plant-based plastic, the company have stated they’re cutting waste by reducing portion size and the overall packaging size.
We love how the brand have created colour identities for each of their products that are bright, eye-catching and include a balance of photography and product illustrations.
Want to find out more about the rise of eco-friendly foods, interested in discovering how to define your packaging design or feeling inspired to create your own eco-friendly packaging? Get in touch with us at Eat Marketing today and we’ll cook up some creative ideas for your food brand.
When it comes to your food packaging design, what does your packaging say about you? Are you conveying the right message through design to get the sales you want? We’re here to help you with our easy to follow Do’s and Don’ts when it comes to your food packaging design.
Products need great packaging. Consumers are motivated by clear, attractive designs that catch their eye and motivate them to make impulsive choices. With food packaging design, the proof really is in the packaging. What consumers see and subsequently feel, can make a huge difference when it comes to purchasing decisions. Creating food packaging with impact will lead to powerful associations between the audience you’re trying to capture and your food business. You can immediately show them through packaging design how delicious your food product will look and taste.
At Eat Marketing, we understand that food product packaging is such a crucial design discipline, and we spend a lot of time on this element when it comes to branding for the food companies we work with. Strategically, your branding is so important when it comes to marketing your products, and initially, clarity is key; what your food product is for and what you, as a brand, want to convey through your food packaging design.
Whether you already have food packaging design in place, need a re-brand or are just starting out, you can see, there’s a lot to consider if you want to create impact – and sales! Take a look at a few of our do’s and don’ts to help you along the way…
Your food packaging design should show the product contained within – clearly and effectively. If a consumer looks at your packaging and cannot identify what you’re selling, they are likely to walk on by. And that goes for an honest depiction of what you’re selling too… for example, beautiful food photography is important but it must be true to how the food inside the packaging looks. So, always be straightforward about what your product is with clear, clean design, font and wording and beautifully taken, yet honest, photography or illustrations.
A great example of simple and honest food packaging is Border Honey, a local premium honey brand, whose packaging expresses the luxury, yet, humble nature of their honey brand. If you were to take a glimpse at their product you’d know exactly what it is that they’re selling and the quality you can expect from the packaging alone. With a stripped back look to appeal to the target audience, golden tones and bold font, their packaging design speaks to honey lovers far and wide. Now that’s what we call powerful food packaging design.
Made Coffee is another brand that appreciates that less is more. Their packaging is the definition of clean and simple, there’s no second guessing what their product is and there’s no over-exaggerated images or illustrations so you know exactly what to expect.
Beware of design and text overload… When there’s too much going on, whether it’s in the design or the copy, consumers won’t know where to look and they’ll simply switch off. This can apply to the fonts used too; don’t use different types of fonts as simplicity is key.
The next time you’re in a supermarket, take the shelf impact test… if your food product is competing against other similar products (and even if it’s not on a ‘shelf’ think of this in terms of competitive businesses selling similar food products to you) you want your product to attract attention. This can lead you to thinking about what you can do in terms of creating a strong, distinctive food packaging design that stands out from the food crowd. Yet, stick to the ‘keep it simple’ rule as these types of designs are more likely to catch the eye when people look.
Naughty Vegan, a devilishly delicious vegan brand, knows all about standing out on a shelf. Their innovative, award-winning packaging, markets their vegan products in a creative and revolutionary way compared to their competition. With the products on their packaging donning halos, devil horns and angel wings, they’ve played on their name and gone all out to ensure they stand out, which they certainly do!
Coca-Cola, a household name, is a great example of how important it is to develop a brand identity with effective food packaging design. Over 100 years, the Coca-Cola packaging has never swayed too far from their original packaging, simply updating it throughout the years, but never changing what fundamentally makes it recognisable.
Once again, we’re emphasising the importance of showing environmental awareness through packaging design. With food, packaging is immediately disposable and the more environmentally friendly it is, the better. By this we mean, really consider how much ‘packaging’ you need for your products and don’t go for designs that use unnecessary, wasteful packaging.
When it comes to food packaging design, the materials you use matter as much as the design you create. Of course, you need to consider what materials will keep your food fresh, whether you’re packaging hot or cold food and what will keep it contained without leaks or damage, but looking at biodegradable (yet sustainable) food packaging design is important too. In fact, 7 in 10 (that’s a high 72%) of consumers choose to buy products based on their initial attraction to packaging design according to a study conducted by the Paper and Packaging Board.
Delve a little deeper into the reasons why and you’ll discover it’s not just the design that counts, it’s the material too with 67% of consumers influenced by packaging materials. Going further, 71% of consumers are more likely to choose paper and cardboard packaging than other materials such as plastic. Consumers are becoming increasingly environmentally conscious, and as a food company, considering your food packaging design in these terms, as well as how it looks, could have a positive impact on your sales.
Take natural chocolate bar producers, Nookie, whose eco-packaging matches their overall natural brand. This helps them stand out against the crowd and attract consumers who favour sustainable packaging.
Oatly, the plant-based drink brand, are all for sustainable packaging. Their eco-friendly mindset doesn’t just stop with their packaging it encompasses their whole brand as they showcase themselves as a brand built on the idea of change and sustainability.
Consider how ‘easy’ your packaging is. There can be a temptation to try and create fancy packaging in the hope of standing out from the crowd, but it’s so important to have practical, easy to use and easy to open packaging that works for your product.
As you can see, good food packaging design is more than a pretty design. If you want to know more and take a fresh new look at your food packaging design or are just starting out, we can help.
Have you thought about food packaging design? When it comes to your food business, how you brand your food is just as important as how good it tastes! After all, consumers are extremely visual and great food packaging design will catch the eye and make us want to see what's inside...
Bespoke packaging can make a big difference to how customers see your food. Strong, well designed branding will immediately sell your food – it shows that you, as a food business, care about how you come across and customers will pick up on this and believe that because you care about your branding, you care about the food you make and how it tastes.
Here at Eat Marketing, we have helped numerous food companies achieve brand recognition, consistency and loyalty by creating food packaging design (as part of their overall branding) that suits each individual business and the type of food sold. Carefully planned, well-designed food packaging compliments brand consistency perfectly and allows a company to stand out from their competitors and capture even more customers.
We'd like to show you a little bit more by focusing on a recent food packaging design project we undertook for a food company called Protein Pouch.
Protein Pouch offers easy, nutritious and convenient packed portions of quick frozen chicken or vegetable infused mash that can be eaten anywhere and they particularly appeal to people who train hard and who want quick, nutritious and convenient food to fuel their lifestyle. Here at Eat marketing, we love these nutritionally rich pouches and we were really excited about climbing on board to help with the food packaging design, which was created in conjunction with the Protein Pouch brand and logo, an e-commerce website and print marketing. Our brief was to create a brand that appealed to the health conscious market.
As you can see, the food packaging design we came up with was design led, but functional and modern too; clean, fresh lines and colours match the healthy, nutritious ingredients contained within the pouches. The healthy connotations continue by using the brand message ‘feel good inside’ on all packaging, along with the ‘smiley H’ for a warm, friendly feel. Tobias Ellinas, director of Protein Pouch was thrilled with the results and said...
Eat Marketing has delivered packaging that’s even better than we hoped for. For us, that’s a great endorsement and shows that we have delivered what our client needs.
We went on to launch this fabulous product at the Bodypower Show 2014, which took place in May and the response was amazing. People loved the concept, the design and the taste. Protein Pouches are a winner on every level!
We have also worked on food packaging design for a number of other companies including Zan Fish, an established chain of fish and chip shops in Derby. We had already helped them create a modern, eye-catching brand and we helped them carry this through to their packaging, which included a bespoke range of kid’s boxes that added fun into their brand and made them stand out from their competitors.
Shire Foods is another great food company we work with and our next challenge was to update their food packaging design so that it stood out in supermarkets and appealed to customers who already face an array of choice in the pie aisle! This means that design is crucial to their sales so we used our expertise in food photography to put together a range of truly tempting images that Shire Foods could use in their whole range. The mouthwatering pictures of pies did the trick and a rise in pie sales made us all happy.
So, as you can see, good food packaging design can make a big difference to your sales and how customers see you. And yet, when it comes to designing your packaging, there is so much more involved than creating a series of stunning images, designs or logos. Packaging regulations and labeling can be a minefield, but we know the process inside out, which means we can take the hassle out of the whole process, not just the design part! Once packaging is approved, we also take care of the production; we work with a variety of specially selected printers and packaging companies so we can find the right fit for your packaging requirements. The way we operate – from research, design and the actual, final packaging, ensures the whole process is seamless and, most importantly, it works for your food business and your needs.
If you would like to know more, and discover how you can develop and create the right design and brand, talk to us today – our design and packaging experience, alongside our understanding of the food industry and what works, makes a winning combination and we can’t wait to unleash the potential within your food business.