Business – Design/Art

June 18, 2019 In Behind the Scenes, Business, Business - Design/Art, Design, General, Ideas, Observation, Opinion, Packaging, Spotlight, Travel

5 Things to Do When Attending the Summer Fancy Food Show in New York

We’re New York City bound for this summer’s Fancy Food Show! Are you? Do you want to go somewhere new while in town for the show? We wanted to share five of our favorite places to visit when we’re in NYC. Try one or a few of these hot spots while you are in town––we promise you won’t regret it!

We would love to meet up during the show and chat about how we can extend your on shelf presence. Click here and we will reach out to set something up!

1. Thea Grant

Whether you are looking for a unique gift to bring home, want a one-of-a-kind statement piece of your own, or want to be inspired––head to Thea Grant in Brooklyn. This charming design-and-lifestyle store is family-run by a talented husband and wife team and offers high end, handmade jewelry and intricate metal pieces. They specialized in uniquely beautiful antique and estate pieces that tell a story, you never know what gem you will find. We could not leave without purchasing a custom stamped brass keychain that they made right in front of us.

BONUS: While in DUMBO, make sure to check out mexican hot spot Gran Eléctrica. We love their fresh eats and unique cocktails, especially on a hot day in the city. If you’re feeling adventurous, sample a few of their speciality tequilas and unwind while dining al fresco.

2. Two Kids and a Dog

While in Brooklyn, stop by Two Kids and a Dog at the Pearl Street Triangle. We stumbled upon this sweet children’s store when searching for the perfect authentic (yet fun) souvenir for our son––a NYC garbage truck toy that was a HUGE hit! The store is perfectly curated with unique toys, children’s clothing, gifts, and speciality items.

3. New York Water Taxi

Looking for a different way to explore the city? Head to the water! The New York Water Taxi to be exact. This is the perfect way to see different parts of the city and its surrounding areas, especially if you are short on time. We suggest buying an all day pass to explore and stop along the way, then hop back on and venture to another part of the city. Our favourite route is to go from Midtown/Hell’s Kitchen to Battery Park to view the exquisite gardens, then head over to South Street Seaport for waterside shopping in unique, restored wharfside buildings from the early 1800’s. From there, we like to head to Brooklyn/DUMBO for some more great shopping and good eats. Then, travel back up to Midtown via the State of Liberty and Ellis Island. Pro tip: bypass the long lines to see the Statue of Liberty, and drive by it while on the water taxi. You get super close and stop for about 10 minutes for some quick photo opportunities. The water taxi guides are very friendly and provide a wealth of knowledge about NYC while ferrying around the city.

4. Gallery Hopping in Chelsea

If you want to explore art galleries, we love to start at 28th Street in Chelsea and snake our way between 10th and 11th Avenues taking in the different art along the way. The galleries are free to enjoy and most are open Monday through Saturday. Make sure to check out this interactive gallery map to see which artists are showing and plan your trip. The last time we gallery hopped, we happened to stumble upon a Damien Hirst exhibit by spotting one of his famous formaldehyde sharks in the gallery’s front window. Cue fanboy/fangirl moment! You never know whose art you will run into. This is a great way to recharge and get inspired by all of the creativity around you.

5. The High Line

It’s hard to believe that the High Line was set to be demolished in the 1990’s! During the 1930’s, the city built this elevated freight rail line above the streets of the West Side in response to the dangers of pedestrians walking on the street level tracks. After dwindling train usage, this space became an unused wasteland. Thankfully, the community pulled together to save this now beautiful 1.45-mile public space that is home to over 500+ species of plants and trees. We love getting fresh air along the greenway and stopping for refreshing treats such as an Italian ice or even pop into a local bar for a quick pint.

We can’t wait to see you at the Summer #FancyFoodShow.

Drop us a line and let’s chat about how we can help amplify your brand’s voice and on shelf presence. Click here to learn more about what we will be doing at the conference or use the form and we’ll reach out to you!

Wanting to try somewhere new to grab dinner after the show? Check out our 5 favorite places to eat while in New York.

Want to meet up and talk branding?

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March 20, 2019 In Business, Business - Design/Art, Design, General, Ideas, Observation, Opinion, Packaging, Travel, Trend Spotting

Expo Insights: Our Top 3 Trends from this year’s Expo West

Early in March i made my yearly pilgrimage to Expo West, the largest natural products trade show. I go to discover new products, get inspired by innovative packaging design and meet the amazing folks behind some of our favorite brands. Below is a recap and insights of some of my favorite finds – enjoy!

1. Kombucha is still king (or queen)

We saw (and sampled) a lot of the fizzy stuff. What we’re noticing is flavors are getting more subtle and nuanced and the potent “vinegar” reputation have all but gone away. Kombucha brands are innovating and really growing into their own. This is partly to push the boundaries of how we define kombucha but also to differentiate between the insane amount of brands on the market.

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The packaging design of Better Booch is what caught my eye. The colors were very inviting and looked great as a family. As I sampled the flavors they were all quite tasty but my favorite is Golden Pear flavor. I also really appreciate the use of the boston round bottle (a familiar sight in the category) paired with their solid branding.

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The folks at Flying Embers were great to chat with while I sipped on their tasty Ancient Berry flavor of hard kombucha. Their perspective is as millennials become more and more focused on health and wellness (but still want to have a good time). They’re looking for alternatives to beer – enter hard kombucha – a light fizzy probiotic way to get a buzz. Based on the rising popularity of ciders I think they’re onto something. Design-wise I love their can design with the bold foliage illustrations along the top and bottom of the can.

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Wild Tonic was the first hard kombucha out in the market we sampled at last years Expo so it was fun to check in and see what they’re up to. They highlighted their new seasonal selection: Strawberry Blood Orange – super refreshing and tasty. Wild Tonic’s design is very distinctive and recognizable – from their bold logo to their blue distinct bottle.

2. Unique & ownable vessels

As I walked the show I was stopped in my tracks by some amazing packaging substrates. These ranged from little pots containing plant based yogurt to baby blue powder coated bottles. These brands understand that it’s a crowded and busy world out there and if you want to stand out you need to look different on every level.

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Culina Yogurt was by far my favorite product of Expo. I literally was stopped in my tracks when I saw these little crocks that look like pots for plants. Not only does the little pot look amazing and so different from other yogurts, after you’ve eaten the tasty plant based yogurt you can use it as a planter!

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As I approached the Sunwink Beverage booth I was drawn in by the baby blue bottles assuming they were just full wrap labels. However As I was chatting with them and sampling their tasty tonic I learned they were powder coated! They really went above and beyond with this treatment and it matched their minimal flavor illustrations perfectly. I’m not sure how scalable powder coated bottles are but here’s hoping they can make it work.

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It’s hard to top all the great chocolate bar packaging at Expo however Elements Truffles definitely showcased an innovative but also handmade packaging in their Ayurvedic Inspired Chocolate bars. Embellishing each kraft box is a hand stitched fabric label highlighting the item name and a nice little illustration. Having the hand stitched label really drives home the attention given to their products and their specialty nature.

3. Redesigns

Expo is a great time to spot redesigns and new looks launching and a few caught my eye. What struck me about these particular redesigns is the boldness in each – stepping out of their brand’s comfort zone and creating something that is quite exciting.

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If you are a fan of bitters I’m sure you’ve come across Hella Cocktail Co and their bespectacled bowler hat packaging design. I’ve always enjoyed their old-timey barkeeper look however their redesign is a big jump into a more serious, established brand that is an authority in all things cocktail. From their refined chiseled logo to their flexible design system across their family of products the new look is a great upgrade and helps to build their reputation.

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Compostable picnicware is not a category you’d think would be all that exciting – necessary and extremely important- but not super exciting from a packaging point of view. Well the redesign of Repurpose is here to blow all our minds and make us question why we’ve accepted boring packaging from picnicware all these years. Their old packaging was fairly basic and standard for the category, but their redesign features bold colorful illustrations and clever copywriting (Strong as F*rk, Kind to the Earth is the item name for Forks.) Repurpose shows us that you can have asense of humor and save the world at the same time!

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I’ve loved Sir Kensington’s ever since they came out with their dapper packaging and their redesign is paired with the launch of some new products including a line of Vinaigrettes. The redesign focuses the attention on the iconic Sir Kensington with a simple bold blue background, fun ingredient illustrations, and simple clean typography. It’s great to see an established brand with a great personality continue to evolve.

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November 20, 2018 In Business - Design/Art, Design, Ideas, Opinion

Brand Storytelling with Merch

Using Your Merch to Help Tell your Story

Whatever kind of product you create, developing a merchandise strategy for your brand is universal. Merchandise, or “merch” is an easy affordable way to provide different opportunities for your fans to connect with your brand and share with their world. The best brands tap into trends and pop culture (think about the current hot trend of enamel pens) to create buzz (and sales!) In the post below you’ll learn about two brands we’ve helped craft their merchandise strategy and extend their brand.

Virgin Islands Coffee Roasters Merch Story

Coffee brands are masters at harnessing the power of merch. From t-shirts, mugs, and headwear to custom grinders and kettles there are tons of ways for rabid coffee fans to show their love to their favorite roasters.

The team at Virgin Islands Coffee Roasters have a very clear vision of the types of merchandise they wanted to explore. They wanted their products to play off their easy going, unpretentious island vibe. The products designed for them are very approachable, not only from a look stand point but also cost and put the brand front and center.

For the hats they wanted a trucker hat because they knew folks would likely be wearing these to the beach and wanted something that would dry easy and wasn’t too fancy. The two color ways reflect a laid back surfer vibe while still feeling part of the brand family.

For their coffee mugs, Virgin Islands Coffee Roasters were very clear about sourcing a diner mug. Not only is the shape timeless functionally it feels good in your hand. The diner mug also reflects the blue collar hardworking aspect of the brand – solid, consistent, no fuss. We took advantage of multiple imprint areas to not only represent the logo but also call outs featured on VICR’s packaging which repeat brand qualities like small batch and direct sourcing.

T-shirts are very popular among coffee brands so it’s hard to stand out from the crowd. We wanted the Sober Pirate shirt to be a bold statement. The bananaquit bird atop the skull and crossbones is a strong image that not only looks cool but echoes a major element of their primary logo. And because the shirt doesn’t hit you over the head that its for a coffee brand it transcends audiences – whether you like birds, pirates or coffee – the shirt speaks to you.

Having Fun with Fire Cider

For Fire Cider, the merch strategy was built around a bold statement they use in their branding, “Feel the Tonic Boom!” This statement represents the feeling of taking a shot of their signature tonics. It also reflects the personality of the brand – a little loud, irreverent, and in your face.

The t-shirt utilizes the bold statement and another element of Fire Cider’s iconography – the flaming shot glass. We wanted to create an image that would grab peoples attention. We layered white type onto of the black shot glass to create contrast. The result is a fun shirt design the feels a little punk rock.

Fire Cider’s tote bag carries the statement and flaming shot glass but in a different layout to not only take advantage of the different format bit also take into account the limitations of one color printing. The design is still eye catching within the different layout but clearly communicates the brand and consistently carries the overall look and feel.

Do you have a brand and need it reimagined into merch and need a strategic partner to help? We’re here for you.

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November 12, 2018 In Behind the Scenes, Business - Design/Art, Design, Ideas, Observation, Packaging

Behind the Design: Fire Cider Packaging Redesign

Fire Cider Tonic Packaging Before & After

When we tackled the redesign of Fire Cider we knew we were refreshing a brand that has passionate stakeholders inside the company and devoted fans outside. However, we also knew that the packaging needed to evolve for a changing retail landscape and a more savvy shopper.

A major priority was creating hierarchy in the label while balancing elements that needed to be carried over from the earlier design. Some of the updates included adding white to highlight their logo and brown to the forest creating depth in the label.

Reprioritizing and Hierarchy

Working alongside the Fire Cider team, we helped them redesign and reorganize an often overlooked area on the side of their label. Storytelling and communicating important information to shoppers is a large part of packaging design. Our redesign created an area to prioritize and highlight key elements.

Fire Cider has such a great story that needed featuring but we also wanted to convey other aspects of the tonic. Mainly pairing the item name with flavor cues (answering the question: How’s it going to taste?) and key ingredients that are not only essential to the recipe but also would pique the interest of a health conscious or foodie-minded shopper.

The illustrated ingredient icons are in line with the overall look and feel of the Fire Cider brand and help shoppers quickly see what makes these tonics so special.

Bringing Fire Cider Packaging Design to Life

When we started working on the redesign of Fire Cider we immediately saw an opportunity in reorganizing their PDP (principal display panel). We wanted to create focus on the important information like brand name and flavor. We created a frame that not only holds all the content, but also creates a space to add color which helps differentiate between the different flavors.

We didn’t want to confuse existing customers so we carried over the established color system. The focused color blocks paired with kraft paper label helps Fire Cider stand out on the shelf but still retain their natural feel.

Do you have a beverage (or any product) and need a strategic partner to help? We’re here for you.

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October 4, 2018 In Behind the Scenes, Business - Design/Art, Design, Ideas, Packaging, Spotlight

Behind the Design: TruAde Drinks

With the redesign of TruAde we were tasked with refreshing a heritage brand from the 1930’s to appeal to a new customer while also keeping the spirit and honoring its roots. We tapped into vintage TruAde ephemera for inspiration.

The typography we chose and the elements, including the star, were all inspired by our research. The simple and clean label redesign reinforces a reformulation and streamlining of ingredients as well.

Before & After

For our redesign we wanted TruAde to stand out on the shelf and offer a different look and feel to what we expect from C-store drinks – bubbly effects, splashes, and cartoony illustrations to name a few. We also wanted our design to have more contrast and bold limited colors to grab thirsty shopper’s attention.

Bringing TrAde Packaging Design to Life

These 12 pack can wraps were the most exciting part of the redesign for us. We really wanted to take advantage of the billboard opportunity and elaborate on the design system set up for the single formats. The wavy line shape was a throwback to an old TruAde door sign. You can imagine walking into a C-store and running into a whole display of all those bold colors!

Do you have a beverage (or any product) and need a strategic partner to help? We’re here for you.

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June 27, 2018 In Behind the Scenes, Business, Business - Design/Art, Coffee, Design, General, Ideas, Packaging, Spotlight

Defining Your Brand’s Personality Through Illustration

Color, shape, movement, imagery, emotion, brand recognition, sales- illustration is a great solution for capturing and conveying the unique qualities, feelings, and emotions of your product on its packaging design. Whether you chose to be literal or abstract and expressive, illustration can be a great way to help your product to stand out, differentiate your brand from competitors and create brand recognition with shoppers.

While we can talk about illustration all day, we know less talk and more pretty photos are what you crave! So let’s dive in and take a look at a few different examples of illustration in the marketplace including one of our recent projects which features rich, expressive drawings to capture a sense of place.

Bold Characters

Burnt & Salty create bold and unique flavor twists on traditional condiments like mustard and glazes. To capture their daring, irreverent take on traditional cuisine they’ve chosen to highlight a fun illustrated character for each of their flavors with stark silhouettes, crazy eyes, energetic shapes, and bright colors. The playful characters speak to the brand’s personality and adventurous products.

Sauer Frau bills itself as the first ever squeezable sauerkraut, kicking up the bratwurst game a few notches! Sauer Frau’s illustration style feels like something out of a comic book with restrained, formed lines. The “Sauer Frau” character as part of the logo pulls you in with her serious, no nonsense expression. Each flavor in the family has a simple yet bold color associated with it creating an unexpected billboard that still feels relevant in the condiment category.

Literally

Epic Provisions has always done an amazing job showcasing their products through packaging design. One of their latest products, Pork Cracklings, feels like its been pulled from the pages of a mid-century kid’s adventure novel complete with a limited color palette and vintage inspired typography and shapes. The pig illustration is realistic and feels scientific or from a veterinary textbook. The illustrations on their packaging speak directly to their ‘back to basics’ view of food and their desire to utilize the simple yet powerful diets of our ancestors.

Roland Foods is an importer of more than 1500 foods from around the world. They have a variety of packaging design within their product catalog, but the style that caught our eye is the realistic representation of products on their canned food. At first glance it almost reads as a photograph because the illustration is executed so pragmatically, yet upon further inspection you start to see little splashes here and there which add a layered homemade artisan feel to the restrained style.

Our Latest Project – Virgin Islands Coffee Roasters Packaging Redesign

When we first started working on redesigning Virgin Islands Coffee Roaster’s packaging we knew we wanted to find a way to feature the lush colorful views of the Virgin Islands and try to create a sense of place.

We drew inspiration from Dorothy Draper’s iconic tropical floral wallpaper and merged that style with a coffee plant and bananaquit, a bird that is part of the Virgin Islands story and the brand. Wanting the plant to feel wild and organic, we allowed the coffee plant illustration to climb up one side of the front of the coffee bag then spread across the gusset and around the back.

We worked to create the feeling of looking through a coffee farm and discovering this packaging nestled in the leaves. The coffee labels each feature a scientific line drawing behind each coffee name in the product family, which provides a contrast to the more fluid coffee plant. Fresh, exotic, energetic and memorable we feel this packaging redesign captures the spirit of the brand and the product that lives inside.

Click the button below to view our Virgin Islands Coffee Roasters Redesign project and many more ways we’ve helped client’s define their brand’s personality through compelling design.

VIEW MORE WORK

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June 27, 2018 In Business, Business - Design/Art, Design, General, Ideas, Packaging, Trend Spotting

Why We Joined the Specialty Food Association (It’s not just because we love food!)

We recently joined the Specialty Food Association (SFA), a trade group that represents the specialty food industry. Sure, we LOVE to eat and are always on the hunt for new foods and beverages to fall in love with, but the decision to join was actually in an effort to further educate ourselves on all aspects of the industry, increase our company’s expertise in the specialty food packaging realm and in turn, give us the ability to help more clients realize their success.

Why We Think It’s Important

We’ve been familiar with the Specialty Food Association for many years, learning about their importance in the industry back when we worked in house for The Fresh Market. Their sofi awards – think the Oscars of the food world – have been informing grocery buyers and and industry professionals of innovative and trending products in the current market for the past 46 years. We remember helping with the submission that would lead to The Fresh Market’s 2011 sofi award win for Outstanding Specialty Food Retailer Award. There was also the bi-annual buzz throughout the office when the buyers and executives would prepare for SFA’s Summer and Winter Fancy Food Shows and return with tales (and sometimes samples!) of exciting new products and trends they experienced at the show.

When we set out on our own to establish Buttermilk Creative as the premier specialty food and beverage packaging design agency we already understood how essential keeping a pulse on the industry is to the success of our clients. Since the launch of our business we have attended several food shows throughout the year each year, including SFA’s Fancy Food Show. However, this spring we took it a step further by becoming official card carrying members the Specialty Food Association! Woo hoo!

What Our Clients Stand to Gain

While we appreciate all the warm fuzzy feelings associated with being a part of this organization, we also recognize that this is a great asset for our clients and the enhanced services we can offer them. We will continue to annually be in attendance at the Summer Fancy Food Show. In 2017 the Show featured more than 2,600 exhibitors, with representation from 57 countries around the world and showcasing more than 180,000 specialty food products. The Show is the largest marketplace in North America devoted exclusively to specialty foods and beverages. These shows provide us with an opportunity to see the near future of specialty food and beverage, meet the makers and founders, connect with many of our clients and stuff our faces with some of the most amazing food and beverages (we told you we love to eat)!!! Yet the true highlight is that we are able to observe what is trending in the marketplace in all areas of packaging design including advances in sustainable materials, cutting edge printing techniques and diverse interpretations on what resonates with shoppers (plus we geek out on a lot of amazing packaging design!). We also gain new perspective on the challenges and struggles unique to the specialty food and beverage world and learn how we can help alleviate these hurdles for our clients.

Yet the true highlight is that we are able to observe what is trending in the marketplace in all areas of packaging design including advances in sustainable materials, cutting edge printing techniques and diverse interpretations on what resonates with shoppers

Becoming an SFA member also allows us to become further immersed in the community as well as get in the inside track of the industry. We hear about every policy update, headline, or cutting edge trend. That means we can build on our knowledge and continue to speak specifically to our clients needs and opportunities that relate to production, consumer trends, shopper insights, and learning about overall strategies that will help drive sales and lead to their success.

Here’s to more knowledge, more connections, more food and of course the most success for your brand!

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June 3, 2018 In Behind the Scenes, Business - Design/Art, Ideas, Observation, Opinion, Packaging, Spotlight

Behind the Design: The Fresh Market Simmer Sauces

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Cooler weather has us thinking about warm dishes. Our design for The Fresh Market Simmer Sauces captures the homemade artisan feel of the product. The flavors are inspired by global flavors like Mojo Verde.

Dishes are prepared in a skillet so we utilized the shape as a frame to contain the item name and important information. Combining the skillet shape and the large color field creates an eye catching billboard for these products on the shelf.

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Handmade Elements for a handmade product

We’re always looking for opportunities to add handmade elements and qualities to our designs, and this label is no different. We feel like these elements create depth and creates interest in the shopper inviting them to pick up the product.

We added texture to further enhance the homemade quality of the sauces. Hand-lettered item names give the product an approachable scratch made feel. The typography is also fun and energetic inspiring home cooks to grab it and go home and create a tasty meal by simply adding to one of their favorite ingredients.

Educating with icons

Because we knew the target customer for this item might be a less experienced cook wanting to explore new flavors we wanted to give hints and educate on the packaging. To accomplish this we created a “Great with…” icon set for each flavor giving cues for which ingredient to use with each sauce. The icons need to be read quickly and easily from the shelf, so we intentionally designed them to be very simple and recognizable.

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Color story

Bold colors help the Simmer Sauces stand out on the shelf and grab shoppers attention. The colors were inspired by the different flavors; orange is roasted garlic, red chipotle adobo, and green is mojo verde. It was important to create a family feel to the three sauces, but also creates a strong identity so each can stand on their own.

Do you have a simmer sauce (or any product) and need a strategic partner to help? We’re here for you.

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April 24, 2018 In Business - Design/Art, Design, Ideas, Opinion, Packaging, Travel, Trend Spotting

Our insights from this year’s Expo West | Sustainable Innovation

About a month ago we attended Expo West in Anaheim to walk the many aisles and see innovative & inspiring products. The following posts run through our insights and finds we’re excited to share.

Expo West is one of the largest, if not the largest, trade show for the natural products industry. With over 3000 exhibitors and estimates of 80,000 – 100,000 attendees it can be an overwhelming and claustrophobic experience – but it can also be very helpful and inspiring.

We went this year and spent 3 days soaking up all the emerging trends, innovative brands, and inspiring entrepreneurs who move the needle for the industry. We’re excited to share our insights and discoveries with you below.

Sustainable Innovation

We saw a bunch of neat and innovative sustainable products – both in the products and the materials used. As we learn more and more about how our actions are changing the planet, these products and innovations are going to be more critical and important to work into the packaging we design.

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Remember Tofurky? What used to be a bit of a joke (at least for non-vegetarians) has quietly become a leader in plant based protein innovations. Plus they have a great, contemporary take a vintage 60s era design. Plant based protein will become a larger part of our diets as we move away from the non-sustainable practices of mass farming for protein – and Tofurkey makes it look and taste good!

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Asarasi blew us away with how good their flavored waters are – and then we heard about how the actual product is harvested. It’s a by product of the maple syrup industry. We thought “tree-filtered” was a gimmick, but no way – the water is literally filtered through the trees created a pure, natural resource. The process doesn’t hurt trees, so it’s a sustainable way to retrieve water. We also really liked their subtle design and color family.

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This Bar Saves Lives is an awesome story – combating malnutrition in other countries with each purchase domestically. They recently redesigned and we love the collaged bold use of pattern and color along with flavor cues. These bars have a very serious mission, but on the shelf look like a party and make you smile.

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Bee’s Wrap is probably our favorite product overall from Expo West. A reusable replacement for saran wrap or aluminum foil, it sticks to itself or other surfaces to make little snack bags or save leftovers. Think of how much waste can be saved by just cutting those two things out? The design is very on trend with the natural products industry with heavy use of kraft an subtle earthy colors. The actual product has a nice honeycomb pattern randomly placed which gives it a nice natural look and feel.

Enjoy our other stories from 2018 Expo West:

Our Favorite Finds

Color Stories

Special Printing Effects

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April 19, 2018 In Business, Business - Design/Art, Design, Ideas, Observation, Opinion, Packaging, Travel, Trend Spotting

Our insights from this year’s Expo West | Special Printing Effects

About a month ago we attended Expo West in Anaheim to walk the many aisles and see innovative & inspiring products. The following posts run through our insights and finds we’re excited to share.

Special Printing Effects

If you command a high premium price for your products, then they better look like it- and with today’s technology specialty printing and materials are well within the reach of big and small brands. We saw lots of interesting products at Expo – here’s a few:

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Omiberry, a subtly sweet sparkling berry drink, captures your attention with a beautiful gold and rose gold foil effect. Also there are mysterious die cut holes throughout the label that make you want to pick the product up and look around it.

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Holy Kombucha takes advantage of foil label printing with nice shimmer on their logo and item name. And even though they have a lot of color coverage the label still shines because of the foil underneath. All of it reinforcing the “holy” aspect of their name.

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Lovingearth chocolate bars utilize embossing to create interesting textures on their products and reinforce the beautiful simplistic illustrations created for each item. The colors are very nice and deep as well. Another great example of actual visual texture that engages the shopper from the shelf.

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K’ul Chocolates go all out for their chocolate bar packaging. From custom shaped boxes and windows, foil printing, multiple types of materials, and a beautiful foil label that seals everything up – the whole experience is rich and gives the shopper an idea of the quality within. We love seeing a specialty company embrace this level of of specialty.

Enjoy our other stories from 2018 Expo West:

Our Favorite Finds

Color Stories

Sustainable Innovation