ColorMaker has been supplying natural, plant-based food colors to the business-to-business channel for many years. Their customers include manufacturers of packaged foods and sauces, bakeries and beverage companies. Recently, they decided to market their product to the consumer for the first time. They called on us to help them.
Our first task was consumer research. We conducted focus groups with the target audience; in this case, women between age 25 and 50 who enjoy baking. This product is a natural alternative to the food colors sold in most stores. It’s plant based, while the others are chemical based. As we expected, the groups were enthusiastic about the natural, 100% plant-based attribute. What we didn’t anticipate was that the name of the company, colorMaker, did not sound natural. We presented our insight and positioning statement to the client along with some recommendations, which included creating a new brand name.
The client agreed, and so our next task was a naming study. With this process, we created a long list of names and checked each name for trademark availability. Then we narrowed down the list to several names with preliminary trademark availability. We presented this list to the client. They chose Color GardenTM and applied for the trademark.
Our next project was the design of the packaging. The brief mandated that the packaging be fun and colorful. We obliged by using bright primary hues and whimsical typefaces. One constraint was the very small physical size of the package. This is where the scale and proportion of the design elements are critical. Now that it’s finished, our small package packs a big punch on the retail shelf.
Reaction to the new packaging design has been extremely positive, and even before the product’s official release there was extensive interest from large retailers.
Bentley Brands is an Orange County-based packaging design and marketing communications agency that helps clients grow their brands through unique, effective and highly personalized services.