Package Design - April 2012 - 10

SNAPSHOTS

Sips of Shangri-La
Tea Forté uses adventurous graphics to package paradise.

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he perception of luxury is key when you’re introducing a product to Neiman Marcus, W hotels and high-end specialty retailers around the world. That’s why Tea Forté (Concord, MA) aimed for “upscale culinary,” as company founder and CEO Peter Hewitt describes it, when designing the packaging for a new line of coconut teas. “The product succeeds in looking clean, tropical and delicious. We used bold coconut imagery and green botanicals that reference the tropics and the tea in a loose way,” he says. “The boxes are about using white on white. The labels imply transparency with a tinted back image of the box on all of the labels, providing a sheer, translucent effect that somehow feels magical and lets the imagery speak through the labels.” Tea Forté reports that consumer demand is growing for coconut beverages—so much so that what was once a drink reserved for tropical getaways is now a multimillion-dollar industry. In response, the company developed a collection of hand-crafted coconut teas destined for sale at resorts, restaurants, luxury retailers, hotels and natural and specialty grocery stores—many of which have shelves stuffed with competing brands and sometimes very similar offerings. “Our designs are compelling, but we also wrap them on signature box formats that are unique to Tea Forté. The boxes contain our highly differentiated silk infuser tea pyramids that stand apart,” Hewitt explains. “We work very quickly, going from screen to wrapping the designs on three-dimensional mock-ups. We create many versions until we hit on a design that feels dreamy and gives us an urge to put the kettle on.”

Canning the Bottle
New packaging combines special effects and sustainability.

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iball Energy (San Francisco, CA) recently switched to aluminum cans decorated with thermochromic ink to introduce its reformulated sparkling energy waters and give the beverages additional portability and on-shelf pop. Todd Berardi, Hiball’s founder and president, says the redesign was targeted at sophisticated, healthconscious consumers of all ages. The goal, he explains, was to have the product easily differentiated from competitive products and, by putting it in the preferred package of the category, have new consumers immediately connect with Hiball as an energy drink. “We enabled consumers to connect with the brand by switching to a 16-oz. can, a package option that is also lighter, larger, more sustainable and more portable. Previously, bottling in glass was premium and unique, but it took the consumer an extra step to determine what the product was,” he says. The new packaging also features a larger billboard to explain the drink’s differentiation and benefits. “We’ve already experienced a huge increase in demand from current retailers because of the switch to 16-oz. cans and because of the sharp redesign,” Berardi says. The new aluminum structures, produced by Ball Corp. (Broomfield, CO), feature cold-activated graphics designed by Alyssa Warnock Design Studio (San Francisco, CA). The bubbles in the artwork turn from white to blue when cans reach a temperature of 45 deg Fahrenheit (7 deg Celsius) to indicate the optimal drinking temperature. Chromatic Technologies Inc. (Colorado Springs, CO) produced the special-effects inks. Berardi says Hiball’s customers ultimately win by getting 60% more volume, 30% lower cost per ounce and lighter, 100% recyclable aluminum cans.

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april 2012



Package Design - April 2012

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Package Design - April 2012

Package Design - April 2012
Contents
From the Editor
Front Panel
Snapshots
Designer's Corner
Certifiable, and Proud of It
Prescription for Profits
Far Beyond Farming
The Promise of Technology
Proof of Concepts
Product Focus: Glass & Rigid Plastic
Online Now
Datebook
Index of Advertisers
Globespotting
Package Design - April 2012 - Intro
Package Design - April 2012 - Package Design - April 2012
Package Design - April 2012 - Cover2
Package Design - April 2012 - 1
Package Design - April 2012 - Contents
Package Design - April 2012 - 3
Package Design - April 2012 - From the Editor
Package Design - April 2012 - 5
Package Design - April 2012 - Front Panel
Package Design - April 2012 - 7
Package Design - April 2012 - 8
Package Design - April 2012 - 9
Package Design - April 2012 - Snapshots
Package Design - April 2012 - 11
Package Design - April 2012 - 12
Package Design - April 2012 - 13
Package Design - April 2012 - Designer's Corner
Package Design - April 2012 - 15
Package Design - April 2012 - 16
Package Design - April 2012 - 17
Package Design - April 2012 - Certifiable, and Proud of It
Package Design - April 2012 - 19
Package Design - April 2012 - 20
Package Design - April 2012 - 21
Package Design - April 2012 - Prescription for Profits
Package Design - April 2012 - 23
Package Design - April 2012 - Far Beyond Farming
Package Design - April 2012 - 25
Package Design - April 2012 - 26
Package Design - April 2012 - 27
Package Design - April 2012 - The Promise of Technology
Package Design - April 2012 - 29
Package Design - April 2012 - Proof of Concepts
Package Design - April 2012 - 31
Package Design - April 2012 - 32
Package Design - April 2012 - 33
Package Design - April 2012 - Product Focus: Glass & Rigid Plastic
Package Design - April 2012 - 35
Package Design - April 2012 - 36
Package Design - April 2012 - 37
Package Design - April 2012 - Online Now
Package Design - April 2012 - Index of Advertisers
Package Design - April 2012 - Globespotting
Package Design - April 2012 - Cover3
Package Design - April 2012 - Cover4
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