Meat + Poultry - July 2004 - 28

Label

One way Topps hamburger patties stand
out is with the photos on the packages of raw
product, something many companies shy away
from. "It's demonstrative of what the consumer
sees when they open the box," says Patnaude.
"We're really proud of what is in our packages
so we put it right there on the label."
Steve Douglas, president of Toronto-based
The Logo Factory, says when it comes to logos and artwork on food
packaging, keeping it simple is a good rule of thumb. "Don't make it
over-complicated," he says. "A lot of times people want the logo to tell

a story about the company or its heritage."
Food labels aren't the best canvases for
storytelling. "Simple is better," Douglas says,
citing Apple Computer's logo as an example.
Especially in today's marketing environment, the flexibility of a company's logo is
crucial. "It needs to look as good at a lower resolution as it does in high resolution,"
Douglas says. Details that look perfectly fine for a logo on letterhead
may appear completely different on the side of a truck or on a billboard, for example. "Good design starts with one color and you can
add colors as it evolves."
Douglas says some commercial designs are somewhat whimsical and companies looking for a long-term identity
shouldn't get caught up in trends. "Back
in 1999 and 2000, the swoosh was hot.
You saw it everywhere in some form." That
trend came and went. "Another more recent kind of fad is the use of shadows in
logos, which again, limits applications,"
Douglas says.
Besides using the label as a marketing
tool at the point of sale, Jill Gifford, manager of the Food Entrepreneur Assistance Program at the Univ. of NebraskaLincoln, points out that recipe ideas can
trigger repeat sales. "Even with a product like sausage you can offer suggested
Fuji-Formost FW-3462 Alpha V
Stretch Shrink Wrapper
uses like in casseroles or as a breakfast
item," she says.
Gifford says clients going through the
university's From Recipe to Reality course
are encouraged to also consider appropriate color use and whether or not to expose the actual product to consumers.
Formost GT-4
Fuji-Formost FW-3710B
Frozen Patty Bagger
Box Motion Wrapper
"You have to consider what colors look
Formost offers dedicated, automated packaging systems
good against a product and if the product
should be visible at all," says Gifford.
and versatile machines with quick change adaptability.
As for doing design work in house, GifOur wrappers and baggers are backed by Formost's
ford
advises her clients to leave the art to
outstanding reputation for high quality, immediate parts
professional artists or advertising agencies,
availability, and dependable service.
but also recommends taking any drawings
Our Guarantee:
or concepts to them to convey an idea.
However, she says, "If you think you can
* Proven performance
do it and not look like you hacked it out on a
* Continuing support
home computer, then go ahead," she says.
* Installation and operator training
"Most people don't have the graphics skills
* Immediately available replacement parts
and I usually advise against it."
M&P

BAGGERS, WRAPPERS
& AUTOMATION SOLUTIONS

* Factory trained service personnel

Quality is "First and Formost"

We would like to hear from you-
your comments and questions
about this article are welcome.
E-mail the author at: jcrews@sosland.com

(425) 483-9090 * www.formostpkg.com
For more information, see ad index on Page 82

MEAT&POULTRY

www.MEATPOULTRY.com

JULY 2004

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Meat + Poultry - July 2004

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