IDY Creative - Branding, Package Design and 3D Viz

In what has to be the most under whelming unveiling yet — and a bad case of stolen thunder — for one of the largest retailers in the world, Walmart (unhyphenated as a single word from now on) just uploaded a formal, band-aid of a press release to their web site confirming the logo change that surfaced over the weekend when The Wall Street Journal reported that the Memphis and Shelby County Division of Planning and Development had received documents from Walmart with the intent of opening a prototype store there. An artist rendering on those documents showed a new sign over the facade of the proposed store, wrote Armin at UnderConsideration.

As a reason of why the logo change, the reports on newspapers all allude to Walmart’s continued evolution and progression from its less-than-glamorous reputation and image as an invasive retailer with less-than-desirable employment and environmental practices. And the evasive press release does little to explain anything:But what really matters is what happens out there in the stores. This update to the logo is simply a reflection of the refresh taking place inside our stores and our renewed sense of purpose to help people save money so they can live better.

So with no reasoning or no explanation of what the new star burst stands for, or why the decision to change to a single word, all we have to go by is the logo that replaces the 16-year-old sans serif that was as thick and heavy as the beige boxes it adorned for so long. The new logo is rumored to have been designed by New York-based Lippincott — and I will happily amend this as soon as there is more information available. The change to title case helps humanize Walmart with a name that reads more like John, Albert, Sarah or Wilbur; it really looks very different and sets a different tone. The wordmark is nice and friendly and has enough customization to feel more proprietary than out-of-the-box. The new icon, however, is very questionable. It reflects technology start-up or telecommunications company before it does discount retailing that will make anyone live better. Sure, it might represent a flower or a sun, but the execution is too modern and cold to be seen as a natural element

The new store environment and applications of the logo will define how good this can be and if the whole package supports this initial tease. I remain skeptical yet optimistic, but not too much. To leave you with some inspiration, here are Walmarts’ logos over the years, picked from this page — do note the tuscan-faced logo of the 1960s, wow.

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Randy Ludacer of Beach Package Design writes a very good article in Package Design Magazine about product visualization and its importance in manufacturers’ decisionmaking. We find this is a key step in the package design process. Retailers want to see the product as it will look - typically on the shelves.

Like us, Beach is often contracted to create a “virtual” prototype before the product is made:

“Before making the a new product, our clients will usually make a either a physical prototype or—in cases where the product is essentially a design idea—they’ll hire us to make a simulated picture of the proposed product and present that to the buyer before incurring any actual manufacturing costs.”

Of course, this is exactly what we do best. Hey, Randy… I’m droppin’ you a line.

JoAnn Hines, world renowned as “the Packaging Diva” for her industry expertise, has written a very insightful article about packaging for the consumer. Check it out on her blog.

JoAnn’s written many important articles on the subject of packaging, and consults with entrepreneurs and companies large and small who have something to sell. She also speaks at packaging events across the country.

We’re pleased to announce our redesign of Yuca Bites (formerly known as Pan de Yuca). This yuca bread treat was selling well in South America, but Yogurt Persa, the makers, wanted to bring the product to the U.S. market, and to make a splash. We branded the name “Yuca Bites”, and designed the package from top to bottom using existing product photography.

The brand moniker, a custom font created from scratch and hand drawn, conveys warmth and natural goodness.

The company hopes to gain a foothold in the U.S. market, and promote its education- and eco-friendly practices.

Please comment on the new brand design!

We’re proud to have designed the new label and bottle for Seven+, Exfuze’s all-natural açai extract nutritional drink. As part of a complete brand overhaul, IDY Creative wiped the slate clean on a bland, dated Seven+ label, and created a completely new brand ID. The new product is designed to compete directly with Mona Vie, a rival açai-based nutritional drink.

As usual, we began with multiple concept sketches and color studies. We designed the logotype with a modern font for readability and recognition, and incorporated the “+” sign into it. This unifies the logo with the “Seven” being dominant and the “+” subdominant. Fresh new colors were used.

The fountain shape was carefully designed to convey liquid and energy simultaneously, while the seven circles signify each of the seven important ingredients that make up the drink. The shape will be used interchangeably with the logotype, depending on the application.

Our goal was to give the product its best shot to overtake its competitors and be recognized worldwide as “the most nutritious drink on the planet”.

What do you think of the new design? Please comment

IDY Creative, Inc. is proud to have designed the new brand identity for Exfuze, manufacturer of the highly successful Seven+ nutritional drink known as “The most nutritious drink on the planet”. Exfuze retained us to elevate the brand’s position among its competitors. We enhanced the energy of the corporate logo by streamlining the human “X” form, and modernizing the base structure with bold letterforms and a color that symbolizes the seven ingredients in Seven+.

Please comment on the Exfuze re-brand!

Additionally, the IDY Creative team designed a whole new Seven+ logo. The dated brand needed modernization to keep pace with the onslaught of açai-based nutritional drinks flooding the market. The new design incorporates specific elements representing the seven extracts that make up the drink (gac, açai, goji, noni, fucoidan, mangosteen and seabuckthorn). This is, in my view, the only açai nutrition drink that actually tastes good!
What are your thoughts on this new design?

Finally, we designed the company’s corporate identity, trade show graphics and corporate web site. The result is a powerful new brand that embodies the energy of Exfuze and Seven+.

That naming and branding paradise otherwise known as 7-Eleven has just debuted a Super Big Gulp of product names for us all to savor just after being named the #1 franchise in the country by USA Today revealed an article at name development.
First off is the Signature 7 line of products that include “31 snacks, including beef jerky, chips, cookies, nuts, trail mix and candy.” You can wash that stuff down with “Inked,” the company’s new tattoo friendly energy drink.

Or grab an Asian roller or a 7-Eleven hotdog, 7-Eleven sells more of them than any other store in America, making them the “king of all hotdog vendors!”

On the other hand, you can just grab a cup of coffee. Last month they amped up their coffee branding with their “freshness guaranteed” blitz. But if you’re smart, you’ll go for the Slurpuccino, “the love child of a Slurpee and a cappuccino,” according to The Stew.

The Slurpuccino. I love it. That’s the name of the week, folks.

Sweden’s Gunnar Dafgård becomes the first to use a new molded wood-pulp tray that offers dual-ovenability and sustainability advantages revealed Packaging world.

Sweden’s largest family-run ready-meals maker, Gunnar Dafgård AB, is satisfying the consumer’s taste for premium packaging that’s environmentally friendly, pioneering a new sustainable packaging solution from SilviPak of Sweden. Dafgård became the first to use new SilviPak molded wood-pulp packaging for its most popular frozen ready meal, Billy’s Lasagne, which is produced at a rate of 18 metrics tons/day.

The SilviPak tray is made from 100% virgin fiber with no recycled paper content. The material can be molded into virtually any shape or size and is then covered with a film barrier layer of choice. For its 200-g lasagna product, DafgÃ¥rd chose the SilviPak 3001, a 173×120x30-mm, dual-ovenable tray coated with a barrier layer of CPET, to replace an existing paperboard tray. The secondary packaging consists of a flexible film bag.

Dafgård produces more than 30 different frozen and chilled ready meals for distribution to foodservice and retail outlets across Europe. The company plans to launch other meals in the SilviPack tray in the coming months.

Please comment on this story.

I came across this great article from Lightning Labels about understanding bar codes, otherwise known as UPCs. Lightning Labels specializes in custom labels and stickers in short run quantities. They’re also a member of the Packaging Diva’s Dream Team.

Here’s a very good and in-depth article from The Box Co-op with tips on designing and laying out your packaging.

The Box Co-op is a member (like us) of the Packaging Diva’s Dream Team. For all your questions about packaging your product or invention, look no further than the Packaging Diva, JoAnn Hines.