Introducing: Monthly Design Walks

January 2025: Farmshop

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For our inaugural packaging walk, we kept it local and went to the Brentwood Country Mart to check out what restaurant and boutique grocer, Farmshop, has in stock after the holiday season. Check out our highlights below + thoughts on what's goin on in food and bev.
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1. While the store is filled year-round with giftable goodies across food and bev, the assortment this week seems to have an additional emphasis on pantry staples vs. the pre-holiday gift frenzy the weeks prior.
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2. Pasta Brand Rubirosa caught our eye with their punchy twist on traditional pasta boxes. The box echoes back to traditional Italian-American graphic styles while standing out on shelf with their bright color-scheme and tasteful layout. The product itself is visible through a cut-out, which allows the customer to assess the noodle quality at first glance.
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3. Non-alcoholic spirit Namari stood out to us as a beautiful giftable item for a N.A. friend or someone sober curious, but it left more to be desired in terms of effective on-shelf packaging. It took us some googling to understand the product further, and could be improved with some concise yet effective copy on the front of the label, such as calling out key tasting notes or use cases.
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4. Condiment brand Suzie's held its own on shelf with their traditional ketchup, mustard, and mayo squeeze bottles. The labels themselves convey tradition and heritage, while still feeling modern and "on trend" through their use of typography and color. Their labels are bright and fun, and the first thing the eye goes to after reading the logo on the Mayo bottle is the word 'REAL' in all-caps. This immediately distinguishes themselves as a trustworthy take on condiments without the chemicals and processed ingredients we all expect from the name brands. Next, the eye sees an illustration of the core ingredient + well-placed organic and gluten-free badges. All in all, we are big fans of this brand's approach to their packaging — it feels clean, simple, and non-fussy. Well done, Suzie's!
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We walked away from this shopping visit with a specific question to chew on: "For these brands, what is their ideal use case, and who is their ideal customer?"

At the end of the day, successful brand design centers around being able to effectively and visually design for the answer to this question. CPG food and bev brands need to have a clear understanding of who they are serving in order to lay out their products effectively.

In the context of our visit today, some products will serve more as a memorable gift than a pantry staple, and the packaging should reflect that in order to speak to the right person. Take Namari for example - their stunning bottle looks great on shelf and serves as a fantastic giftable item, but may not really explain who they are to someone looking to stock their home bar. Suzie's on the other hand really speaks to those looking for a pantry staple that tastes good and will work for their family.

Some products are just so good that they are a win win in both categories, but don't make the mistake of designing too broad from the get go. Know who you are designing for, and obsess over them in ever step of your design process.

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