Kaleidoscope®

We hear this a lot from clients after consumer research wraps: "The prototypes you created for us were extremely well received and we're moving forward quickly to actually develop several of the products that came out of the research. Prototyping for the win!" It proves what we always say: packaging prototypes deliver unique insights you simply can't get anywhere else. Yet they're also often one of the first things cut when timelines get tight and budgets get fixed. But in our experience, the cost of skipping them almost always exceeds the cost of building them. In a recent conversation with a brand known for its dramatic, single-color packaging, we heard a horror story (to us, anyway). To introduce a new variety, the team had selected a deep green that looked rich and premium in digital representations and tested well with consumers. They went so far as to manufacture several thousand packages for a first run, only to find that on store shelves, the color went muddy and the packaging became recessive. Not at all the result the brand wanted, and all the product had to be pulled, at great expense. Early packaging prototypes would’ve flagged this immediately, allowing color adjustments that would’ve saved significant time, money, and headaches. From color and finishes to structural exploration and consumer research, these are the situations where physical prototypes consistently prove their value, and where skipping them tends to be the most expensive decision a team makes. Read the deeper dive: https://lnkd.in/gEZCvsAs #packagingdesign #packagingprototyping #CPG #productdevelopment #packagingmockups

Great food deserves to be unmissable. Jenny's Tofu is built on something real: organic, Illinois-grown soybeans, crafted with intention, and earning its place in retail. But even a premium product still needs packaging that can hold its own at shelf.   With expanded distribution on the horizon, Jenny's needed a packaging system that could solve a precise problem: multiple product types, shared shelf space, and a brand identity that hadn't yet found its full visual voice. The system had to create clear navigation and differentiation without fragmenting what made Jenny's worth choosing in the first place.   We developed a concept built around stronger visual hierarchy, elevated product photography, sharpened flavor cues through typography and color, and a communication strategy that makes navigation effortless at shelf. Every decision was made with shopability and retail readiness in mind.   The result is a system that gives Jenny's Tofu the visual authority to compete and the clarity to convert.   See the full case study: https://lnkd.in/gpCYcCuv #PackagingDesign #CPGDesign #FoodPackaging #BrandIdentity #Kaleidoscope

The c-store has become its own destination. That's not the news, though. Rather, it's the pace of innovation and the ongoing shifts in consumer behavior that are forcing CPGs to move faster than ever in this space. Our team has logged some serious road trip miles this summer, visiting more than a few convenience stores to feed our cravings, fill our cupholders, and see just how much things have changed. From more fresh, better-for-you options and higher-quality coffee to larger-size snacks and only-at-c-store formats, gone are the days of plastic-y pork rinds and energy bombs masquerading as beverages (but you can still get those if you want). Some chains, like Kwik Trip, have always prioritized quality and selection, and have the fan following to prove it. But the expansion of places like Sheetz and Wawa shows a demand for c-stores that deliver on a bigger promise: a clean, fun-to-explore place from which you don't actually want to run. The c-store channel has always rewarded packaging that stops a consumer mid-stride. But the bar has moved. As the channel evolves from quick-stop necessity to destination retail, packaging is doing more strategic work than it ever has. It needs to communicate quality, signal brand values, and compete for attention in an environment where the best emerging brands are investing in formats, finishes, and structures purpose-built for the channel. C-store packaging that worked five years ago is competing against a completely different standard today. And that's exactly why NACS matters. It's where many of the brands shaping the future of convenience introduce new ideas, strengthen retail partnerships, and show buyers what's next. Having just returned from the Las Vegas Convention Center for Sweets & Snacks, we've seen firsthand the power of a booth filled with traffic-stopping prototypes in a space that large. More importantly, we know that the innovations you're asking retailers to believe in have to make an immediate impression. The best booths don't just tell visitors about an innovation, they put it in their hands. They let buyers experience the structure, the finish, the graphics, the functionality, and the story before a single production package ever rolls off the line. Because in a channel built around immediate decisions, the physical experience of your package matters more than ever. Read the full article: https://lnkd.in/e6Fx6raa If NACS is part of your fall plans, let's talk about the prototypes that will help your next innovation stand out. #NACS #ConvenienceStore #CPG #PackagingDesign #RetailInnovation

Gatorade took their Red, White and Blue campaign to the MLB & PLL All-Star Games this summer, and our custom cooler wraps were right there with them.   Seeing them on the sidelines of the summer's biggest sports moments was pretty great. Congratulations to the Gatorade and PepsiCo team on a standout activation. We're proud to have been part of it!

86% of consumers make a purchase influenced by a creator at least once a year. So Unilever's plan to shift up to 50% of its ad spend to social media and creator-led content makes perfect sense.   The company wants direct access to consumers, and creators have it. The strongest have built communities of trust and influence that translate into conversions traditional media simply can't match.   TikTok drops sell out in minutes. Instagram Reels generate instant sales. And when a well-crafted moment goes viral, impressions can soar into the billions. The reach is real, and brands treating creator marketing as optional are watching competitors own the conversation they should be leading.   But if creators are the media channel, the experience you put into their hands matters more than ever.   What we've learned designing and building influencer kits for brands like Mars, Gatorade, Barilla, and MolsonCoors is that there's a meaningful difference between a box filled with product and an experience worth sharing. The first gets opened and set aside. The second becomes content—introducing your brand to thousands or even millions of people who may have never encountered it before that video hit their feed.   There's really no other bond quite like the one creators establish with their followers. What they choose to share has to be worthy of that relationship, because that's when a brand stops being unproven and becomes personally endorsed.   As more brands follow Unilever's lead and invest in creators instead of traditional media, the brands that win won't just partner with the right creators—they'll give them something real to talk about.   That's where thoughtfully designed influencer kits can make all the difference: transforming a product drop into a memorable, tangible brand experience that creators are excited to share and audiences genuinely want to engage with.   Have you seen a kit recently that stopped you in your tracks? We'd love to hear about it. Read the full article here: https://lnkd.in/gKefhitM #InfluencerMarketing #PackagingDesign #InfluencerKits #CPGMarketing

There's a moment every brand team dreads. You've spent months on a brand overhaul. The strategy is locked, the design system is beautiful, leadership is aligned, and then the first physical samples come back from print… and the color is wrong. Not dramatically wrong. Subtly wrong. The color that looked perfect on screen doesn't look the same on every substrate it needs to live on. Color matching isn't glamorous work, but it might be one of the most important things standing between a brand investment and the shelf. A few things we know after 30 years of doing this: > Every substrate, print process, coating, and finish changes how color is ultimately perceived. A brand that lives across categories and packaging formats is asking its color to survive all of those variables simultaneously, and without physical testing at each touchpoint, it rarely survives them consistently. > While digital color is the starting point, it’s not the answer. Every color specification exists in the abstract until it meets a physical substrate, and that's where the variables multiply. > The difference between close enough and exactly right is often the difference between packaging that feels unmistakably on-brand and one that quietly erodes years of brand equity. And the brands that treat color consistency as a strategic priority (not a production detail) are the ones whose packaging earns recognition and builds trust over time. Read the full article: https://lnkd.in/gYU_CyDV Has your team run into this? We're always interested in how other brands are navigating it. #PackagingDesign #ColorMatching #CPGPackaging #PackagingPrototyping 

What happens when a beauty chemist takes on the dog shampoo industry? A brand that refuses to sit, stay, or blend in. Lizzy Skelding founded Beastie because bath time with her beloved dog Helen had become miserable, leaving Helen itchy and unhappy (and both of them soaked). Her innovation, a waterless shampoo that delivers a real clean without the unwanted side effects, is shaking up a dated category in more ways than one. Working with Beastie from the ground up, we developed a brand strategy, identity, world, and packaging system rooted in a simple insight: bathtime is an opportunity for bonding with our little beasties. Pets are family, and the brands that earn consumers’ loyalty today reflect that. Inspired by Lizzy’s vision, our collaboration helped create a brand that doesn't apologize for standing out. Bold, '90s-influenced visuals. A packaging system unlike anything else out there. And positioning that speaks directly to a younger, design-savvy audience that expects value, purpose, and results from the products they buy. In a growing category with plenty of room for personality and disruption, Beastie has arrived right on time. See the full case study: https://lnkd.in/gsGqvZgQ #PackagingDesign #PetCare #BrandIdentity #EmergingBrands #Kaleidoscope

Speed has always mattered in CPG innovation. What's changed is the cost of being slow. Missing a launch window used to mean losing ground. Now it means watching a competitor own the category you identified. The window is narrower, the competitive set is larger, and consumers move on faster than ever. Mintel Global CEO Matt Nelson put it well: "CPG innovation is entering a new phase; one where speed, clarity and conviction matter more than volume. The brands that succeed are the ones able to stay close to changing consumer needs and act decisively." We hear these points directly from the brands we work with. Not in abstract terms, but in specific, familiar pain points: > "We have plenty of ideas, but they never make it out of our workshops." > "We can’t get internal buy-in for our most promising concepts…and then we watch a competitor launch the very same thing we couldn’t get off the ground." > "We need category-disrupting ideas that will make money without costing a lot of it." The problem usually isn't the idea, it's the gap between the idea and something real enough to believe in. That gap is where most innovation stalls. It's also exactly why we built IGNITE, our new AI-enhanced innovation platform that takes brands from consumer insight to shelf-ready prototype in weeks, not months. The technology doesn’t replace the thinking, but it helps remove the friction that can slow it down. Read more on what's driving the shift and how we're helping brands respond: https://lnkd.in/eKYUUCkT #Innovation #InnovationStrategy #PackagingDesign #NewProductDevelopment #IGNITE

One Sweet Moment deserves another. When Sara Lee Frozen Bakery created Sweet Moments, its collection of single-serve frozen desserts, it wasn’t an afterthought. It was an invitation to a new audience to slow down and savor something delicious—and keeping every bite to themselves was encouraged. In other words: these Sweet Moments are just for you. With such a strong emotional premise, we knew the design system couldn’t be subtle. It needed to stop shoppers in their tracks by showing off each dessert stunningly and creating a strong brand block that outdid the competitors. The result is packaging that earns attention before consumers read a single word (we eat with our eyes, after all). Rich, mouthwatering imagery and flavor-forward cues make each variety feel distinct and appetizing, while the Sweet Moments brand remains unmistakable across the shelf. Three flavors, one cohesive system, and the emotional resonance to inspire cravings. What a delicious breakthrough. See the full case study: https://lnkd.in/gbcjSqKz #PackagingDesign #CPGDesign #SnackPackaging #FoodPackaging #BrandExtension

When KFC set out to refresh one of the most recognized brands in the world, our prototyping team was part of making it real. We're proud to have supported the team at Highdive with the physical mock-up production behind KFC's global rebrand, bringing the new visual system to life for the campaign shoot. Congratulations to the KFC and Yum! Brands teams on an incredible rebrand.