SmartGrain
New Product Logo and Package Design

Local farmers, Dale and Marianne Donaldson of Everspring Farms, and a scientist from Mississauga, Arun Nagprukar had come together to combine Arun’s science, a process of ingraining seeds with OMEGA 3’s with the business of farming flaxseed and other grains. This combination had resulted in a unique product, never before offered in Canada.

HONEY needed to create a brand that establishes credibility for SmartGrain and will attract sales leads in both retail and industrial channels; design packaging that identifies the new product and differentiates it from competitors or 'like' products; and, design a website that can be used as a reference tool for industrial clients, while appealing to retail consumers too.

The Logo approach was to create a friendly design that was warm and cohesive, while unlike any competing brands on the shelf. A clean, sans serif typeface was selected in a warm brown tone. The word 'grain' was bolded to indicate that this is indeed a wholegrain product. Three seed-like shapes protrude from the letter 'g', which reflects the three-step ingraining process. The seeds are displayed in a harmonious colour palette not only as decoration but also to indicate that SmartGrain has multiple product offerings and that SmartGrain products include multiple types of seeds.

The Package Design concept for the first in a series of products was intended for health food and bulk food store shelves in Canada. The overall design lends itself to positioning the SmartGrain brand as a new, innovative product in a crowded market with the option to expand the product line. The design professionally presents SmartGrain in a manner that immediately identifies the product through colour, imagery and typography and differentiates against competitors or ‘like’ products on the shelf. This was tested by photographing similar products and using photoshop to demonstrate how the package design would compare in a real-life setting. This design features one of the seed-like shapes from the logo, enlarged and placed front and centre. The slight angle mimics its position in the logo but helps the package to stand out on the shelf. The seed is also a very light pattern all over the background to create visual interest and provide texture, along with a linen fabric texture reminiscent of burlap sacks, historically used to hold baking supplies. A round, imperfect circle draws the eye to the particular grain in the package, accommodating both English and French, as required. Other points of interest include, “New!” in bright red on the top left corner, also to draw the consumer’s eye, and stamps indicating SmartGrain is a Canadian Organic product and endorsed by the Heart and Stroke Foundation Health Check.

SmartGrain secured retail distribution to health food stores in the Greater Toronto Area and the flaxseed product was on shelves by Christmas 2009. In the industrial channel several food producers and large scale bakeries have indicated interest in testing the product with their existing recipes for inclusion in muffins, breads and other confections. The client has expressed confidence in the execution of the brand in all media:

"Everyone at Honey Design. Thank you all very much for all your work... We think it looks very professional. We look forward to the next project with your team." – Dale and Marianne Donaldson.