Food Packaging

I hate to say this but I do quite like visiting supermarkets (during off peak hours) to wander down the aisles (particually when it is neat and fully stacked) not only because I am a bit of a foodie but also because of the packaging of food. In the last couple of years food packaging and graphics have improved immensely and have started to look a bit 'trendy'. Supermarkets have got bigger, so therefore a fiercer competition amongst food brands to stand out on the shelves, price is important but packaging is also a big consideration for a lot of consumers. Today I want to focus on the packaging of jars. My theory is that because jars are kept in the cupboard for longer and bought less frequently than say a tin of beans or a bag of crisps, companies seem to change the look of this less often, so the packaging or label design seems more considered. Obviously more 'upmarket' supermarkets such as Waitrose, Marks and Spencers Food, Wholefoods and Delis, spend more on the food packaging of their own brand items than a budget supermarket like Asda.

I apologise for the blurry quality of this photo, it was taken on my phone with a basket of items on the same arm. One of my favourite art books 'Patternity' by Anna Murray and Grace Winteringham also appreciates 'the magnificence of a meticulously stacked supermarket shelf. The rows of items are kind of mesmerising after a while, the contrast in colours and shapes have a rhythm along each aisle. Going into specifics; one of my favourite examples of packaging is Lyles Golden Syrup. In the olive green tin, with the elaborate gold and white logo with the Lion crest it seems to have a timeless, luxurious feel to it despite the fact it is a mass produced, low cost everyday item.

Then there is Nutella, I am a fan of Nutella, the wonderful1960's creation from Italy that has become popular worldwide. But the Nutella packaging; to me it has a retro kind of vibe 'like we know this looks dated but we think it is cool'. The black, white and red logo is fairly distinctive and hasn't really changed much over my Nutella eating years. However they have introduced new quirks to their packaging such as the jars of personalised Nutella available from Selfidges, where you can have your name on it instead of the Nutella logo in the same font. Then there is the small jar of Nutella, which isn't actually a jar in the typical sense, it is a glass vessel with not ridges or indentations for a screw cap, instead there is a flexible plastic lid. So once you have eaten all the Nutella it can be recycled as a drinking glass or storage.

Finally I would like to go back to supermarket own brand packaging - I remember when the Tesco's Value range (budget own branded products) Looked as 'basic' as possible and included the colours of the blue and white stripes and big red 'value' logo, it looked harsh and unappealing. It was subsequently dropped in 2012, when other supermarkets were giving their own brands a new look, so naturally Tesco followed suit. The new packaging is more what I would describe as a friendlier and inspiring style of design renaming it 'Tesco everyday value' using silhouettes of vaguely relating items into a simple repeat pattern and sometimes utilising a coloured photo of the product itself. A big step up, (likely to be more costly), nevertheless this looks much better on the shelves alongside the branded packaging and possibly more of a positive look.

(Images from http://www.briefreport.co.uk and tesco.com)

I like Waitrose, the shelves look good, the overall quality is high and the customer service is excellent. They are more creative not only with the food and displays but again the packaging. The Essentials range was only introduced in 2009, which links to the 2008 recession. Their 'essentials range' the Waitrose equivalent to Tesco 'everyday value', often include lovely free style, inky watercolour illustrations of the food by an Artist called Emma Dibben. I believe this look despite being for a value range it is still very clear that it is a Waitrose design, 'a cut above' other supermarkets.

(Image from polyvore.com via Pinterest)

#food #packaging #graphics #branding #labeling