Ojio
- Our challenge in taking Ultimate Superfoods’ raw foods business into retail was to create a brand that captures the free spirit of the raw foods movement but also appeals to the typical grocery store shopper that may be unfamiliar with these specialty products. The primitive Ojio name, created from primal language bits, supported by the patterns and textures from exotic growing regions and cultures, together create a credible and captivating retail presence. {read article}
NAMING, BRAND IDENTITY, PACKAGING, STRUCTURAL, RETAIL CONSULTING -
Each individual product in the Ojio line-up carries a wealth of information about the growing region, product use, benefits, and more. Managing that much information — and making it interesting in the hurly-burly of the retail environment — requires several levels of communication, each part offering further insight into the benefits of healthy eating through raw foods. Typical packaging systems communicate at a glance, but here we have intentionally slowed down that process in order to deliver a greater depth of knowledge.
- While each package conveys a depth of information on the display face, an even greater story unfolds on the back and side panels. Each product answers several top-level questions about benefits, usage, and growing region, complete with journal-style illustrations and notes on species, variety, and country of origin. When the consumer encounters the brand tag-line, encapsulated in a seal-of-approval stamp that reads “The World’s Most Beneficial Foods,” that claim carries considerable weight.
- While it makes sense to always use top quality packaging materials, Ojio products require a higher level of consideration to match the expectations of a whole-earth brand. Fortunately, glass bottles carry an authenticity that aligns perfectly with the brand promise, and the 100% recyclable carton and inner bag are noteworthy for supporting environmental sustainability. As designers, we often prefer virgin papers for printing and presentation, but in this case, less is more in the most literal sense.
- Creating a packaging system that is infinitely adaptable across multiple packaging types and sizes can be a challenge. Fortunately, as shown here, the bold Ojio system is a natural fit for jars, bottles, cartons, wrappers, and even — coming soon! — resealable foil pouches and more. And while scale can be a tricky nuisance, moving from a cereal box to a 2 oz sample size for example, the broad band and simple architecture has proved to be powerful yet flexible and dynamic.
- The specialty items that make up the Ojio line-up are most often expensive, occasionally nearing $50 or more for a single item — a real shock for the casual shopper. A big part of Ojio’s efforts to ease consumers into raw foods is to provide a low hurdle entry point, shown above. Our custom paperboard design allows the package to be displayed on shelf, attach to a clip strip, or hang on peg board, depending on the retailer’s preference. The above extensions are the second wave of Ojio’s ambitious retail drive.
- The strategic impulse behind the Ojio brand mark was to create an image that could look equally at home carved into the wood of a primitive drum as it could on a champagne label. The metallic copper ink helps reinforce the idea that the brand is not merely a printed image, but is comprised of actual materials, so is therefore supremely authentic. The deep espresso color of the band conveys a richness and complexity that speaks to the positive and beneficial experience of the brand.