Interview about Snack Packaging, winner of the A' Packaging Design Award 2025
The Snack packaging rebranding transforms the visual identity of Haochidian, a well established Chinese snack brand. The design emphasizes a modern, playful approach with bold typography, a smile icon symbolizing joy, and floating visuals that highlight the crispy texture. Unique color palettes differentiate each flavor for easy recognition and strong shelf appeal. Embossed details and spot UV printing add a tactile, premium touch, enhancing consumer engagement. Balancing tradition and modernity, the packaging appeals to both loyal and younger consumers.
View detailed images, specifications, and award details on A' Design Award & Competition website.
View Design DetailsTo balance tradition with modernity, we preserved the original Chinese brand name, Haochidian, while introducing a clean, bold English abbreviation—Hcd. This dual-branding approach allowed us to maintain familiarity for existing customers and introduce a fresh, contemporary look for younger consumers. The result bridges heritage and innovation effectively.
The smile icon was designed to express happiness and friendliness, aligning with the joyful experience of snacking. The floating visuals of biscuits and ingredients convey crisp texture and movement, making the packaging visually appetizing. These elements modernize the brand’s tone while creating a memorable emotional connection with consumers.
Through consumer studies, we found that tactile features increased perceived quality and recall. Based on this insight, we selected embossing for the Hcd logo and spot UV for ingredient highlights. These techniques added dimension and texture, elevating the packaging to feel more premium and multi-sensory.
We developed a unified layout system that allowed each flavor to stand out through its own color: red for sesame, brown for chocolate, and blue for cheese. This maintained consistency across the brand while ensuring easy flavor recognition. In China’s expansive retail stores, this color-coded system enhances both product visibility and differentiation at a glance.
Typography was chosen to bridge cultural expectations and modern aesthetics. The bold sans-serif English initials support international legibility, while the original Chinese name maintains regional authenticity. The visual hierarchy flows from logo to product imagery and flavor name, ensuring clarity in both domestic and global markets.
We analyzed display conditions in a variety of Chinese supermarkets and convenience stores. The final structure—270mm x 185mm x 65mm—was optimized for high shelf visibility and ease of stacking. Additionally, we adapted the layout to work vertically on the front and horizontally on the back, ensuring compatibility with diverse display units.
The project began with brand research in May 2022, followed by visual exploration and concept sketches through July. In August, we produced prototypes for consumer testing. Based on feedback, we refined the layout and materials in October. Final artwork and print testing were completed by January 2023 to ensure production readiness.
Integrating the initials Hcd—derived from the pinyin of Haochidian—was a strategic move to modernize the brand. It offered a simpler, globally recognizable mark while retaining cultural meaning. This gave the brand flexibility in communication while enhancing its memorability in both local and international markets.
This recognition underscores a shift in Asian packaging design toward emotional engagement and visual clarity. We believe future trends will favor storytelling, sensory interaction, and simplified design systems. The Hcd project illustrates how heritage brands can successfully evolve through thoughtful, user-centered design.
The floating visuals of biscuits and ingredients were designed to express lightness, freshness, and dynamic taste appeal. These visuals mimic the sensation of crisp textures and natural ingredients in motion, enhancing appetite appeal and clearly communicating product quality through visual storytelling.
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