Interview about Winetime Seafood Packaging, winner of the A' Packaging Design Award 2020
The packaging design for the Winetime Seafood series should demonstrate the freshness and reliability of the product, should differ it favorably from competitors, be harmonious and understandable. The colors used (blue, white and orange) create a contrast, emphasize important elements and reflect brand positioning. The single unique concept developed distinguishes the series from other manufacturers. The strategy of visual information made it possible to identify the product variety of the series, and the usage of illustrations instead of photos made the packaging more interesting.
View detailed images, specifications, and award details on A' Design Award & Competition website.
View Design DetailsThe color palette for Winetime Seafood Packaging was carefully selected to reflect both the premium brand positioning and the emotional response of consumers. Deep blue symbolizes trust, quality, and the ocean, immediately connecting the product to its marine origin while conveying a sense of sophistication. The bright orange contrasts vibrantly, representing freshness, energy, and the rich flavor of seafood, making the packaging stand out on shelves and appealing to consumer appetites.The addition of pure white elements creates balance and clarity, ensuring legibility and reinforcing the packaging's clean, modern aesthetic. Together, these colors work harmoniously to evoke both reliability and excitement, perfectly aligning with the brand's goal of offering high-quality, sustainably sourced seafood in an elegant and accessible way.
To tackle the challenge of creating unity while preserving individual product identity for the Winetime Seafood Packaging series, we developed a modular design system centered around consistent brand elements. The deep blue background and bold orange illustrations serve as the unifying framework, ensuring instant brand recognition across all products.Each product's identity is distinguished through detailed, hand-drawn illustrations of the specific seafood, such as shrimp, salmon, or octopus. These illustrations highlight the uniqueness of each product while adhering to the same artistic style, maintaining visual harmony. Additionally, the typography and layout were kept consistent, while subtle variations in placement and product descriptions added a layer of differentiation. This approach allowed us to achieve a cohesive yet versatile design system that showcases the diversity of the seafood line while reinforcing the premium and sustainable brand image.
The decision to use illustrations rather than photographs for Winetime Seafood Packaging was inspired by a desire to convey artistry, sophistication, and timelessness—qualities that align with the brand's premium positioning. Illustrations allow for a more stylized and elegant representation of the seafood, avoiding the overly commercial look that photographs often convey.This approach enhances the consumer's connection with the product by evoking a sense of craftsmanship and authenticity. The hand-drawn details suggest care and precision, reflecting the brand's commitment to high-quality, sustainably sourced seafood. Furthermore, the illustrations create a visually cohesive and refined aesthetic that appeals to discerning consumers seeking a more upscale and thoughtful packaging experience.
The strategy for balancing visual appeal with clear product communication in Winetime Seafood Packaging focused on creating a clear and consistent information hierarchy while maintaining the elegant visual design.At the top level, the deep blue background and orange illustrations draw immediate attention, establishing the brand's identity and shelf presence. The product name is prominently placed in bold, clean typography, ensuring instant recognition. Supporting details, such as product descriptions and key attributes like sustainability or wild catch, are positioned in a clear, structured layout, using smaller yet legible fonts to complement the main visuals without overwhelming them.For varying package dimensions, the layout was carefully adjusted to preserve this hierarchy. On smaller packages, essential information was prioritized, while larger formats allowed for more detailed product descriptions and secondary elements. This adaptive yet consistent approach ensured that each package effectively communicated its message while maintaining the premium, cohesive aesthetic of the series.
One of the most significant challenges during the six-month development of Winetime Seafood Packaging was achieving a balance between intricate artistic details and technical print precision. The hand-drawn illustrations required a high level of detail to convey the premium quality of the product, but they also needed to maintain clarity and sharpness across various package sizes and printing techniques. This required extensive collaboration with printers to refine line weights, color contrasts, and scalability without losing the design's impact.Another challenge was ensuring the packaging stood out on crowded shelves while maintaining brand cohesion across a diverse product line. By anchoring the design in a bold, deep blue and orange color scheme, we created a striking yet versatile system that allowed for individual product differentiation through unique illustrations. Overcoming these challenges resulted in a design that is not only visually captivating but also technically optimized, ensuring consistent quality and consumer appeal across all packaging formats.
The process of selecting and implementing typography and visual elements for Winetime Seafood Packaging was focused on conveying the product’s freshness, reliability, and premium quality. The typography was carefully chosen to be clean, modern, and easy to read, with a slight elegance that reflects the high-end nature of the brand. A bold sans-serif typeface was used for the product names, ensuring prominence and clarity, while a more delicate font for secondary text reinforced the sophistication of the brand.The visual elements—such as the detailed, hand-drawn illustrations of seafood—were designed to evoke freshness by showcasing the natural beauty and intricate details of each product. The bright orange color used for the illustrations contrasted with the deep blue background, symbolizing the vibrant, fresh flavors of the seafood, while also drawing attention to the products on retail shelves.Together, the typography and illustrations worked to create a cohesive narrative: the bold, clear text communicates reliability and clarity, while the illustrations evoke the natural, fresh quality of the seafood. The overall effect is a packaging design that feels both approachable and premium, appealing to consumers who prioritize both quality and visual appeal
Winetime Seafood Packaging’s design strategy successfully integrates sustainability and environmental responsibility while maintaining a premium market positioning by focusing on eco-friendly materials and minimalistic, high-quality design elements. The use of recyclable and sustainable packaging materials ensures that the product aligns with contemporary consumer values, particularly in the growing market for sustainable food packaging.The premium positioning is maintained through the refined visual design—elegant hand-drawn illustrations, a sophisticated color palette, and high-quality print techniques like embossing and foiling. These choices evoke a sense of luxury and craftsmanship, reinforcing the product's high-end appeal. By using eco-friendly packaging without compromising on design quality, Winetime positions itself as a responsible yet premium brand, appealing to consumers who care about the environment while seeking top-quality products.
Consumer behavior research played a key role in shaping the design of Winetime Seafood Packaging, particularly in ensuring quick purchasing decisions. Through research, we identified that consumers often make seafood purchases based on trust, clarity, and visual appeal, especially in busy retail environments. This insight led us to prioritize a clean, minimalistic layout that highlights key product information at a glance, such as the seafood type, freshness, and the premium quality of the offering.The bold typography for the product name was strategically placed to ensure visibility and quick recognition, while the vivid orange illustrations of the seafood not only caught the eye but also conveyed the freshness and quality consumers seek. The deep blue background helped the packaging stand out on crowded shelves, and the consistent, structured design allowed for easy differentiation between products in the line.By focusing on these consumer behaviors—such as the need for quick information processing, a desire for trustworthiness, and the importance of visual appeal—we created a design that not only attracts attention but also encourages swift, confident purchasing decisions.
One unexpected insight that emerged during the development of Winetime Seafood Packaging was the power of simplicity in conveying premium quality. Initially, we considered using more complex visuals or elements to emphasize the luxury aspect, but through testing and iteration, we found that the clean, bold design with minimal distractions actually better communicated both sophistication and clarity. This reinforced the idea that restraint in design can often have a more powerful impact, especially in the context of luxury packaging.Another important realization was the significance of consistency in visual language across varying product formats. While designing for different seafood varieties, we learned that maintaining visual coherence through consistent typography, color schemes, and illustration styles allowed for strong brand recognition, even when the product line expanded. This taught us how important it is to establish a flexible yet consistent design system that can evolve without losing its identity.These insights can help other designers understand that sometimes less is more, and consistency in design not only aids in brand recognition but also creates a more effective and cohesive consumer experience across diverse product ranges.
Winetime Seafood Packaging has set a strong precedent for how luxury and sustainability can coexist in the seafood sector, and I believe this design will inspire future trends by encouraging more brands to adopt sophisticated, clean, and visually striking packaging while maintaining an emphasis on eco-friendly materials.One lasting impact will be the use of minimalist design elements that prioritize clarity and trustworthiness, especially in crowded retail environments. The combination of bold, hand-drawn illustrations with modern typography is likely to influence how other seafood brands convey freshness and premium quality without overwhelming the consumer. Additionally, the use of sustainable materials will continue to be a driving force, as more consumers demand products that are not only high-quality but also environmentally responsible.Lastly, the integration of a consistent visual language across different product varieties, as seen with Winetime, will set a trend for creating adaptable design systems that allow for easy recognition and differentiation while maintaining a unified brand identity. This approach ensures that seafood packaging is not just functional, but also visually engaging, with a strong emotional connection to the consumer.
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