“Free-from has been a growing category,” said futures director Sophie Maxwell. “Packs used to be either worthy or clinical. It used to be all about abstinence and restrictions, but now the associations are around fulfilment and a more vibrant lifestyle.”
Maxwell cited the example of Kerry Foods’s Pure dairy- and gluten-free spread, a design project that Pearlfisher worked on. “We wanted to make the connection first with the best food to eat, and only then with the food people have to eat,” she explained.
Branding for better-for-you products also needed to complement consumer preferences for minimally-processed, clean-label foods, said Pearlfisher.
Recognisable ingredients
It quoted figures from the US-based Natural Marketing Institute, which suggested 62% of shoppers looked for foods that were minimally-processed. Meanwhile, 53% preferred products with a short list of recognisable ingredients.
“Increasingly, we are asking how you can bring the key ingredients front-of-pack and celebrate them,” said Maxwell.
Pearlfisher also worked on designs for the Seedlip brand, which is a premium distilled spirit based on two different combinations of botanicals – but non-alcoholic.
In this case, key ingredients are combined with other plants in a front-of-pack design that forms an ‘S’ and also echoes the shape of an indigenous wild animal.
“The idea is that all these layers and the story built up around the brand make it just as desirable to order at the bar as an alcoholic cocktail,” said Pearlfisher’s global marketing manager Chloe Wood.