NTH DEGREE SNACKS

SEED PACKAGING DESIGN

Company:Nth Degree Snacks
Location:USA, NY
Service:Packaging design
Category:Food & Drink
5.0 100+ Reviews

Challenge

Making a Name in an Overcrowded Market

The global protein and snack bar market rose to an astounding $1.18 billion in 2018. The USA took up the largest share, with Europe coming up a close second. Market analysts estimate the trends will continue for the foreseeable future, hitting $1.9 billion by 2026.

Growth in the niche has been extraordinarily strong, offering plenty of opportunity to any business that wants a piece of the pie. But opportunities carry risks. A growing number of companies were invading the market, resulting in competition becoming fiercer. To succeed, many companies are faced with one of two options: either undercut their competitors’ price or develop a creative cereal bar packaging design for their snack bars that beats the overcrowded market.

Launching a Niche Snack to Wide Appeal

When Nth Degree Snacks contacted Stan Agency about designing a food label for this order, they already understood what they wanted: a unique food label design concept that drew inspiration from their established brand identity while showcasing their own quality snack bars.

One of the major challenges Nth Degree Snacks faced was creating interest in consumers for a niche product. They had produced two kinds of organic, ancient grains bars: matcha- and cocoa-flavored. American markets were already sold on cocoa. But matcha was another story. Though well-known in East Asian countries and some regions of the United States, Nth Degree Snacks hoped to push their snack bars into the mainstream of American life. Achieving this would require advanced planning before designing a food label that made the unfamiliar familiar – and appetizing.

Result

Analyzing the Market

We began the process of designing a custom food label for Nth Degree Snacks’ snack bars with a complete market analysis. Numerous protein and snack bars were on the market, but few focused on the narrow niche of ancient grains. So, we examined the closest competitors, noting their food label designs, target markets, and unique selling propositions.

Our market analysis made several things clear:

Competing products often featured photographs of the product instead of allowing the bar to be seen
Many competing products had cereal bar packaging design that was cluttered with text that varied by font, size, and weight
In general, there was a lack of innovative examples, with dated design choices being common

We allowed the above ideas and the following elements of Nth Degree Snacks’ brand to guide us in our final design brief.

An appreciation for natural, organic ingredients, with a focus on real rather than processed food.
A focus on all-natural products, so consumers see what they’re getting before they buy.
A contemporary style, in line with Nth Degree Snacks’ larger brand image.

Designing a Food Label that Sells

After our design team narrowed the possibilities down to two amazing options, Nth Degree Snacks chose the one pictured above. It showcases the snack bars in a way that few competitors do and communicates Nth Degree Snacks’ brand image effectively.

How we did it…

A clear plastic center allows the product to be seen without opening. Such cereal bar packaging design is a great advantage This gives consumers who are unfamiliar with matcha, the ability to see how delicious it looks before they make a purchase.
Earth tones were used throughout, communicating a commitment to all-natural, organic ingredients and processes. These values are further supported by the related seals that run along the bottom of the cereal packaging. And that is one more plus of this cereal bar packaging design.
The design is minimalist, allowing the product to speak more loudly and convincingly than text ever could.

While designing a food label that set Nth Degree Snacks apart from the competition included challenges, it was made possible by deep research and creative design.

Since launching their organic ancient grains bars, Nth Degree Snacks has become the market leader in their niche and is making headway in the larger protein and snack bar sector. Though their cocoa flavored bars are selling better than the matcha, they have seen a trend of increasing sales in both.