Package Design | packagedesignmag.com

(July 2009) posted on Sun Oct 11, 2009

By Patrick Henry

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In a relaunch, the brand owner and the package designer have the luxury of being able to retool whatever didn't work or wasn't sufficiently emphasized in the original concept. This can be creatively liberating, but there's a caveat. With the luxury comes the risk inherent in sending the product back to the stores with a new look that shoppers must learn to recognize all over again—a real gamble if the original branded package has had several years to establish itself in their minds.

Such were the realities faced by seasonings purveyor Urban Accents and its design firm, Creative Commune, in repackaging the Dryglaze™ line of granulated flavorings for grilling and baking. Nevertheless, the strategy that the Chicago partners chose for redesigning the existing container was radical: leave nothing unchanged except the product inside.

The phrase "night and day" doesn't exaggerate the differences between the tin-and-plastic box in which the Dryglaze line was introduced in 2005 and the paperboard tent package in which it has gone to market since the beginning of this year. But, if favorable early reactions from high-end food stores are an indicator, the relaunch—which included a steep price reduction—should leave a sweet taste in the mouths of Urban Accents, its retailers, and its loyal customers alike.

Look wasn't tasty enough
 

Hand-packed by Urban Accents in seven flavors, the Dryglaze products are rub-on seasoning blends for meats that turn into glazing sauces on the grill or in the oven with the help of a little oil. They first appeared in 4.5-oz. tin boxes secured with decorative belly bands and topped with clear plastic in the lids. The tins were simple, functional, and sturdy, but what they lacked, according to Jim Dygas, president and creative director of Creative Commune, was visual charisma.

Because the tins didn't work hard on a grocery shelf, he says, the Dryglaze line didn't initially achieve the impulse-buy status so crucial to a new retail food offering of its kind.