Mark Oliver Inc. Organically Combines Many Ingredients For All-Natural Cereal Box

The Ezekiel 4:9 quote is: "Take also unto thee Wheat and Barley and Beans and Lentils and Millet and Spelt and put them in one vessel and make bread of it?" This quote was one of several elements that helped establish Ezekiel 4:9 as a familiar, comforting, and successful brand of natural sprouted grain breads, peculiar as its name might be.

Gary Torres, marketing director of Food for Life, came to Mark Oliver Inc. with a simple yet challenging task - take all the positive messages from the successful bread line, add all the messages that need to be communicated for a new all natural cereal, and make it look attractive and appealing on a 6" x 81/4" box face. The shape and the construction of the Ezekiel 4:9 box are constrained by the density of the product, which is akin to Grape Nuts and packed in a similar style box.

A successful mix of design elements helps the Ezekiel 4:9 cereal box convey a multitude of messages behind the strength of the brand name and product shot.

In addition to the "Food for Life" logo, the "Ezekiel 4:9" brand name, the 26-word-long scripture quote, and a dove in flight, the other messages include from top to bottom:

• 100% Natural - No Preservatives
• The Original - 100% Flourless
• Sprouted Grain Cereal
• (Variety Name)
• As described in the Holy Scriptures
• The Live Grain Difference!
• Certified Organic Grains
• A Complete Protein Cereal

Mark Oliver Inc. managed to include all of these words and elements without allowing them to distract from the immediate impact of the cereal box. At first, second, and third glance, the Ezekiel 4:9 brand name and pictured cereal are where aisle-shoppers' eyes naturally settle.

CEO and creative director Mark Oliver looked at his firm's involvement in the project as "problem-solver." The task was how to take all of these messages and make them all work "mechanically," as well as artfully. "There were some disparate elements that didn't want to live together harmoniously," Oliver explains.

Faced with the mélange of potentially antagonistic existing design elements Food for Life was committed to, the designers set to work with the strengths of the category and brand equally in mind. Oliver points out that when a food manufacturer is venturing into the cereal category for the first time, designers are required to meet the consumer expectation of what a cereal box should look like and communicate. There just aren't any brands introducing new cereal products that succeed with boxes that do not instantly convey "cereal." The dominant brand name and the spoonful of Ezekiel 4:9 cereal with a hint of milk accomplish that requirement as quickly and efficiently as possible.

"We knew we could capitalize on the awareness of the brand. What we needed was a way to bring the necessary visual elements together in a cohesive and impressive fashion that contained value-added cues, so people both familiar with the Ezekiel 4:9 name and those not would know the product was a worthy addition to their breakfast," says Oliver.

The design company began by selecting metallic-based inks to add a value-added, upscale look to the box while softening the bold black and white Ezekiel 4:9 name. Next, they upgraded the box stock to a higher-grade board to create a better platform for the inks to stand out, and determined to print with nine colors. To further highlight the product picture, and make it "pop" from the box, the designers used a gradation of color from corner to corner diagonally across the package, ultimately creating a halo effect.

The Ezekiel 4:9 quote was wrapped around the product picture and printed in a soft metallic gold ink so as not to detract from the food shot. The Food for Life brand name was shifted to the center of the cereal box to help create a perfect flow of information for the eyes, and helped balance the bold product name.

Torres couldn't be happier with the new look, or its performance in the marketplace, where it is a big hit at natural food stores. "Despite the boxes' small size, they really stand out nicely on the shelf," Torres says.