Spotlight: Food & Beverage

Imagine tomato sauces hand-crafted from the best fresh ingredients in Italy, packed with tomatoes specifically bred for sauces, formulated using age-old recipes, packaged in Italy with no artificial ingredients, and shipped to U.S. shores quickly to ensure freshness. Lucini Italia Company imagined it, and then made it happen with the help of Miloby Ideasystem.

Lucini Italia knew the strategy and design would need a new perspective and consulted with the multidisciplinary design studio Miloby Ideasystem in Manhattan from the onset of the project. Founded by architects Milana Kosovac and Tobias Lundquist, Miloby developed a brand narrative for the line of tomato sauce that defies the category. Miloby was able to provide innovation through design by bridging the gap that typically exists between the strategic thinking and creative making. "Our cross-disciplinary environment offers new ways at tackling staid categories and reoccurring challenges," says Lundquist.

A few years previous, Miloby had designed the bottle for the first Lucini launch—a tall, faceted bottle of extra virgin olive oil (see more at www.lucini.com). Miloby was responsible for the complete brand launch from qualitative consumer research, the naming and positioning of the brand, designing all the collateral materials, the complete website strategy, and even award-winning interiors for their offices. With virtually no advertising budget, Lucini Italia relies primarily on package design to communicate with consumers, entice interest, and encourage word-of-mouth buzz.

The Lucini website transports tomato sauce lovers to Italy, much like the jars for its line of gourmet, all-natural sauces hopefully transport aisle-browsers.

Hand-crafted tomato sauces

Miloby first developed a creative brief for the tomato sauces based on extensive qualitative research that focused on authenticity. Their strategy was to heighten the bond between the people who make the sauce and the people who would eat the sauce. Miloby believed that before consumers even tasted the sauce, the packaging could emotionally transport them to Italy.

Every part of the Lucini jar inherently communicates the same handmade and "cared for" quality that goes into the sauce itself. The jar shape is inspired by the San Marzano sauce tomato, the extra tall metal cap adds distinction, the decorative label conveys elegance, and the type is refreshingly ornate. The brand name is actually downplayed, but the ingredients and use suggestions are up-played.

"The American consumer has gotten smart and can quickly detect the quality difference between authentic Italian and the red-checkered tablecloth version, so we really needed to communicate quality," says Miloby partner Milana Kosovac. "We wanted to create a product line that resonated with people who yearn for a return to the food experience they had on their last trip to Italy. At the store shelf, one has very little time to stand out and make an impression, yet also not compromise the integrity of what our client is about."

Gourmet packaging rules

Kosovac believes that with gourmet products, designers should avoid talking down to consumers. The Lucini brand experience goes against category, without pictures of tomatoes or ingredients, without a dominant message, and without a busy graphic treatment. With the Lucini pasta sauce jars, everything says "Italy" without being obvious and feminine curves suggest it is mom-made. Kosovac also believes the flat bottom, the sharper corners of glass in the jar, the extra tall lid, and the wide mouth opening encourage familiarity, so consumers can grab it and have confidence in it immediately.

"We speak directly to the person who would want to buy it," says Kosovac. Lundquist and Kosovac founded Miloby Ideasystem in 2001 as a vehicle for intuition, theory, technology, and pop culture to influence the context in which design is considered, and to approach design as a mutable creative strategy. Kosovac explains that the Miloby firm is known more for designing in a contemporary aesthetic, but is looking forward to leveraging their strengths in packaging projects of all kinds.

Kosovac likens package design to sending off your child (package) out into the dangerous or confusing world of school (grocery store). Her Lucini children have done well so far, as the gourmet oils and vinegars are top sellers in their categories and are favorites of celebrity chefs Emeril LaGasse and Charlie Trotter. Kosovac believes that forming an intimate relationship with the client was a key to the successes of the Lucini project. The company encouraged thorough research that enabled Miloby to truly bring the Italian experience to U.S. grocery shelves.