• Working for
    the French Président
    Diversity is everything

    We had, to be honest, no clue about packaging. Until one day, we got in touch with the Marketing Director of the Lactalis Group (Président’s brand owner) for Central Europe. He was working with one of the best French packaging design agency. But they did not understand the markets. On the other side, German agencies were unable to communicate with the French teams working for the group’s many brands. Therefore, Monsieur Valot was ready to take chances. And so were we.

    We learned everything about dry offset printing, complicated die cutting, white ink and opacity on plastic foil, four color printing with only three colors (it sort of works), flexography, in-mould labelling— and quite a few more topics.

    After 100 packaging projects for Lactalis, we have stopped counting.
    Variations around an iconic cheese—Camembert
    Beyond all technical constraints, of which there are many, designing food packaging is often an exercise in restraint. Consumers can be very conservative, and when one’s client sells tens of million units per year in Germany alone, two facts have to be kept in mind at all times:
    • the product is absolutely mainstream, and its target group is, globally, neither hip nor progressive,
    • there is a lot at stake, all the more since, for many products, there is no advertising beyond the packaging itself.
    Our design team, who tends to favor an uncluttered , clean-cut style, adapted fast and well to coats of arms, laurel wreaths, nostalgic landscapes and rustic implements. In fact, re-designs aiming at a trendy, clean look can backfire in a spectacular way. Back in 2009, Tropicana sales went down 20 % within weeks after such a ‘modern’ rebranding. Needless to say, the old design was back on the shelves shortly afterwards…
    Full service package design
    In certain cases, a packaging project can involve more than designing alone. Here, the photography was done in-house due to budget constraints (the Claudel brand is used in Germany by a hard discount retailer).

    The wine glass disappeared at a point, while the grapes stayed: the client decided that it was no longer politically correct to show a fermented beverage on a cheese label…




    Complex pack shapes
    Dealing with complex cutting dies is part of many packaging projects. These three packs—one for a heart-shaped, gourmet specialty from Normandy, the other for mini goat cheeses sold in a roll as an entry-level offer, the third one for a drinkable yogurt in children-friendly stand-up doypacks— are typical in this respect.

    These three designs also exemplify the essential prerequisites of food packaging: being very flexible in terms of style and always designing for the target group. It can be perceived as a frustration or a challenge. We opt for the latter…
    Ads in trade magazines
    Advertising campaigns in special interest trade magazines for food retailers and dairy products have been a logical consequence of our deep involvement in package design for the various brands.
    P.O.P. leaflet and displays
    In many European countries, upscale food retailers and delicatessen include a real cheese counter, where gourmet consumers can choose from a vast selection of products and have their cheese sliced or cut to order.

    In such locations, it pays off to run special promotions and supply the consumer with recipes and background information.




    Some French cheeses are definitely in need of an introduction. Especially when they are virtually unknown on a foreign market and rather pricey.

    In addition, selling sheep milk cheeses in Germany can be an uphill battle, as even knowledgeable consumers only know Roquefort and Pecorino.  This leaflet—complete with wine pairings and serving ideas—was therefore pivotal in the launch of three hearty and delicious, regional sheep milk specialties from Southern France.

    The project included in-house food styling and photography.
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