\n
<\/p>\n
Patrick Coyne owns a brick-and-mortar dumpling restaurant called Laoban<\/a> in Washington, D.C. Like so many entrepreneurs, his business was upended during the pandemic and\u2014with no in-person dining\u2014he had to find ways to adapt. \u201cAt the start of Covid, we were just throwing our dumplings in Ziploc bags and selling them curbside,\u201d he recalled. It was working well enough that he and his partner Tim Ma (an acclaimed chef) developed the idea to expand the Laoban brand into the frozen-food aisle of grocery stores.\u00a0<\/p>\n This pivot happened very fast, and the packaging for Laoban frozen<\/a> dumplings reflected that scrappy, nimble approach. Its sleek, minimalist design featured fun blob-like characters and a muted-peach color, an intentionally whimsical look that stood out in a traditional grocery freezer. \u201cIt was very simple and colorful,\u201d Coyne said of the original package. \u201cIt was very different from anything else in the aisle. When people walked by in stores, they would say \u2018oh, what is that?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n That distinctive look (and tasty product, of course) helped Laoban build a following and get distribution in its first few chain retailers\u2014Fresh Thyme, Fresh Market, and Whole Foods\u2014relatively quickly. When the brand wanted to grow, the packaging\u2019s limitations became clear. \u201cWe were trying to sell to places where customer curiosity wasn’t necessarily as great,\u201d noted Coyne.<\/p>\n To help them in this endeavor, Laoban partnered with Sabik Design, a Breckenridge-based independent design studio. Coyne wanted the new design to remain recognizable to Laoban\u2019s core consumers, but both he and Hana Hart (Sabik\u2019s founder and creative director) recognized opportunities to improve.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThere was an overall lack of clarity when you saw the packaging,\u201d said Hart. \u201cSo we needed better communication to amplify taste appeal and to show the product in use.\u201d<\/p>\n The design wasn\u2019t just for the brand\u2019s existing offerings, either. At the time, the company was planning to expand its product set, adding in bao buns, scallion pancakes, crab rangoons, and Taiwanese popcorn chicken products. With this in mind, the teams at Laoban and Sabik were cognizant of creating a design system that was flexible. \u201cWe needed to be able to accommodate multiple new product lines and form factors, and make it a universal design template,\u201d said Coyne.<\/p>\n The first, most glaring issue: The star of the show wasn\u2019t even pictured. So how would the brand give these delicious dumplings their close-up? Hart remembers having fun with the possibilities. \u201cWe explored a lot of photographic layouts and what that was going to look like,\u201d she recalled. \u201cWas the product going to be plated? Was it on chopsticks? What were the angles of the chopsticks? Were the model\u2019s hands included?\u201d<\/p>\n Ultimately, Laoban chose the imagery that featured two dumplings held in chopsticks, as if being shared at a meal. The top dumpling was golden brown and featured tantalizing toppings. \u201cI wouldn\u2019t say dumplings are the sexiest when they’re just plain,\u201d Hart quipped. \u201cSo it was pretty clear we wanted to put the sauce on it, as well as some toppings.\u201d<\/p>\n The other image was equally appetizing, but the dumpling was cut open so that consumers could see inside. \u201cWe wanted to show the cross section so you could see those real high-quality ingredients and truly sense the flavor,\u201d noted Hart. Coyne was quick to praise BurkleHagen, the photography studio the team worked with, for expertly highlighting the filling, texture and taste. \u201cThe photos came out beautifully,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n One of the most interesting elements of the previous design was its soothing simplicity, which likely helped pique consumers\u2019 interest in a crowded freezer aisle. Still, it was evident that improved communication was a necessary element of the redesign, starting with the wordmark.\u00a0<\/p>\n The previous design featured two wordmarks\u2014a smaller one at the top of the package, and a stacked one (half of the brand name above the other half) at the center of the design. Coyne and Hart agreed that there should be only one larger wordmark at the center, and decided against the stacking approach for better clarity. The choice on the color change to the wordmark came down to the wire. \u201cWe actually played around with keeping the multicolored logo,\u201d said Hart. \u201cWe ended up changing it at the end of the project, and I think it makes a huge difference. It\u2019s more legible and more prominent.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Claims and ingredient information were so subtly presented on the old packaging that it was easy to overlook them; the new design, on the other hand, features a modular system of badges that colorfully highlights key ingredients and important information. \u00a0\u201cWe wanted to keep some of the minimalism of the old packaging while still communicating those important messages,\u201d noted Hart.<\/p>\n Another thing that stayed? Those charming little blobs. \u201cThose mascots are what people most associate with the brand,\u201d Coyne said. \u201cThose facial expressions create an emotional connection, and it\u2019s the part of the packaging that sticks out the most.\u201d<\/p>\n The new look is also fully flexible, allowing Laoban to integrate its new products into a cohesive design system. \u201cI think moving to that format has allowed us to scale, to add product lines in a pretty seamless way as well,\u201d Coyne stated. \u201cEverything was harmonized and consistent.\u201d<\/p>\n Once the packaging hit shelves, there was no change in the marketing plan\u2014but the new packaging clearly didn\u2019t need extra help. The redesign was a bonanza for Laoban. In the six months after the redesign was launched, sales soared 296% compared to the same period in the prior year. Distribution increased, and sales per point of distribution jumped 120%. The results of a consumer evaluation by Designalytics were just as overwhelming: 97% of category buyers preferred the new design over the old one.\u00a0<\/p>\n Hart believes that the new design has been successful because it draws attention to the best parts of Laoban without messing with what makes the brand unique. \u201cWe didn\u2019t want to change much beyond highlighting the taste, ingredients, and how easy it was to eat,\u201d said Hart. \u201cIt was already a lovable brand, and this hopefully made it more lovable.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Coyne agreed. \u201cWhen we make our products, flavor comes first, so we needed that to come through with this design,\u201d Coyne said. \u201cWe accomplished that. Other than that, we really wanted to keep the rest of the package as simple and straightforward and honest as possible.\u201d<\/p>\n This article was provided by Designalytics. For more information, please visit <\/em>https:\/\/www.designalytics.com\/<\/em><\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n