JKR

About 18 months ago, a former jkr contact asked if we could help out with a voluntary redesign project in Sierra Leone. Happy to help, a team of jkr volunteers started working on a new design for baby food company, Bennimix.

The challenge was to create a new look for the brand which was struggling to hold its own against imported competitors. “When it came to the design, retaining the elements which made the brand recognisable was key, but we wanted to give them meaning and make them actually stand for something. As such, the blue became the sky and the green became the grass. The baby then brought all elements of the design together.” Martin Francis, Design Director, jkr. “We also looked at the use of different materials utilising a metallised substrate to help elevate the product into a more premium arena, by clever use of the inks available.” Giles Heselwood, Artworker, jkr.

The tired look of the original packaging was struggling to support the nutritional nature of the product. As a result, creating a distinctive design that established Bennimix as a credible brand was fundamental to try and ensure its future success. The benefits of which are far reaching; not only will it help the family-run Bennimix company, it’s 100% made in Sierra Leone so supports local farmers and families too.

So well done Martin, Giles, Alex, Stuart & Nick for taking the time to help, making Bennimix a proud new arrival.

This week sees the launch of the 2011 Penhaligon’s Christmas Gift Collection, designed by jkr.

The range conveys the premium elegance associated with the Penhaligon’s brand whilst playing on its wit and humor. “Our brief to jkr was to create a box that would both charm the customer with some British eccentricity whilst ensuring it felt like a bespoke gift” said Sarah Rotheram, CEO, Penhaligon’s. “The box needed to be a keepsake item with standalone appeal. At first glance the packaging was to appear beautiful but with a reason to look a little closer.”

“We landed on the theme of Hidden London” said Jovan Buac, Account Director, jkr. “This felt rich in creativity and we explored this idea through a number of different avenues. The idea of life behind closed doors in Victorian London allowed us to express the Penhaligon’s wit and eccentricity in an engaging way that came from the brand” added Buac. The range depicts a Victorian household, with three box sizes that stack to create a six storey house. “The design delivers the madness one would expect from a bonkers British household, with all the hustle and bustle of life in the decadent surroundings of a Victorian home” said Sarah Rotheram, CEO, Penhaligon’s.

As always, the Penhaligon’s Christmas packaging should have a festive appeal but without direct references to Christmas clichés. “The boxes are a visual treat and take inspiration from Victorian dolls’ houses, as well as Victorian architecture and dress” said Matt Gilpin, Design Director, jkr. “The front of the house is based on the Penhaligon’s shop front in Covent Garden, London, giving the design more depth and meaning. The illustrative style hides a variety of different scenes which leave you constantly searching for more hidden goings on”. The brief also included the structural design, meaning the aesthetic needed to balance with the safe transportation of breakable goods. The historical hat box with carry handle idea was continued this year, with grosgrain two-tone ribbons to match the graphics.

“The boxes needed to look clean and crisp to counteract the detailed illustrations. We used a metallised paper stock with a satin finish, which gave a shimmer to the boxes. The use of punchy colours and heavy gold foiling on the front created a box with real gift appeal” said Judith Allan, Production Director, jkr.

Sarah Rotheram, CEO, Penhaligon’s said “We are delighted with the final collection and personally, I find more hidden stories in the design every time I pick up the packaging!”

The collection of eight boxes will be available in Penhaligon’s stores and select retailers this Christmas, priced between £35 and £110.

After 14 years, Boddingtons has been given a fresh new look. The new packaging is designed to build on the existing equities and give Boddingtons a new level of standout. “The challenge for us was to attract a new younger audience, whilst keeping the unique character that existing consumers remember with such affection. It was vital that the new design was not retrospective, but felt modern and relevant.” Georgina Leigh-Pemberton, Account Director, jkr.

The Boddingtons brand has a history of confidence and irreverence, which has enabled it to defy the category norms and be a bit different.

“Boddingtons was a joy to work with, the bold timeless graphics were a gift for keeping the brand contemporary. The ‘Odd’ secondary packaging had done fantastically well but we needed to freshen it up. Humour has always been part of the Boddingtons brand and we came up with a more witty design using the Boddingtons bees (a symbol of Manchester’s hive of industry) to create the drop shadow of the B. The use of the big bold B really has great impact in store and using this as a shelf block for the secondaries will hopefully make the brand stand out even more.” Sean Harvey, Design Director, jkr.

“We are delighted with the new Boddingtons design – it captures Boddingtons’ unique personality perfectly. We were keen to modernise the design, but in doing so it was important that we kept the distinctive colours and didn’t lose any of the brand’s rich heritage.” Jo Allan, Boddingtons Brand Team, AB InBev.

The cans and secondaries are instore now.

The best scents tell a story, capturing a memory or a moment in time. This is true of the new Penhaligon’s fragrance Juniper Sling, which launches this month with packaging designed by jkr.

“Juniper Sling is a very exciting concept. The fragrance is inspired by the botanical ingredients within London Dry Gin” explained Sarah Rotheram, CEO, Penhaligon’s. “We look to create fragrances that have a very British beat to them, and Gin is very much a part of the history of London. To create this fragrance, we have had the pleasure of working with an icon within the fragrance industry, the perfumer Oliver Cresp”.

“The brief was very clear on the mood and emotion we wanted Juniper Sling to conjure up from a design point of view” said Jovan Buac, Account Director, jkr. “It’s about gin cocktails in the 1920’s, bright young things and art deco nuances.” As always, Penhaligon’s aims to play on its heritage but with a nod to the modern. “The design aims to deliver simple elegance with patterns inspired by 1920′s architecture but shown in a very subtle way through the use of silver foils on the box” said Liz Stannard, Designer, jkr.

With a newly designed over-sized box structure and metal bow-tie, jkr strived to add more weight and luxury to Juniper Sling, whilst still ensuring it fitted with the rest of the Penhaligon’s range.

“This design is all about tactility and layering, but with simplicity at the heart of the design. The paper stock is tactile whilst the use of silver foils and varnishes helps create a luxurious feel” said Judith Allan, Production Director, jkr.

“The use of real metal features on the bottle & box was key. This aspect of the design was inspired by classic decanter labels and helped provide authenticity while building on the gin story at the heart of the fragrance” said Liz Stannard, Designer, jkr. “Of course, producing these labels was technically challenging, but the result is superb” added Judith Allan, Production Director, jkr.

“We are delighted with the final packaging, the bottle sparkles, the presentation has the fizz that one associates with Gin, and it manages to feel decadent, without relying on all of the clichés of the 1920’s. We have a truly unique fragrance, brimming with unusual and fine ingredients, a strange olfactive tale of Gin; the packaging continues this story, subtly hinting at the Gin inspiration, whilst at all time staying very true to the brand” Sarah Rotheram, CEO, Penhaligon’s.