This past April, Bailey Brand Consulting was invited to participate in Package Design magazine’s 2012 Makeover Challenge. The challenge tasked four branding firms with redesigning the brand experience of Klara’s Gourmet Cookies through its packaging. Klara’s is a Lee, Massachusetts-based company run by the husband and wife team of Klara Sotonova and Jefferson D. Diller. They, in their own words, “Produce classic European cookies from recipes that have been in Klara’s family for generations.” After many rounds of thorough taste-testing, the Bailey team came up with our own description: delicious.

Our first step in tackling this project was to listen to Klara and Jefferson’s thoughts about their products and the customers’ experience. We had a great conversation to discuss their brand, the competition, and the goals for this redesign. We learned how important their Czech heritage is to the brand, as well as the interest in keeping production costs manageable.

Using this conversation as a foundation, our strategists dug deeper into the brand. They performed store audits to see how Klara’s and their competition are displayed in-store while evaluating and categorizing the competition by use of imagery, naming, and brand stories.

Armed with this information, the design team got started (actually, we had a cookie break first). Five designers developed and refined sketches for multiple rounds. Those sketches were narrowed down to three concepts. The designers of those concepts pitched them to a group of Bailey peers and one concept-that we think meets all of the objectives—was chosen. It was like Bailey’s version of The Hunger Games, but with our designers’ egos fighting to the death.

So, what sort of considerations went into the final design?

• We wanted to create brand experience that is fresh, contemporary, and unique while connecting to Klara’s family heritage and tradition. We needed to think of how this can be communicated through the packaging and additional items at the point of sale, such as the design of the cookie tray Klara and Jefferson use at tastings.

• The Klara’s brand story was brought to the front panel of the package as a point of difference from other gourmet cookie brands. Klara’s signature (behind the story) adds a handcrafted feel.

• The brand name uses ownable typography and is presented in a
  diagonal band with contemporary colors to stand out on shelf.

• We added a color-coded brand panel (by cookies/savories) for effective segmentation and the labels on the top of the package color code for flavor.

• Cookies are in clear resealable bag within the carton, and a die cut window allows consumer to see the cookies.

The Bailey team had a great time working on this project. We think the end result not only creates a stronger brand experience, but a packaging system that is feasible to create and implement for Klara and Jefferson’s small business model.

We think we have what it takes to win the Makeover Challenge—and we hope you agree. Voting is open to the public, so please visit the Package Design magazine’s 2012 Makeover Challenge website and cast your vote for Bailey!