Client:
Company "Milky Whale"

Challenge:
About 10 years ago, "Milk Whale" company asked us to develop packaging for the first product released under the brand name "Three Cows, Two Cats." Back then we were given the task to develop a visual solution that would make the product stand out among other brands. That's how characters, dreamy cows and cats, were created, and customers loved them. Products were introduced gradually, so the characters were living in a whole new world with its own storyline and new plots.

Solution:
In the beginning the characters appeared on milkshakes, then the product line expanded to include milk in tetrapack carton, curd cheese, whey mixed with juice and dairy cream. Products were introduced gradually, so each package was launched as a separate project. It became possible to experiment with colour, shape and materials. Only the graphic art of the characters (cows and cats) and the logo remained unchanged, but the layout and environment depended on the intended use of the product. As a result, the characters received their own world with its own storyline and new plots.

So, a summer rural landscape appeared on the milk packaging with the images of a wooden fence, a gate, a green lawn. It helped the consumer to forget about the industrial origin of the product. And, for example, the story on the packaging with coconut milk cocktails sent the characters on a tropical island, where a happy cow sits among juicy fruits against a blue palm pattern, favourably shading the white colour of the upper, dairy part of the composition. In niche marketing, in addition to the concept and general style, the requirements of the product category are very important. Therefore, when developing a product, it is necessary to comply with the category requirements and meet consumer expectations.

For example, curd cheeses have a lot of tastes, and thus differentiation is a must. The buyer must immediately understand that this is vanilla, and this is strawberry. The design of "Three Cows, Two Cats" solved two tasks at once: tell about the product itself and introduce taste identifier. In the first case there was an elegant solution: information about the naturalness of the product is enclosed in a speech bubble or a text cloud, as if the character of a mini-comic book says it. The second part was resolved by applying several colours to the top of the package and changing the team of characters.

It is a similar situation with dairy cream. This product category is also loaded with variety, so the introduction of game elements in the design and the appearance of a bright, atypical colour differentiator turned into quite an event on the food shelf. Also, there is a special story about whey with juice. On one hand, the packaging should contain juice elements, and on the other, it should be clear that the product contains milk. So, giant fruits from which characters drink become the main design focus and at the same time taste marker, and the dairy theme is reflected in the delicate pastel colours of the background.

Simple but vivid visual solutions do not require grand investments in promotion, as they don't have unusual shapes or amazing materials - however, they sometimes do the job best. Such packaging doesn't shock, it attracts attention, it is associated with the brand and is aimed at emotional connection with the buyer. Characters create the right mood, highlighting the brand against the background of impersonal packaging. They bring joy, lightness and positiveness, which are lacking in everyday life, and therefore they become close to the consumer, like old friends that will not let you down.

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