NOW FRESH Global Packaging Refresh

Agency: Subplot Design Inc.
Designers: Andrea Tombleson & Matthew Clark
Creative Directors: Matthew Clark & Roy White
Copywriter: Pete Pallett
Photographer: Raeff Miles
Pets Illustrator: Diana Finch
Location: Canada
Project Type: Produced
Client: Petcurean Pet Nutrition
Product Launch Location: Global
Packaging Contents: Premium Pet Food
Packaging Substrate / Materials: 3 layer Poly, quad-seal bags
Printing Process: Flexography

Petcurean, producer of premium quality pet food brands available in more than 35 countries around the world, is announcing a global brand refresh of its NOW FRESH recipes for cats and dogs. Long-time partners, Subplot Design Inc., were tasked with bringing the new packaging system to life.

Under a new tagline “Fresh. Simple. Whole. For every size and stage of life”, the refreshed NOW FRESH collection continues to provide pet parents the ultimate peace of mind, knowing they’re feeding their cherished companions perfectly balanced and minimally processed recipes. Featuring functional ingredients and carefully balanced nutrient levels, NOW FRESH recipes offer tailored nutrition to support the health of dogs and cats at each stage of life, with unique kibble shapes and sizes that appeal to pets no matter how big or small.

“NOW FRESH has so much goodness to talk about, it could be overwhelming to the consumer”, says Subplot Creative Director and Lead Designer, Matthew Clark. “This meant making tough choices for the information hierarchy and crafting a design which communicates simply and clearly”.

Beautiful food images are now the most prominent part of the packaging, showcasing the premium quality ingredients that go into each recipe. This also allows consumers to quickly identify the main proteins in each recipe.

A prominent information panel balances the most important aspects of each recipe and gives the consumer clarity when searching for the most appropriate recipe:

• Size and Stage of Life (ie. Small Breed Puppy)
• Recipe Flavour Name (ie. Turkey, Salmon & Duck)
• 100% sized kibble for easy reference to size and shape

Icons communicate the single most important feature of each recipe (ie. Balanced protein & fat to support growth and development), as well as the main product features of all NOW FRESH recipes:

• Minimal processing for maximum nutrient retention
• Over 20 nutrient-rich superfood ingredients
• No artificial preservatives and no by-product or meat meals
• Grain & gluten free recipe

The packaging back panel is now dedicated to significantly more information to help the consumer learn more about the NOW FRESH brand and key ingredient information, including callouts for main ingredients, icons detailing additional key product features, and kibble shown at 100% size.

Like all Petcurean recipes, the NOW FRESH collection for cats and dogs is formulated by Petcurean’s expert nutrition team, and uses only fresh de-boned muscle meat, plus whole eggs, nutrient-rich fruits and veggies, and probiotics. NOW FRESH recipes are grain-free and contain no by-product or meat meals, or artificial colours, flavours, or preservatives.

“Our dogs and cats rely on us to choose the best possible nutrition to help them thrive, and we know that can be a difficult decision to make,” said Anabel Immega, Brand Manager for NOW FRESH at Petcurean. “In choosing NOW FRESH, we want pet parents to feel assured they are feeding their cherished companions perfectly balanced, minimally processed recipes that provide premium quality nutrition with a taste their pets will love – that’s our mission today, tomorrow and every day.” “We are so happy with the way that Subplot has brought this to life throughout the packaging”, adds Immega. “The packaging now works even harder to reinforce all the great qualities of this special food”.

What’s Unique? There were a large number of recipes and many important claims. We shot all ingredients separately using the same lighting so we could construct a variety of consistent but distinct recipe shots. And we worked very hard on communication hierarchy to allow the large amount of information to be clear and understandable.