What we did . . .
• New brand identity
• New packaging design
• Illustration
• Brand Collateral
• Relaunch Strategy
• Project Management
• Print Management
Results
• Best IDI Packaging Design Awards Commended Finalist 2009
• Winning Exhibit with ICOGRADA Galeria International Design 2009
• Significant commercial success
McConnells Gourmet Foods
Product Overview:
McConnell’s Gourmet Smoked Foods is a premium Irish brand with a rich heritage dating from 1928. Originally McConnell’s had a fish shop on Dublin’s eminent Grafton Street where they acquired an enviable reputation over the years for selling the finest Smoked Salmon available. Their Smoked Salmon was much sought after and served in some of Dublin’s most exquisite food emporiums, hotels, restaurants and private clubs.
In 1995 with the increasing overheads of being located in some of Dublin’s most expensive real estate, the shop closed. However the great legacy of McConnells was not lost and they joined forces with Gourmet Smoked Foods from where they have continued to grow and expand their much appreciated smoked foods range.
Client Brief:
The McConnell’s brand had been very successful in the premium food service arena and the client wanted to leverage some of that success into another market, the upper end of the retail sector. They had a range of products which were not readily available in retail but were consistent favourites among consumers in the professional restaurant dining experience e.g. smoked chicken, smoked duck etc.
In order to make the requisite impact they needed to give their branding and packaging an overhaul. The new branding and packaging had to be developed for both the national and export markets, home consumption or gifting, with a strong emphasis on it’s Irish food emporium legacy and multiple award winning status.
Solution:
The packaging and branding needed clear differentiation from any other similar products e.g. smoked salmon and very strong shelf impact. It needed to avoid the much used traditional “Irish” product or seafood related associations with the green or blue colour cues.
The lengthy association with the Grafton Street shop and it’s rich Irish heritage needed to be an integral part of the brand story. The brand logo needed to be an evolutionary update from it’s old appearance with a connection which reflected the centuries old traditional skills of food smoking. The rich brown smoked oak imagery was used to underpin McConnells traditional smoked food story and it also acted as a powerful visual differentiator on shelf.