When this project was launched in January 2023, the current Dr. Praeger's packaging had been in the market for more than 8 years. Since then, the number of plant-based products has exploded, and the freezer shelves have become very crowded.

Packaging is our most important communication vehicle. It needed to work harder to capture attention, drive interest and motivate behavior. What could we do to make our brand stand out on shelf and attract new customers?

The time was right for a brand refresh with the goal of creating packaging that was stop-able, shop-able, and own-able.

I was the lead point of contact for all stages of this year-long project. After a kicking off with RFPs and agency presentations, CBX, an award-winning branding strategy and design agency, was selected. A combination of brand equity research and insights into current packaging trends led to several rounds of logo, tagline and packaging design development. As the leading designs went through qualitative and quantitative studies, one approach rose to the top both with consumers and company stakeholders.

We now have a logo that balances the inherent seriousness of “Dr.” with an organic feel and flourishes that feel fresh and playful. The rich dark green is now our own-able brand color. The tagline "Tasty meets Veggie" gets to the core of what we do — Dr. Praeger's makes delicious food that happens to be packed with veggies — and will inform all marketing campaign strategies.

The new design checks the boxes on all we set out to achieve:

• Brand name visibility

• Clean, modern design

• Clear information hierarchy

• Communicates great taste

• Unified brand block across SKUs

Plus, subtle callbacks to the previous packaging — light background, product name color blocks — will make it easier for current fans to find the Dr. Praeger's products they know and love.

We expect the new packaging to fully populate freezer shelves by Fall 2024.