Barnana x Starbucks Exclusive

Packaging - Snacks

This is a unique packaging to the Barnana brand which is typically characterized by bright, colorful elements. I needed to thread the needle on hitting an exclusive, premium feel while making sure the brand was consistent across channels. In order to do just that, I used mixed materials for this package, something that I had not done before. Gold foil (silver foil with transparent yellow overlay to get a pure gold), silver foil, registered matte background, and gloss overlays. The way that the Starbucks stores lighting systems are laid out, this package shined in the snack section perfectly. This design is both unique to the Barnana brand and highly differentiated within Starbucks stores fitting with the Starbucks Reserve direction that they are moving towards.

Registered matte material with metalized cutaways and gloss overlays. The gold foil look is a metalized material with a golden color printed on top of it, giving it a gold sheen.

Specifications: 114mm Width x 25mm Depth x 127mm Height

Design Tags: packaging, package, bananas, sustainable, green, snacks, organic

Design Team Members: Nik Ingersoll

Design Location and Timeframe: The project took about 8 months to complete and was done in Los Angeles, California over several cups of coffee and inspiration.

Design Research: Initially, we tested 4 different flavors in 2 different cohorts of Starbucks stores to see what sold the best. The two regions that were chosen were selected based on which stores would best simulate a national rollout with the Starbucks chain. Upon testing, the Organic Chocolate Chewy Banana Bites performed best. Further sensory testing was conducted using Facebook ads and targeting Starbucks customers to see which packaging varietals they liked the most. This confirmed my initial hypothesis in terms of overall look, feel and fit for that customer segment.

Design Challenges: The challenge was taking the Barnana brand which had been living in the natural/organic retail channels for its entire existence and translating it into a premium coffee shop environment. With the absence of thousands of other packages next to ours, we would have a better chance to shine on the shelf. Another challenge was the lighting in the stores. It is a bit dimly lit, but there is a nice light right above the snack tower. That's why the gold and silver foil concept exceeded my expectations when we put them in the snack towers. The film was premium and the way the light hit the foil on the packages, they lit up brightly.

Design Notes: This package was designed by Barnana in the premium coffee retail channel. The packaging uses foil gold throughout. The gold elements are placed against matte, textured, stained concrete background blends. The printing style is registered matte, leaving the white pieces glossy and the gold elements metallic.

Image Credits: Nik Ingersoll

Intellectual Property Notice: Copyright Barnana 2017

Awards and Accolades: This Design was awarded Bronze in A' Packaging Design Award in 2018. Bronze A' Design Award: Bestowed upon outstanding and creatively ingenious designs that authenticate experience and resourcefulness. Esteemed for incorporating best practices in art, science, design, and technology, they exhibit strong technical and creative skills and contribute to quality of life improvements, making the world a better place.