Always Fresh Product Designer
Overview
Always Fresh produce distributor wanted a new product for the market place. There was an initial meeting to discuss details and requirements. During this project I worked directly with the Always Fresh senior business staff and marketing team to develop a label that had a metallic, shiny, reflective look, that grabbed the buyers attention and had a premium appeal over the other product containers in the grocery display cases. This took my full knowledge of printing capabilities, project management, art directing, and new product development, as well as, the knowledge of store level visual displays and the ability to work with a variety of teams both internal and external. This drew on my leadership ability, communication skills, and director level oversight.
As the Product Design Manager, it was my job to present a transparent metallic colored label series that meet expectations, a new unique label shape, and a display container that functioned with several berry container sizes and worked well in the grocery display cases for stores across the USA.
Role: Product Designer
• My role was to work with the Always Fresh senior management and marketing team to develop a new premium label and clamshell container product, that would be used in the market places as a grade 1, premium product.
• Bring together the team and the product that was ready for market distribution in a 3 weeks time frame from start to finish. This involved gaining approval of the product from stakeholders, working with sales team, setting up production scheduling, overseeing graphic design, teaming with printing staff, and the application director to complete the end product and desired result.
3 week duration
Key Activities and Skills:
• Project Management & Design
• Art Direction
• Oversaw Graphic Design Team
• Problem Solving for new product
• B2B Products & Customer Relations
• Verbal & Written Communications
• Order procurement of product tools
• Product Production
Request
• Make a premium label that had a timeless metallic look and feel.
• Color pallet and design work had to be classy and communicate the look of a premium product when displayed next to competitors products at the store level.
• Customer wanted a back-print on the label that told additional information when the lid was open.
• Label had to fit on multiple clamshell container sizes for use in both grocery and club stores.
• Design work had to support 6 different reusable versions that had various countries of origin, languages, weight requirements, and different container lid sizes.
• Provide a new unique label shape that grabbed the buyers attention when displayed, but did not overpower the product in the container.
• Product lead time was 3 weeks from start to finish or we would lose the window to sell the product as produce has a limited shelf life.
Solution
• Achieved this by, choosing a silver reflective label substrate that was metallic looking, when any transparent ink color was printed on it.
• Oversaw the graphic design team. They were responsible for creating a new shape, a new fresh label design that would work across several container sizes, and used FDA compliant language to sell the product at the grocery store level.
• Present a working solution to the Always fresh team by the end of the first week.
• Changes and iteration made to label before the end of the second week.
• Confirmed with printing and applications directors that the product was possible for high speed production methods.
• Gained full approval by the end of week two and had a firm plan order for production for a million plus labels as a first run.
• Ordered label stock, die tooling, inks, and confirmed clamshell containers were available for first run of the product.
• Worked with internal sales, scheduling, and production teams to print, apply and ship product run by the third week as promised.
Results
Produced a professional product that met the request of the client and gained a satisfied customer.
