Paperboard packaging, natural colors, cartoon graphics reflect the petfood line, Kaytee says
When Kaytee Products Inc. launched Nature’s Benefits, a natural petfood line for birds and small animals, the company used vibrant graphics and sustainable packaging to make the products stand out.
Kaytee’s design agency, Directions Inc., came up with the concept of using the emotional bond consumers and their pets have to market the petfood line on store shelves, through cartoon artwork with natural colors and muted tones.
“The design foundation is built on the visual cue of the natural-looking Kraft substrate, which underscores the key positioning of the product,” said Aria Grant, Directions art director. “Rich animal photography is juxtaposed against a backdrop of environmental foliage, all on a palette of visually textured fiberboard. In a snapshot, the package visually describes the benefit of natural nutrition.”
Directions worked with Great Northern Corp.'s StrataGraph web-based manufacturing operation to print the cartoon images on the Kraft paperboard packaging product without sacrificing print quality. The StrataGraph process used UV inks and UV dry-trapping of inks and coatings to create a high-quality printing look while keeping the paperboard's folding-carton structure in-tact. The result, according to Kaytee, was packaging made from 100% Forest Stewardship Council-certified wood sources, which is fully recyclable or can be used by consumers for their pets “to tunnel and burrow in,” as the back of the cartons suggest.