Shifting Design Hierarchy From Product To Brand-Led
In the heart of Wisconsin’s Fox River Valley, at the crossroads of the North Woods where farm and forest intersect, is a village called Black Creek, where premium cheddar cheese gets its distinctive flavor profile. That’s where the award-winning Black Creek® Cheddar, a growing brand within the Saputo USA portfolio, story begins, producing truly authentic Wisconsin cheese. Capitalizing on the cheesemaking culture and Wisconsin experience, the brand is aiming to transition from being more locally known to becoming the definitive Midwestern cheddar on a national scale.
For the brand redesign, they turned to creative agency Chase Design Group to develop a visual identity system, logo, and packaging. “While modernizing the brand, we were careful not to lose the handcrafted, artisanal feel,” says Lauren Kossar, Creative Director, Chase Design Group. “But, to stand apart, the rebrand needed to reach consumers by honing in on key aspects of their unique brand story. Research confirmed that consumers value an artisanal, locally rooted identity that celebrates small-batch craftsmanship and Wisconsin dairy pride.” Continues Kossar: “We reimagined the brandmark to enhance legibility and impact, and introduced a new handcrafted illustration of the barn, creek, and forest landscape, bringing Black Creek’s story to life, visually expressing our Wisconsin heritage.”
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A customized typeface channels the brand’s spirit, and an updated tagline below the wordmark reads, “Crafted in Wisconsin.” The decision to shift the design hierarchy from product-led to brand-led better reflects the passion, and sense of place behind the brand. A new label shape with distinctive angles and curves at the top and bottom, as well as simplified elements on the label, modernizes and eliminates clutter, while maximizing brand impact. Bold flavor colors provide a contrast from the rest of the label/interior cheese product, as well as helping it stand apart on the shelf.
Consumers shop for cheddar by its sharpness. The core aged line remains true to their existing colors, keeping the yellow/orange/red color space, which gets darker for the more aged cheeses. Shoppability was enhanced by using flat color instead of gradient vignettes on flavor bands to modernize as well as provide a clearer distinction between colors.
Comments Samina Kirchen, Brand Manager, Specialty Cheese at Saputo: “The new design honors where we come from while setting us up for the next chapter of growth.”
