JDA INC

02/24/2026

This Snapple rebrand is leaning into their 90's roots. The logo, the shape of the bottle, and the label all harken back to the original.

Their original brand story starts with a bang and a snap:

𝘖𝘯𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳, 𝘓𝘦𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘳𝘥 𝘔𝘢𝘳𝘴𝘩, 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘴𝘢𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘷𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘩𝘦 𝘬𝘯𝘦𝘸 “𝘢𝘴 𝘮𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘫𝘶𝘪𝘤𝘦 𝘢𝘴 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘵𝘰𝘮 𝘣𝘰𝘮𝘣.”

𝘈𝘴 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘕𝘦𝘸 𝘠𝘰𝘳𝘬 𝘛𝘪𝘮𝘦𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘔𝘢𝘳𝘴𝘩’𝘴 2013 𝘰𝘣𝘪𝘵𝘶𝘢𝘳𝘺, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘦𝘦 𝘮𝘦𝘯 “𝘥𝘪𝘥 𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘶𝘱 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢 𝘣𝘰𝘮𝘣 𝘰𝘧 𝘴𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘴: 𝘢 𝘣𝘢𝘵𝘤𝘩 𝘰𝘧 𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘣𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘫𝘶𝘪𝘤𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘢𝘤𝘤𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘧𝘦𝘳𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘥, 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘰𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘤𝘰𝘳𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘣𝘰𝘵𝘵𝘭𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘱𝘴 𝘴𝘬𝘺𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘥.” 𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬𝘧𝘶𝘭𝘭𝘺, 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘺 𝘢𝘤𝘤𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘴𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘢 𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘯𝘢𝘮𝘦 “𝘜𝘯𝘢𝘥𝘶𝘭𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘍𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘗𝘳𝘰𝘥𝘶𝘤𝘵𝘴” 𝘵𝘰 “𝘚𝘯𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘭𝘦,” 𝘢 𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘢𝘶 𝘰𝘧 “𝘴𝘯𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘺” 𝘢𝘯𝘥 “𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘭𝘦.” 𝘚𝘯𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘭𝘦’𝘴 𝘣𝘰𝘵𝘵𝘭𝘦𝘴 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘮𝘢𝘥𝘦 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘢 𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘥 𝘨𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘴, 𝘧𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘤𝘰𝘭𝘰𝘳𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢 𝘴𝘭𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘭𝘺 𝘤𝘶𝘳𝘴𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘭𝘰𝘨𝘰, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘦𝘮𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘢 𝘴𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘴𝘧𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨 “𝘴𝘯𝘢𝘱” 𝘴𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘱."

How will this beverage compete with all of the fortified drinks with added protein, probiotics, vitamins, minerals, CBD, THC, etc?

Perhaps just positioning themselves as just tea and juice is enough, along with the nostalgia.

I would love to know what other brand experts think!

https://www.fastcompany.com/91495432/snapple-is-ready-for-its-big-comeback?utm_source=DIELINE&utm_campaign=88aa3d3874-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2025_07_14_05_54_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_-fe07f00599-230140021&mc_cid=88aa3d3874&mc_eid=9ea482ff3c


Snapple

The brand just announced a visual refresh and new marketing efforts that tap into its '90s heyday.

02/10/2026

I can’t look at the Super Bowl LX logo without seeing “LIX” instead.

Usually, the logo for the Super Bowl is designed by a local designer. Last year's logo was handcrafted with beads by New Orleans artist and Golden Eagles Tribe member, Tahj "Queen Tahj" Williams.

There is no mention of who designed this year's logo. Just explanations of what the symbols are in the background.

This leads me to believe AI was the designer. If it was, and to be clear, I don't know, this type of work is what a designer lives for.

The Super Bowl ads were loaded with AI. Either promoting AI or utilizing AI to create the ads. So, why not design the logo with AI? Everything else is.

IMHO, human touch is definitely missing from this year's logo.

PS: I assume the bottom image is what AI created and the top image was the final edit.

12/03/2025

If you have to eat mac and cheese out of a box, it might as well have organic pasta and fewer additives, right? At least this is why parents buy this for their kids over Kraft Mac and Cheese in the iconic blue box.

Annies recently updated their packaging. (Old design on the left, New design on the right) What I observed right away:

• Leaned into the purple color on the top of the package.
• Product image is smaller but the photography made it look more cheesy and decadent.
• Removed "NOW CHEESIER" messaging and played up "MADE WITH REAL CHEESE".
• Added illustrations of random hearts, peace signs, and bunnies (Not sure if this really added anything. It made the design more whimsical which is, I guess, what they are going for, but it seems like an afterthought.)
• Overall, the design has less dimension and the Annie's logo is missing the drop shadow.
• The product descriptor "MACARONI & CHEESE" is removed.
• The messaging heirachy has changed. The flavor is front and center.

Overall, the new design has more shelf impact and the messaging heirarchy makes more sense but I question what the illustrations in the background do to improve the packaging design. Thoughts?

09/03/2025

I revisited this blog I wrote while working on a recent package design, and it still holds up today. This is good advice for designers and clients.
𝟭. 𝗣𝗿𝗶𝗼𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗶𝘇𝗲. 𝗣𝗿𝗶𝗼𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗶𝘇𝗲. 𝗣𝗿𝗶𝗼𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗶𝘇𝗲.
Visual priority must be established from the very beginning of the package design process. If every item is given primary importance, nothing becomes important. The visual priorities drive how all designs will be judged.
𝟮. 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝘁𝗼𝗴𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿
Consensus regarding the creative brief must be obtained from the people expected to judge the package design. Without this consensus, the package design process will fall apart.
𝟯. 𝗚𝗼 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝗽𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗴
Go shopping at the beginning of the package design process. Visit as many different retailers as possible, and take pictures of the product and the competitors’. Talk to the salespeople. Notice which products have maximum shelf impact inside and outside of your product category.
𝟰. 𝗥𝗲𝗳𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗼 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗠𝗮𝗽
How many times have you gotten lost without a map? Your creative brief should be your map to completing your design project. Review the creative brief before the initial package design presentation. Revisit it often, especially if the project is getting scope creep.
𝟱. 𝗟𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗶𝘀 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲
The product message must be conveyed quickly and concisely. It should do the following: increase product recognition, stimulate impulse purchases, sway purchase decisions, and stand in for the salesperson.
𝟲. 𝗖𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗮 𝗕𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗯𝗼𝗮𝗿𝗱
A billboard for the brand is created when the package has a consistent look and feel in the retail environment. If there are multiple products on the shelf, the packages should be consistent. This makes the strongest shelf impact.
𝟳. 𝗠𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗮 𝗹𝗶𝘀𝘁
Make a package design content checklist. Include all of the tracking numbers (UPCs, internal numbers, product codes, etc.), legal, and stacking codes. Each genre of packaging has different requirements. For example, food and pharmaceutical packaging have very specific design issues.
𝟴. 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗣𝗿𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗶𝘀 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗣𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗻𝗲𝗿
Once a creative direction for the package design has been approved, share it with the printer. Manufacturers may have suggestions upfront that could save you time and money.
𝟵. 𝗗𝗼𝗻'𝘁 𝗥𝘂𝘀𝗵
Allow adequate time to preflight the file. If it is a 3-dimensional box, always create a comp to make sure the artwork is aligned correctly on the die line. Finally, check and recheck the UPC.
𝟭𝟬. 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗷𝗼𝗯 𝗶𝘀 𝗻𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗱𝗼𝗻𝗲
Once the package is on the shelf, check it out. Take pictures, and make sure that it has the impact you desired. Gather feedback from retailers regarding the success of the package design.

07/22/2025

𝗧𝘆𝗽𝗼𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗽𝗵𝘆 𝗰𝗿𝗮𝗳𝘁𝘀𝗺𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 𝗶𝘀 𝗿𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗲𝗿𝗮 𝗼𝗳 𝗱𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻.

When typography is done right, it seems effortless. When it is done wrong, it is distracting.

My husband and I share a love of typography, and we often point out poor typography to each other and sadly shake our heads when we see:
• Bad kerning
• Poor line tracking (especially in right/left justified copy).
• Typeface pairings that should be kerned
• No using optical alignment when necessary
• Widows and orphans
• Ascenders and descenders touching
• Rivers in blocks of copy

𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝗴𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝘁𝘆𝗽𝗼𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗽𝗵𝘆 𝗺𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀:
• It increases legibility
• Even if the reader isn't sure why, good typography makes the message more credible and professional
• It leads the eye and tells the reader what is important
• Typefaces convey a brand's essence, and consistency of a typeface provides recognition
(𝘉𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘺, 𝘐 𝘩𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘢𝘤𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘶𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘵𝘴 𝘥𝘰𝘯'𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘱𝘺 𝘸𝘳𝘢𝘱𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘭𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮. 𝘐 𝘢𝘭𝘴𝘰 𝘤𝘢𝘯'𝘵 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘴 𝘦𝘲𝘶𝘢𝘭 𝘣𝘦𝘵𝘸𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘣𝘶𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘵𝘴.)

𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝘆𝗽𝗼𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗽𝗵𝘆 𝗮𝗻 𝗮𝗳𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁?
• Speed over craft
• Education gaps
• Pre-made templates and tools like Canva, Figma, and Adobe Express
• More content is consumed digitally rather than in print

Any designers (or non-designers, just lovers of type) stand with me on this post?

(𝘐 𝘸𝘳𝘰𝘵𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘮𝘺 𝘩𝘶𝘴𝘣𝘢𝘯𝘥. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘪𝘮𝘢𝘨𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘢 𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘪𝘨𝘯 𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘶𝘣𝘮𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢 𝘗𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘵 𝘔𝘢𝘨𝘢𝘻𝘪𝘯𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘪𝘨𝘯 𝘴𝘵𝘶𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴. 𝘏𝘦 𝘨𝘰𝘵 𝘢𝘯 𝘩𝘰𝘯𝘰𝘳𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘱𝘶𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘥.)



Print Magazine

07/14/2025

𝐏̲𝐑̲𝐎̲𝐁̲𝐋̲𝐄̲𝐌̲:̲ Black market ink sold online was mimicking the Genuine Canon Ink packaging.

𝐃̲𝐄̲𝐒̲𝐈̲𝐆̲𝐍̲ ̲𝐂̲𝐑̲𝐈̲𝐓̲𝐄̲𝐑̲𝐈̲𝐀̲:̲ ̲ Make the Canon logo and GENUINE INK more prominent

𝐑̲𝐄̲𝐒̲𝐔̲𝐋̲𝐓̲:̲ ̲It solved the issue online and also performed better on the shelf.

𝐓̲𝐀̲𝐊̲𝐄̲𝐀̲𝐖̲𝐀̲𝐘̲:̲ Sometimes a subtle change can speak volumes.

07/09/2025

I love packaging designs that present a new image when stacked next to each other. It has such a great shelf impact. I've included a link in the comments to learn more about the design and the brand.

06/04/2025

Your package is a silent salesperson. But what if you have very little room to communicate your product benefits?

Drops shows how its done right!

• Superb branding
• Effective use of color
• Clearly communicates the strain, flavor, product type, MG and dose
• QR code gives you additional information if you need it

This package is barely over an inch square and does a better job than most edibles packaging 3 times its size.

05/13/2025

This is one of the best articles I have read regarding AI and the creative process.

The writer, of Print Magazine, starts out skeptical of Adobe's new "revolutionary" creative tools.

The article ends with her saying: "There’s something melancholy about watching the messy, analog struggle of creativity give way to flawless AI generation. But I also saw heart, craft, and care. And above all, commitment."

I would love to get other designers' take on Amelia's perspective. This includes seasoned designers who are having a hard time accepting this new reality, as well as, designers just entering the field.

Writer and designer Amelia Nash gets melancholy at Adobe MAX, watching the company's marketing efforts chasing the next-gen cohort.

04/28/2025

It's been a while since I've written a post about updated packaging and I ask the question: Why did they update this package design?

I'm not privy to the creative brief, but I like to imagine what was in the brief to get to the final design.

𝗕𝗲𝗹𝗼𝘄 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗺𝘆 𝗼𝗯𝘀𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀:
▶️ They updated their logo, so the packaging needed to be updated
▶️ The existing package was cluttered
▶️ Subbrand "Natural for Baby" dominated the brand name Ge**er and is missing from the updated package
▶️ The image of the sweet potato on the old package could have been confused with an image of carrots
▶️ Ge**er won the Clean Label Purity Award, so this needed to be highlighted on the new packaging
▶️ 2 Packs were called out twice on the original package. It probably added to the clutter of the package design.
▶️ The old package called out "made with natural veg and vitamin C" and this is missing on the front of the new package. Maybe they didn't think this was necessary?

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗲𝗻𝗱 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘂𝗹𝘁:
✅ Ge**er is the primary read
✅ The package is clean and not cluttered
✅ The image of the sweet potato looks like a sweet potato, not a carrot

𝙅𝙪𝙨𝙩 𝙢𝙮 𝙝𝙪𝙢𝙗𝙡𝙚 𝙤𝙥𝙞𝙣𝙞𝙤𝙣:
𝗧𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗺𝗶𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗺𝗲. 𝗔 "𝘄𝗵𝘆 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝘂𝘆".

They stripped anything that made this feel natural and good for the baby, except the image of the sweet potato.

Yes, NON GMO verified and the Purity Award nod to the fact that it is natural. But, the subbrand name "Natural for Baby" on the old package and the line "made with natural veg and vitamin C" is a validation for the parent that they are making a smart choice.

I'm not saying they need to put this back on the package. Maybe some sort of a tagline that makes the parent know they are doing right by their baby?

𝙏𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝𝙩𝙨?

Ge**er

02/04/2025

𝗞𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗔𝘂𝗱𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲: 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗞𝗲𝘆 𝘁𝗼 𝗘𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗗𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻

You must define your audience when you launch a new product or update branding for an existing product. This includes:

▶️ Demographics: age, gender, location, income level, occupation
▶️ Psychological: Interests, values, lifestyle, behaviors
▶️ Identify why your audience would want your product using market research and looking at your competitors.

HALFDAY updated its packaging recently. I want to make clear I have no idea how they got from here to there, but I do have some observations to share regarding the update and defining their target market.

𝗕𝗘𝗙𝗢𝗥𝗘 𝗗𝗘𝗦𝗜𝗚𝗡: It was whimsical and had bold colors. The package called out "Good for your gut!" and "5g of Sugar" but it wasn't prominent. It wasn't clear that this was a functional beverage. The colors, illustration and fonts made it pop off the shelf. From a visual perspective, it seemed to appeal to a younger demographic.

𝗔𝗙𝗧𝗘𝗥 𝗗𝗘𝗦𝗜𝗚𝗡: It is still whimsical but looks more upscale and has a scaled-back color palette. Everything about the new design is less "edgy." It is still youthful and fun. They have also added the line "NEW ERA ICED TEA" and incorporated the word "PROBIOTICS". They kept the original line "GOOD FOR YOUR GUT". Now people searching for a probiotic additive can identify it on the package.

𝗠𝗬 𝗔𝗦𝗦𝗨𝗠𝗣𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡: HALFDAY'S audience skews female, age 25-30+ with disposable income. They are watching their calories and the probiotic aspect appeals to them. However, the old design appealed to a younger audience without extra cash in their pocket (this retails from $2.50 - $3.00 / can) and they don't care about calories or their gut health. Plus, it is hard to tell that this is a probiotic beverage.

𝗠𝗬 𝗔𝗦𝗦𝗘𝗦𝗦𝗠𝗘𝗡𝗧: Bravo HALFDAY. It seems to me they broke down what was working and not working on their original package design. The fact that this is a functional beverage is now clear. It also speaks to their intended audience. My only advice is the brand name HALFDAY isn't legible from the front when placed on a shelf. It is a long name, but there are ways to give your brand name prominence and readability without enlarging the font. Also, the muted color palette doesn't pop off the shelf like the old design.

𝘐𝘔𝘗𝘖𝘙𝘛𝘈𝘕𝘛: 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘮𝘺 𝘰𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴. 𝘐 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘯𝘰 𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘪𝘯𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯. 𝘐 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘦𝘯𝘫𝘰𝘺 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘱𝘢𝘤𝘬𝘢𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘱𝘢𝘤𝘬𝘢𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘳𝘦𝘣𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘴 𝘢𝘭𝘸𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘶𝘦 𝘮𝘦.

Half Day