Snack bags' single graphic message signals cholesterol reduction

Consumers are paying more attention to what they eat, and packaging can play a big role in helping steer them to health-conscious products. Great on-pack communication involves more than just the label, however. It extends to the graphics as well.

Corazonas Foods Inc., Los Angeles, offers a recent example of how this works in the snack aisle with redesigned packages for its Corazonas line of kettle-cooked chips and oatmeal squares. The product family’s main selling benefit is reduced cholesterol, achieved by using plant sterols. Food and Drug Administration guidelines say that a daily intake of at least .8 grams of plant sterols may reduce LDL cholesterol levels by 5% to 14%. One Corazonas serving provides .4 to .8 grams of plant sterols.

Pillow bags across the Corazonas product family signal this benefit by anchoring a colorful illustration of a large heart in the center of the bag, supported with the tagline, “Love Your Heart, Love the Taste.” Mouth-watering product photography ties into the tagline’s taste message.

LeeReedy, which created the package graphics, explains that besides a powerful product-benefit message, the design also manages to make effective use of white space and the heart icon outline to simplify communications. The overall design, the agency says, manages “a necessarily crowded package, containing, in addition to brand and variety, a health claim, the health/taste icon tag, an ingredients message, an industry-standard ‘whole grain’ icon, and a unique ‘fruits and vegetables’ icon.”

The premium line of Corazonas snacks includes five flavors of potato chips, three varieties of tortilla chips, and five types of oatmeal squares. The line is marketed in supermarkets and specialty stores in Western U.S. markets including Los Angeles; Seattle, WA; Portland, OR; Phoenix, and San Diego.