Designing an identity capable of being applied to different types of packaging, a challenge awarded at the ADI Packaging Design Award 2023 and selected for the Design Index 2023.
Qualitaly is a mid-to-high range food brand owned by Cooperativa Italiana Catering (CIC), a benchmark for small and medium-sized enterprises in the Ho.Re.Ca. sector. With more than 700 references, it is the leading cross-cutting brand for the professional catering sector, with a range distributed across multiple product lines and three different storage temperatures.
Request
Create a flexible and memorable identity capable of effectively adapting to all references across multiple product categories and providing a strategic advantage over competitors.
Result
A complete brand identity restyling and a functional, target-oriented, and extremely flexible product identity project.
The first step in the restyling of Qualitaly’s product identity was visually translating the brand’s values and promise into a mark.
By enhancing and pushing the design characteristics of the letter Q to the limit, we created an iconic and recognizable mark capable of subtly evoking various images, such as a sun rising behind a hill, referencing the theme of territoriality, and a person in the act of offering something, highlighting the human value at the heart of the Cooperative. Its very abstract nature allows observers to project their own vision onto the brand, immediately creating a personal connection.
Monogram
Color pairings
Color is the foundation of the communication we built for Qualitaly, used both as a colored background and as a dominant element in photographic images. The shades chosen within the pastel palette give the communication a vibrant and fresh tone that recalls naturalness and the territory.
Typography is the second pillar of the system: the uppercase approach lends clarity, strength, and visual impact to the communication.
To support this, a curve was introduced—designed based on the shapes of the logo—which creates landscapes within the communication space and further reinforces and emphasizes the brand.
The packaging was designed as a working tool, capable of supporting its users. It is designed to be clear and recognizable within a fast-paced workspace like kitchens and to facilitate storage in warehouses and pantries. The Cooperative wanted not only to further identify its products with an innovative design, but to make packaging its primary communication tool. The label is much more than a legal requirement. It is enriched with useful information for portioning the food and using it to its full potential.
The color language of the packaging is designed to instantly identify the product range and its category. Recognizing a product through color will assist the user with pantry storage and quick identification.
The condensed and vertical typography is designed to allow the product’s name, weight, and yield to be read quickly and from a distance. A cartouche immediately identifies and highlights the product’s key benefits.
Qualitaly is a tested anti-waste solution, explicitly stated on the product packaging where storage instructions, usage tips, portions, and cooking methods and times are clearly and prominently indicated.
The designed identity finds further strength in being able to adapt simply and effectively to every possibility, always remaining impactful and recognizable. With more than 700 references, the packaging types are highly diverse, ranging from cardboard boxes to plastic films, trays, and single-dose sachets.
Generic packaging, usable for multiple different products — which therefore do not need to display any specific product name — became an opportunity to strongly communicate the Qualitaly brand. To complement this, to immediately communicate the storage requirements of the contents, three types of packing tape were designed to color-code the product storage conditions (ambient, fresh, and frozen).
The project was selected for the ADI Design Index 2023 and won a special mention in January 2023 at the ADI Packaging Design Award.
Special thanks go to our friend and colleague Luca Terraneo, who supported us in the development of the identity project.
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