The New Era for the One and Only JELL-O, Without Losing its DNA

Packaging design

The concept of everyday magic was a fundamental part of the strategy for a brand prevalent in its consumers’ lives, especially during those joyful and warmhearted moments. For JELL-O, the main challenge of its visual communication platform at the time was precisely to achieve this concept in an authentic way. In the midst of a new legislation nudging them out of the box, the brand was forced to find new allies, such as Top Design, to open the gates to a new era.

The new packaging regulation came with its first tangible challenge: to remove the animated character element from the product's children's line; leaving Top Design's team with the task of figuring out how to make a packaging that’s relevant and warm, abiding by these specific guidelines.

The solution? Adopt a creative approach towards a visual humanization of jello which, together with the fruit that goes with it, presents a friendly shape. One that resembles a face or a grin in the eyes of kids exploring and imagining in front of retail shelves.

The next step was to generate a tangible homogeneity between the children's line, the traditional line, and the ZERO line (low-sugar products). All this for the sole purpose of restoring the visual coherence of JELL-O’s brand architecture, while also adding a fresh new look that still respected the traditional DNA that characterizes the brand.

For the ZERO line, blue tones were included to clarify, within the visual meanings of color, that these products concealed an added value: a sugar reduction. This appealed to a segment concerned about consuming healthy products that are high-quality and just as special.

For the traditional line (and in general, the core theme guideline), the main aim was a sleeker, more organic, and fluid packaging that wouldn’t only resonate with children, but also make mothers reminisce about the jello that’s accompanied them for many generations during those magical family moments.

The packaging design also demanded a photographic effort. Both capturing the image and editing required a great deal of attention to ensure the product’s quality, while attempting to innovate, yet stay true to a packaging that was already well-known by audiences.

The end result was a truly kindred line that respected the brand’s traditional DNA. A creative proposal was built by honoring the essential elements of JELL-O’s look and feel. It brought homogeneity to the table, but at the same time granted freshness and novelty to this already traditional jello present in every Mexican family.