Culture Pop soda flaunts “mass premium” can design to inspire feelings of fun

08 Mar 2021 --- Functional soda brand Culture Pop Soda is launching in the US market with a design specifically created to attract consumers with nostalgic fonts and illustrations that hint functional beverage “fun.” 

“We set out to create a brand identity and packaging design for Culture Pop that could work in Wholefoods, Erewhon, Kroger, etc. Our design is ‘mass premium;’ it’s familiar and relatable, but elevated and cool,” Mark Christou, co-founder and creative partner at ROOK/NYC, which headed the design, tells PackagingInsights.

Tom First, founder of Culture Pop, says the design reflects exactly what’s inside the can and the personality and emotion the company sought for its product. 

Drinks with a twist
The range of drinks includes functional ingredients and is lightly sweetened. It has a mix of live probiotics, organic juices and ground spices to deliver a tasty twist on familiar flavors. 

The line offers flavors such as Ginger Lemon & Turmeric, Orange Mango & Chili, Wild Berries with Basil & Lime, Watermelon Lime & Rosemary, Pink Grapefruit Ginger & Juniper.

Designing the brand

Christou is the lead designer behind the project, but the team also worked with Illustrator Marianna Fierro to create bold fruit illustrations; these replaced the “o” of pop to signify the dominant ingredient in each drink.

ROOK/NYC worked on the basis of creating a brand and package design for a new-to-market functional soda that feels familiar, with subtle nuances, and drives consumer trial in the natural and mass retail channels. 

“I designed the brand and the packaging design, working closely with my co-founders, Tom First and Andrew Guard. I was inspired by a French children’s book that was gifted to my son years ago called Des Fruits et Des Couleurs á Sentir, with its stunning fruit and vegetable illustrations and colors,” Christou explains.

“This led me to find Marianna Fierro, as she had a similar yet even better-suited style that complimented the design vision. I worked closely with Marianna on the creative brief for the illustrations as well as the art direction across all five beverages.”

What’s in a name?
As for the naming exercise, the team wanted something that was both descriptive and felt familiar. 

In an off-the-cuff ideation session, the moniker fell in place – a highly recognizable, albeit transposed – term that coincidentally described the product itself in two words: Culture (probiotic) POP (soda).

“The name inspired the design. As soon as we aligned on the name, the first idea we sketched was the basis of the final design direction,” Christou says. 

“The word POP evokes a feeling the moment you read it, and by replacing the ‘O’ of POP with a fruit illustration, it instantly reads ‘flavors that pop.’ We carried this creative thread throughout all off-pack executions as well, like points-of-sale and social media.”

Catching consumer attention
While ROOK/NYC was working on the design process to create a product that would catch the consumer’s attention, it implemented a simplistic brand architecture and visual language.

The range of drinks includes a mix of live probiotics, organic juices and ground spices to deliver a tasty twist on familiar flavors.From the ever-familiar American Typewriter font to prominently featuring familiar ingredients over the “less-familiar” to selecting colors that are drinkable and on-trend, it created a system of design cues that nod to both the function and nostalgia of the product, with a modern twist. 

When asked what sort of designs consumers find appealing, Christou responds that during this unprecedented time, consumers are gravitating toward designs evoking a sense of nostalgia and familiarity – of happier and fuzzier times. 

“In the consumer packaged goods space, the incumbents are growing, which is the effect of consumers buying what they know, what feels safe, and not having to learn anything new.”

Within the start-up category, brands and products that are winning are the ones that are creatively (both visually and verbally) telling the consumer exactly what the product is (soda, sparkling water, etc.) with a greater value (probiotic, adaptogenic, low calorie etc.), he says.

“At ROOK/NYC, we don’t tend to chase trends. We set out to create designs that last. We tap into creatively celebrating the idea, product and brand in a clean, simple and iconic way that can stand the test of time,” Christou concludes.

By Kristiana Lalou