START FLAKES

target 8–12-year-old children. But marketers found out that the old packaging was more suitable for 5–7-year-old kids. The situation had to be changed, considering that it was the most difficult age of the audience to deal with. The children were no longer little, but not yet teenagers, who are characterized by rebellion and desire for something new, and by being extraordinary.

BRAND CHARACTERS

were the main element creating too childish impression. Like multicolored letters, they looked like cartoons for the little ones. Moreover, the characters lacked modernity in clothes and sports. A too detailed background was a problem, as well as a number of important peculiarities.

ALTHOUGH THE COMPOSITION REMAINED

almost unchanged, each element was no longer the same. We created entirely different characters. We added contrast between the background, the character, and the plate. We changed the style of the SKU typefaces and made the background more minimalist. Our consultants were the children themselves. We found out that they understood the need for continuity in brand communication like marketers did.

WE CREATED A TOTAL OF FIFTEEN IMAGES

for three characters. Having chosen a 3D style relevant for children, we gave each character special personality traits developed by the customer’s team in advance. Lion is the biggest thrill-seeker, who prefers dynamic entertainment. Zebra is companionable and occupies itself with fashionable things. Koala is a completely new character for the brand, distinguished by tranquility and introspectiveness. Focus groups with children helped us find out that the emotions, clothes, and behavior of the characters had to be absolutely logical. For example, a jacket worn next to the skin makes children mad, because they still respect the rules set by their parents.

WE WORKED WITH ILLUSTRATOR ANNA KULAKOVSKA,

particularly focusing on three important aspects. Characters had to be animated but harmonious in a holistic packaging composition. The character and the plate had to stand out brightly against the background, and the clothes of the characters had to follow the fashion of modern children. That’s why we drew in even the pockets and laces so carefully as to get a compliment from the most picky dandy. As for superfluous details at the background, we removed them as they only distracted the attention. We could use only several lines emphasizing the sport to show the dynamic.

WE DEVELOPED THE SKU NAMES

in the style of stickers. Having abandoned multicolored letters, we paradoxically saturated the package with color even more. The background of the name contrasts with the entire composition and quickly attracts the attention of consumers. The typeface has also been modernized.

THE START LOGO

changed even before the brand applied to our agency. White letters recognizable by children have been preserved, but the graphic design has become completely different. We initially planned the logo to be without the blue solid area, but we advised the brand to preserve it, because this was the main identifier of Start on the shelves.

WE WORKED ON THE REVERSE SIDE OF THE PACKAGING

as carefully as we did on the frontal one. Traditionally, Start placed games there, but they were not related to the characters and were outdated as well. We completely reworked them on the basis of classical concepts. It is the characters who tell the rules of the game and the story now. The game plots are fully consistent with the nature of the characters. One part of the games is intended for one participant, while the other part is for a company. We played each game many times by ourselves, enjoying them and having fun.

A LARGE-SCALE START REDESIGN

required from us elaboration of every detail. Our agency interacted with the Start team and many experienced colleagues at every stage: illustrations of characters, games, typefaces, color matching, background change, and the story of each plot. So it did not take us long to see the results: the product is already on the shelves, receiving positive reviews, recognized by children who are happy about the upgrade.

Project 

Creative Director: Maxim Lesnyak
Art Director: Helena Gavriluk
Illustrator: Anna Kulakovskaya
Copywriter: Julia Shyrinska
Project Manager: Olesya Sheludko

Case

Art Director: Helena Gavriluk
3D-designer: Nikita Tretiakov