Titan

Titan is a high-fiber, high-protein granola made for athletes. Each SKU is catered to different workout-centric occasions.

I collaborated with an industrial designer (packaging form, dielines, monster illustrations) and another graphic designer (logo, colors, copy). My primary role was the design on pack, flavor illustrations, and final renders. We worked together on every step of the process for insight, inspiration, and feedback.

Scope

Packaging
Brand Systems

Software

Adobe Illustrator
Adobe Photoshop

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Background & Research

Branding

Packaging (Materials, Form, & Design)

View the Process Document

Brand System

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CPG Packaging

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Illustrations

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Product Renders

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Brand System ⊛ CPG Packaging ⊛ Illustrations ⊛ Product Renders ⊛

The Background

What is the goal of this brand and product?

How can we ensure that the product meets market demand and stands out from existing products?

Project Objectives

Design three different SKUs for a novel granola brand that stands out in market.

Design a sustainable packaging solution that is unique & memorable.

Consider nutrition, dietary needs, convenience, & relevance to our audience.

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Process

Research Summary

Looked at major local retailers in-store such as Target, Walmart, Wegmans, etc.

Narrowed our audience to include Gen Z endurance athletes in late high school to early college. This audience is an untapped market in granola.

Took note of trends (earthy colors, boxes and plastic bags) and whitespace (most existing brands target hikers or everyday people) based on our audit and Mintel reports.

Surveyed RIT Gen Z endurance athletes to discover they value nutrition, portability, aesthetics, cost,  and sustainability.

See the Research & Ideation Doc

Collage of various graphic design posters, packaging, and promotional materials featuring bold colors, illustrations, and typography.

Mood board based on what would stand out on shelf in the existing sea of brown and green. Bold, bright colors; macro graphics; hand-drawn imagery and textures.

Handwritten notes about granola, mentioning hiking, packaging, photography, energy, kids' snacks, mascots, health, and lunchbags, with sketches of a mountain, a mountain goat, and a container of granola.

The word 'TITAN' written in black marker on grid paper, with each letter in uppercase and varying in size and style.

Handwritten notes on grid notebook paper discussing audience engagement and wrap snacks, with a sketch of a hand holding a snack, indicating a focus on nutrition and on-the-go eating.

Handwritten notes on graph paper discussing various concepts for names including Vortex, Gust, Blitz, and related ideas, with sketches of a tornado, a circle with lines, and other diagrams.

Hand-drawn sketches of granola containers labeled "TITAN" with various notes on ideation.

Sketches throughout the process—ideation on concept as well as logo and packaging layout sketches.

Display of various snack packages labeled 'Titan Breakfast Granola' with different flavor variations, including 'Rising Phoenix Raspberry & Chocolate,' showing nutritional information such as protein and fiber content.

Digital ideation for packaging layout (with a previous packaging shape idea).

Challenges

We faced several challenges while designing for this project. We spent a long time struggling with the brand name as many that fit our audience were already taken.

Our primary struggle, however, was with the packaging shape.‍ ‍None of us are packaging scientists; therefore we had many ideas for a single-serve package that fit in the hand that were very difficult to produce.

Other shapes (like those above) resembled coffins more than the Grecian vases they were meant to. We did away with the idea of curved forms altogether and found a packaging shape that could be produced on the line and still fit well with our audience.

I was tasked with the final execution of the prototype—cutting and building the package—and learned a ton about packaging forms and best practices in the process.

The Solution

How Titan shows up in the real world.

Final disruptive branding and innovative packaging.

Branding

Logo, Type, and Colors

Knocked out logo with the tagline, “Bites for the Beast.”

Pure black version of the logo.

Header copy in Anisette, body copy in Korolev.

Packaging

Materials

SBS Paperboard (coated both sides)

This is sturdy, sustainable, easy for customers to deal with at end of life.

Papkot Coated Paper

This is 99.9% recyclable and biodegradable. No plastic or fluorine and food safe.

Sketches & Prototypes

Design sketches and concept art for a collectible trading card package featuring mythological creatures. Includes package structure, artwork concepts, and color variations with illustrations.

Sketches by Charlie John-Melendez exploring different shapes that conform to a natural grip, plus character illustrations.

Person holding a white box at a three-quarter angle. The box is shaped like an extruded polygon hourglass.

Person holding a white box at side angle. The box is shaped like an extruded polygon hourglass.

Paper prototype of packaging. Left: three-quarters view. Right: side view.

Paper prototype of packaging. Top: three-quarters view. Bottom: side view.

Final Renders & Dielines

SKU #1: Motivate the Monster

Two packages of Titan breakfast granola clusters with hydra illustrations, one labeled "Bites for the Beast" with a green apple & cinnamon flavor, and the other labeled "Motivate the Monster" with a green apple & cinnamon flavor.

Packaging dielines for Titan Bites for the Beast breakfast granola clusters featuring a black background with green hydra illustrations and green text.

Beast: Hydra. A multi-headed monster. Cut one head off and two grow in its place—the hydra is hard to beat.

Flavor: Green Apple and Cinnamon

Occasion: Breakfast. With extra fiber and a moderate amount of protein, Motivate the Monster keeps you full at the beginning of the day.

SKU #2: Fuel for the Fight

Two black boxes with a hippocampus illustration, labeled Titan pre-workout supplements. One box is labeled "Bites for the Beast" with a blue lemon and blueberry flavor, and the other is labeled "Fuel for the Fight" with a blueberry and lemon flavor.

Packaging dielines for Titan Bites for the Beast breakfast granola clusters featuring a black background with blue hippocampus illustrations and blue text.

Beast: Hippocamp. This swift horse lives in the water—a literal sea horse.

Flavor: Blueberry and Lemon

Occasion: Pre-workout. With lots of whole grains and a small amount of protein, Fuel for the Fight provides enough nutrients to give you a boost and sustain a long workout without weighing you down.

SKU #3: Burst From the Burn

Two black boxes with a phoenix illustration, labeled Titan pre-workout supplements. One box is labeled "Bites for the Beast" with a raspberry and chocolate flavor, and the other is labeled "Burst from the Burn" with a raspberry and chocolate flavor.

Beast: Phoenix. An immortal bird that is reborn as it rises from the ashes of its predecessor.

Flavor: Raspberry and Chocolate

Occasion: Post-workout. With high protein, fiber, and electrolytes, Burst From the Burn replenishes your body and helps it repair after a long workout.