Standing out on shelf is important. In busy categories, a sure-fire way to be spotted by consumers is through up-to-date, attractive and eye-catching packaging.

To ensure they stay at the top of their game, a number of brands have revamped their look over the past year.

We speak to the agencies behind these new looks to find out what it takes to make well-known brands fabulous again.

Here’s our pick of some of the best revamps:

Nir Wegrzyn, BrandOpus CEO:

Mr Kipling is an iconic British brand, rich with latent heritage. The original values of craftsmanship, quality and discernment were all brought to life through the, packaging, product & advertising of the 1960s. Over the years, and subsequent iterations of the identity, the notion of ‘Mr Kipling’ as the creator and purveyor of fine cakes has been eroded, replaced by product and cake-specific cues. The charm and original values of the brand were at risk of being lost.

BrandOpus worked on a strategic redesign with Mr Kipling, reintroducing the idea of ‘Mr Kipling’ as central, and breathing new life into the brand through a new identity that depicts his signature in the calling card. This reinstates the original values of craftsmanship and discernment in a more distinctive and ownable brand identity.

The packs have a new meaningful range architecture, which reflects different types of cake moments and provides a platform for extending into new segments. A unique suite of illustrations has been designed to support the individual moments, each drawing on cues from those specific occasions, which provoke stories in the minds of the consumer and build emotional engagement.

Lee Rolston, strategy director at Jones Knowles Ritchie (JKR) says:

Decades of evolutionary pack changes had diluted the authority of this iconic British brand. Our task was to make PG Tips feel like the market leader it is, celebrating its distinctive brand mark and evolving it to be fresh and relevant once more.

We recast the PG brand mark as the hero of the pack, allowing it to stand proud by removing layers of generic messaging. Whilst the identity is defined by simplicity and strength, there are also touches of wit that support the brand idea of ‘warmth’.

The playful interaction of green and red became the basis for a distinctive visual brand language beyond the pack. We also put Monkey on the pack – the first time he’s been featured as part of the brand’s core iconography. He sits at the top and centre, occupying the place normally reserved for royal warrants, exchanging the expected formality for some real down-to-earth PG Tips flavour.

Ben Mott, managing director at Smith & Milton, says: 

The brand was experiencing year on year decline in sales due to its high sugar content and lack of brand advertising and support. We developed a new positioning and design in line with a new recipe that lowered the sugar content without imparting the flavour or texture of the product.

Working with ad agency The Gate we developed a new positioning – Monsterfication – and decided that, as the Honey Monster is still the most recognised cereal mascot in the UK, we would make him the hero of the new packaging. Part of the new proposition was to encourage kids to get outside and play, so we included an outdoors theme along with playful bees to represent the honey ingredients.

We changed the name to reflect the increased role of the Honey Monster and removed the word sugar as this was misleading. The product is actually honey-puffed corn. All of these things helped to create maximum stand-out on shelf at a very competitive fixture.

Stephen Bell, executive creative director, Coley Porter Bell, says:

Oxo is a true British heritage brand with more than 100 years of history. The red box is one of the most iconic graphics in UK grocery. However, an icon can quickly become a relic unless it remains relevant. 

At the start of 2015, Coley Porter Bell were tasked with refreshing the Oxo brand so that it appealed to younger consumers. The aim was to inspire them to make different, delicious and contemporary meals. In response to this, we developed its new brand positioning of ‘Flavour Transformations’.

The existing packaging was complicated and fussy with key lines, drop shadows, background patterns and several different typefaces at play. Our redesign stripped away unnecessary detail, which modernised the overall look and feel. By enlarging the Oxo letters that bled off the edges, we created a standout product with great shelf impact.

Overall the new designs reflect the aspirations for the brand to broaden its appeal to younger consumers while retaining the familiar, much-loved iconic heritage.

10 Things You Need To Know About... Packaging