OVERVIEW
The Healthy Gourmet was founded in 2014 by the Italian-Jordanian celebrity chef Walid Shanti. They currently offer monthly, weekly and daily meals catered to their clients’ dietary needs and delivered to their doorstep. They wish to expand their business by opening a smart casual restaurant that also offers healthy gourmet meals on shelf. After researching the market, I discovered that, currently, the vast majority of restaurants in Jordan are using the same basic packaging offered by the local manufacturers Myself, being a person who regularly eats take-out food, I became bored of the same packaging I see everyday which lead me to choose food packaging design for my graduation project. In this project, I chose to create a new concept for food packaging using a unique and eco-friendly material because it works hand in hand with the restaurants's organic approach.
THEME
My client is targeting the elite working class. With that being said, the office is usually dull and boring so I am aiming to make the customer feel at home or at a high-end restaurant when eating from The Healthy Gourmet. I wanted the package to give the customer a sense of sophistication and elegance. Moreover, the current trend is heading towards a greener and a healthier Jordan. The packaging from the outside looks like an ordinary box, however, when its open the lid turns into a tray and the base carries the food containers. I went with minimal style and colours to emphasize the contrast between the packaging and the colourful elegant nature of gourmet food. Everything in the packaging is there to create the utmost sophisticated eating experience for the customers while also being eco-friendly. The grid for the food containers is based on the iPhone packaging as the golden ratio was used to determine it’s dimensions. It is very slick and clean .
MATERIALS
The material to be used in production of the package, inner plate and containers is Sugar Cane. I chose it due to it being compostable and biodegradable. It is microwavable and freezer friendly. It also absorbs excess oils. It is very cheap when used in mass production. As for the sleeve, I used recycled paper. The containers are sealed with a peelable PA/PP flexible film. The adhesive used for the film is Titebond II.
SLEEVE & PATTERN
The diamond shape represents Earth, Fire, Wind and Water. I used it as it goes with my “organic” style. In addition, Earth symbolises vegetarian dishes, Wind for poultry and water for seafood. For the sleeve; I wanted the customers to instantly know which type of food is in the packaging. As for the pattern on the lid of the box; I used this pattern because it is usually found in elegant dining rooms and in old palaces such as Versailles. It is minimal and yet very striking. On the sides of the lid I wrote motivational quotes on building an empire which can be changed regularly to entice the customers to buy food regularly.
CUTLERY
I offer a classy experience but at the same time I want to maintain the comfort of eating a home cooked meal which is why I added cutlery. I chose the colour gold because I want to simulate the metal feel of the cutlery found at home but with an elegant twist.
COLOUR SCHEEME
I chose this combination of colours because I believe they fit well with my target audience. Gourmet food is very colourful which will create a strong contrast with the colours I have chosen.
Black: the colour of power, authority and control. It gives the feeling of exclusivity. It makes the product stand out, look heavy and more expensive.Moreover, food spills would not show on black, making the packaging appear cleaner.
White gives a minimal look. It is clean, tidy, pure and intellectual. When used with black, it adds sophistication and prestige. White is used for food containers as it makes them appear larger.
Gold is perfect for my exclusive customers. It suggests high quality. It makes the simple white and black colours stand out.
