THE ROLES: Creative Direction, COPYWRITING

THE JOB: A fine purveyor of nuts, snacks, and coffee, Ferris Nuts & Coffee needed a rebrand that added a bit of personality to their black-goes-with-everything original packaging. The brand asked us to help root their identity in their 100-year history, their handcrafted sensibilities, and their love for their home state of Michigan. Oh, and they wanted us to design packaging for a line extension, too!

THE RESULT: Working closely with my strategist, I landed on the tagline Tastes Like Home to match Ferris’ neighborly, everyman brand persona. I then collaborated with one of our senior ADs to update their logo, create additional brand elements, and solidify Ferris’ new color palette, a selection of greens and earthy hues that channeled the nature of Michigan’s most idyllic lakeside landscapes.

BUT WAIT! THERE’S MORE. We had to put these elements into practice and create packaging for Ferris’ new flavored cashew line extension. With flavors like dill pickle, ramen, and spicy chiles, we had to figure out how to evoke these big tastes while tying everything back to the new branding.

I enlisted the help of multiple ADs to concept ideas, and we landed on a premium stand-up bag that showcased the cashews’ delectable flavors as enlarged, textured photos. We’d utilize hand-drawn flavor cues and specific colors to signify each SKU and tie it all together with a gloss spot treatment on the cashew photos to really make those seasoning textures pop.

I ideated on names and romance copy before settling on a two-word convention (ex: Umami Ramen) for each flavor, sprinkling in some fun callouts across the packaging along the way. Ferris requested a window on the back of the pack to give customers a peek at the snack while still letting the photography and illustrations shine. The end result is a product that looks as good as it tastes (trust me, you could not keep me away from the samples we got…) and still manages to taste like home—and look like Ferris.