Embedded Files
Matheson Mac & Cheese Packaging
Matheson Mac & Cheese Packaging
About: A class assignment to redesign packaging for Madison Foods' mac and cheese line, developed in partnership with a classmate. The project required a full redesign across at least three SKUs, grounded in competitive analysis against existing products on
About: A class assignment to redesign packaging for Madison Foods' mac and cheese line, developed in partnership with a classmate. The project required a full redesign across at least three SKUs, grounded in competitive analysis against existing products on
Problem: The existing Madison Foods packaging needed a refresh to stay competitive on shelf. The assignment called for benchmarking against comparable products in the category, identifying where the current design fell short, and using those gaps to guide a redesign across the full SKU line.
Problem: The existing Madison Foods packaging needed a refresh to stay competitive on shelf. The assignment called for benchmarking against comparable products in the category, identifying where the current design fell short, and using those gaps to guide a redesign across the full SKU line.
Role
Role
Paired project with a classmate, both contributed to ideation and the overall redesign direction. My focus was on execution in Illustrator, leading the conceptual layout and dieline design, while my partner handled mockups and photography.
Paired project with a classmate, both contributed to ideation and the overall redesign direction. My focus was on execution in Illustrator, leading the conceptual layout and dieline design, while my partner handled mockups and photography.
Prelimenary Anaylsis:
Prelimenary Anaylsis:
Madison Foods' boxed mac and cheese (Original and Cracked Pepper Creamy Smoky) retails around $3.68–$4, notably higher than category staples like Kraft Dinner or Annie's ($1–2). Found in the baking aisle at Walmart, it stands out from competitors as the only brand with a dated, non-modern look.
Madison Foods' boxed mac and cheese (Original and Cracked Pepper Creamy Smoky) retails around $3.68–$4, notably higher than category staples like Kraft Dinner or Annie's ($1–2). Found in the baking aisle at Walmart, it stands out from competitors as the only brand with a dated, non-modern look.
Brand Identity can be described as Bold, punchy flavours rooted in personal, family-inspired recipes (mom's green olive, dad's BBQ). Nostalgic, retro pantry-staple positioning with a vibrant, simple "pour, dip, and enjoy" ethos. Targets home cooks who want bold flavour, nostalgia-driven buyers, and busy families seeking convenience.
Competitor Analysis:
Competitor Analysis:
Kraft Dinner - Strengths: iconic, eye-catching, highly shoppable. Weaknesses: minimal, lacks storytelling beyond market dominance.
Kraft Dinner - Strengths: iconic, eye-catching, highly shoppable. Weaknesses: minimal, lacks storytelling beyond market dominance.
Annie's - Strengths: sustainable, organic, health-conscious positioning. Weaknesses: inconsistent typography, skewed visual hierarchy.
Annie's - Strengths: sustainable, organic, health-conscious positioning. Weaknesses: inconsistent typography, skewed visual hierarchy.
Great Value - Strengths: affordable, bold, no-frills clarity. Weaknesses: generic, feels cheap.
Great Value - Strengths: affordable, bold, no-frills clarity. Weaknesses: generic, feels cheap.
Redesign Process:
Redesign Process:
Matty Matheson is a Canadian chef, restaurateur, author, and TV personality known for his bold, unpretentious cooking and larger-than-life presence. Rising to fame through Vice and his restaurants, and later acting on The Bear, he has inspired a wide audience with authentic, high-energy food rooted in community and local culture.
Matty Matheson is a Canadian chef, restaurateur, author, and TV personality known for his bold, unpretentious cooking and larger-than-life presence. Rising to fame through Vice and his restaurants, and later acting on The Bear, he has inspired a wide audience with authentic, high-energy food rooted in community and local culture.
Approach: Redesigning Matheson Food Company isn’t just a visual refresh, it’s about redesigning a brand around Matty Matheson himself. His identity is inseparable from the company, so the brand must translate his personality into a cohesive visual and experiential system.
Approach: Redesigning Matheson Food Company isn’t just a visual refresh, it’s about redesigning a brand around Matty Matheson himself. His identity is inseparable from the company, so the brand must translate his personality into a cohesive visual and experiential system.
Aesthetically, he sits at the intersection of punk DIY culture, blue-collar kitchen grit, bold retro Americana, and playful irreverence. Think loud typography, unapologetic color, tattoo-inspired graphics, hand-done textures, and a balance between chaos and warmth raw but welcoming, high-energy but deeply community-driven.
Aesthetically, he sits at the intersection of punk DIY culture, blue-collar kitchen grit, bold retro Americana, and playful irreverence. Think loud typography, unapologetic color, tattoo-inspired graphics, hand-done textures, and a balance between chaos and warmth raw but welcoming, high-energy but deeply community-driven.
Inspiration:
Inspiration:
Font Selection: I experimented with various fonts, styles, and shortened the company to co, so the brand name does not take up 50% of the space. This provides an opportunity to create a better layout and text hierarchy. The original brand name was all uppercase letters and felt old. In the rebrand, fonts in the Sans family work better, as it gives a modern vibe, but keeping the same branding.
Font Selection: I experimented with various fonts, styles, and shortened the company to co, so the brand name does not take up 50% of the space. This provides an opportunity to create a better layout and text hierarchy. The original brand name was all uppercase letters and felt old. In the rebrand, fonts in the Sans family work better, as it gives a modern vibe, but keeping the same branding.
New Logo Design: In the rebranding proccess we had felt as if the exitsing logo type did not reflect the personality behind Matty Matheson and that the alternative logo including the heart suited it a lot better. The heart motif was a bit constraining so we adapted just the custom typography portion as the main feature logo and opted for PT Sans as a the typography found in the detailing to contrast the fun and stylized main logo font.
New Logo Design: In the rebranding proccess we had felt as if the exitsing logo type did not reflect the personality behind Matty Matheson and that the alternative logo including the heart suited it a lot better. The heart motif was a bit constraining so we adapted just the custom typography portion as the main feature logo and opted for PT Sans as a the typography found in the detailing to contrast the fun and stylized main logo font.
Food Labels:
Food Labels:
Final Redesign:
Final Redesign:
Took inspiration from competitor packaging on the shelf, keeping the existing colour-coded flavour system while giving the overall look more shelf presence. The key move was the logo: Madison Foods' plain-text primary logo was swapped for their more marketable secondary mark featuring Maddy Madison, redesigned with more character while keeping the same simple styling. Required nutrition labelling and compliance elements were maintained throughout, and all three SKUs were mocked up to scale for final presentation.
Took inspiration from competitor packaging on the shelf, keeping the existing colour-coded flavour system while giving the overall look more shelf presence. The key move was the logo: Madison Foods' plain-text primary logo was swapped for their more marketable secondary mark featuring Maddy Madison, redesigned with more character while keeping the same simple styling. Required nutrition labelling and compliance elements were maintained throughout, and all three SKUs were mocked up to scale for final presentation.
Die Lines:
Die Lines:
Final Mockups:
Final Mockups:
|
v
Page updated
Google Sites
Report abuse