When En-Lyfe Nutraceutical Group engineered Out of Nature N-Zyme, a supplement that promised to boost energy when taken daily, they hired GMDS to develop the promotional materials for it.
Initially ENG presented us with three original logo comps that they had procured from another graphic designer, the design dimensions we were to use (5.5 x 8.5 inches with bleeds), and the actual product in a plain white bottle as the foundation for what we were to create. The logo comps were great and gave us a foundation on which to build. En-Lyfe Nutraceutical Group’s owner, Dr. Hall, also used a lot of great descriptive words when sharing his vision. He wanted something “impressive” that was the visual equivalent to the quality of his product. He forfeited the opportunity to share examples of product branding he liked that was already on the market. Instead, he explained that based on the work he had seen in our portfolio he trusted our creativity and would leave the creative direction to us. While this scenario seems ideal, it left a lot of room for error.
After reading more about ENG’s products and its claims, my next step was to research similar products on the market. While perusing the aisles of a pharmacy or two, visiting the websites of a few drug companies and looking at some magazine ads, I took note of how some visual brands made me feel. For example, a plain yellow and white bottle with “Vitamin C” written across the front in the Impact font made me feel that the product was low quality and mass produced. Ads with pink and purple hues or ones that donned script-style fonts seemed geared toward women.
ENG’s new product was something I might see in a natural foods store. One phrase that stood out in the copy was that these supplements contained “…the ionic minerals found in the rain forest of South Africa.” While the word “ionic” put me in the mindset of a chemistry class (font-wise that meant a structured, serif font). “Rain forest” reminded me of neutral earthy colors that you might see if you visited one.
To avoid going too far in any creative direction before getting his approval, I presented Dr. Hall with one cover design (above) to start. For the background I used a royalty-free stock photo of homemade paper. I superimposed another royalty-free stock photo of beige capsules (which were originally on a white background) onto the homemade paper background. I used an enlarged transparent watermark of the wheat element from one of the logo comps I was given to make his brand element more visible. Goudy Old Style and Copperplate Gothic were my choices for serif fonts.
ENG was pleased with the direction we went in on the first comp and had us develop the rest of its materials based on that look and feel. Get a closer look at this booklet design. Download the PDF.
