ONA Label Design [2015]

Project Overview:

Initial ONA product labels were created over 10 years ago and slightly revised over 5 years ago, still maintaining their single-colour look. In 2012, the Apple Crumble label was created, however it was inconsistent to the other 3 scents.

In May 2014, I began developing concepts for new ONA labels. The main objectives were to resemble the existing colours of the scents so customers would still recognize the product and brand, as well as to create a fresh, attractive, and timeless design that would last at least another 10 years in the global hydroponics market.

This label redesign was intended to give the ONA products a new appealing and modern approach while maintaining a consistent appearance to all 4 scents. It was completed in February 2015 making it an 8 month long project that was concurrent among other projects.

Label before & after comparison on 1L Gel Jars

Digital label before & after comparison (1L Gel Jar dieline size)

Design Process

Inspiration and Early Concept Designs
Researching label designs on various products including wine bottles and cosmetic containers inspired some potential concepts. We took specific ideas on labels that worked well visually and combined them to create something more—after all, ideas spark new ideas.

Sources:
Alvaro Rubio - https://www.flickr.com/photos/aticoprimera/sets/72157621551106081/
Amore - http://amore.se/work/kronleins-cider
Manuel Valencia Restrepo - http://mvrh.deviantart.com/art/Label-Design-Younger-Wine-316405627?q=gallery%3AMVRH%2F224400&qo=2
Smash Brand - http://www.smashbrand.com / https://www.flickr.com/photos/118142555@N06/13298141713/
Isabela Rodrigues - http://isabelarodrigues.com/portfolio/le-bleu-lait / https://www.behance.net/gallery/Le%20Bleu%20Lait/7847183
Iceberg - Roccafiore (wines) Identity - http://www.iceberg.it/
mn8 Design Source - http://www.mn8.co.za/label.packaging.design.kenzai.html
Javanotti - https://99designs.ca/profiles/952835/designs/25618 / http://99designs.ca/product-label-design/contests/cosmetic-tube-label-design-needed-body-care-product-248102/entries/46
zagraph - http://99designs.ca/print-design/contests/upcomming-prestigious-wine-label-design-opportunity-60507/entries/44

Inspiration and Early Concept Designs
Once a concept had potential, it was applied to the other scents as well in order to see the entire line-up as a whole. Specific icons to represent each scent were explored as well as textures.

Halftone Texture
We wanted a textured background that relates to the molecular science behind the odor neutralizing technology and brainstormed hexagon/honeycomb patterns because the molecular structure of terpenes (which help eliminate odors in the product) are similar. In the end, a halftone gradient texture was used in the background, composed of a vast amount of dots resembling molecules. Visually, the halftone pattern successfully blended in a gradient using only two colours. This gave the labels a multi-coloured look (without having to pay a premium for over 3 pantone colours).

Print Tests

Prints were made on various printers to see the physical label and general colour; because when designing for print, one can't just rely on the screen.

Typeface Exploration
While ONA had a main typeface for the brand, an accompanying typeface for each scent was needed. A different font suitable to each scent was explored.

Typeface Exploration
Although each scent is unique, consistency was also important. Fonts were explored for the scent names. A clear, pronounced, readable font was chosen that visually complemented the brand. The use of smallcaps was also favoured in order for the scent name to be more prominent.

Icon Design Process
For the labels, a new eco-friendly and guarantee icons were needed so concepts were explored.

Icon Design Process

Digital concepts were then developed. The guarantee icon design needed to work well visually together with the eco-friendly icon.

Colour Process - Halftone Gradient Design
From the previous ONA label design to the final and current ONA label design, various colours were chosen. Showing only the halftone gradient design concept process, one can not only see the colour decisions made but the design layout progression of this concept throughout its creation.

Label Mockups on containers
Many print tests were done in order to see a design applied on a container. It was realized that label designs looked completely different flat compared to on an actual container.

Label Mockups on containers
Furthermore, in order to see the dots-per-inch of the halftone pattern and find a good balance between the dots being too large or small, black and white prints were made and applied to containers.

Label Layout and Typography

Each label was required to have multiple languages in groups of 3-5. As a result, type setting was challenging to make good use of the main centre design and other elements on the side while fitting in so much legible text. Certain labels were also required to be warped as it wrapped around containers that were angled.

Final Label Design