Marx Design Creates GoodFor's No-Frills Branding

As more findings regarding the impact of plastic on our environment surface, the more aware you need to be of our plastic-waste footprint. Between the gyres floating in the ocean and a recent study from The University of Hawaii that discovered plastic waste accumulation in oceans and landfills is contributing to climate change because the sun rays release methane and ethylene, something has to change.

While we should all do more to reduce, reuse and recycle, one New Zealand company is a little more focused on that whole reduction thing. GoodFor is a wholefoods "refillery" for all your food and home good needs that launched in early 2017.

"GoodFor started when the founder, James Denton, saw a need to make sustainable shopping easier for people," says Tristan O'Shannessy, design director at Marx Design Ltd. "GoodFor exists for the sole purpose of eliminating secondary packaging waste, and also partners with the organization 'Trees For The Future,' planting a tree for every purchase in their stores."

All orders are packed in brown paper bags and sealed with paper tape to make sure your food or spices arrive fresh at your door. Unfortunately, liquids are not available online, only in store. So if you're within shopping distance of one of their three stores in Auckland, all the liquids are available on taps ranging from home cleaning supplies to vinegar and syrups.

Since GoodFor offers a packaging-free shopping experience with a goal to eliminate grocery packaging, their challenge was to develop a design system that was cohesive, simple and sophisticated. As they already had a close relationship with Marx Design Ltd., it was smooth sailing when it came to branding the company. Together, they were able to define the essence of the brand and the core of the brief in one word-reduction. Ultimately, that provided the pathway to design.

"Often we will present more than one concept, but in this case, the brief dictated a very clear direction, and we had a strong belief in what we put forward,” says O'Shannessy. “Our concept was immediately embraced by James."

From there, Marx Design Ltd. aimed to have every design emulate their two key messages. First, there was Ethos. That focused on waste reduction and sustainability. Secondly, there was Offering. In this case, that meant bring-your-own packaging bulk retail.

"For Ethos, GoodFor is a company with a strong conviction in their beliefs, and they like to spread the word. We made sure the message was delivered with wit and light-hearted personality, rather than being worthy or punitive," shares O'Shannessy. "For Offering, we adopted the same tone to feature the amazing product range and the unique way it can be purchased.”  

The no-frills minimal design tells the brands story flawlessly, but there’s nothing dour about the project.

“While waste and sustainability are serious topics that need a lot of attention, it doesn’t mean the messaging needs to be overbearing,” shares O’Shannessy. “In this project, we found the opposite to be so true. So much engagement and conversation came from our more witty slogans.”

“Lighthearted doesn’t have to mean light on doing good,” he adds.