Ingredients is a radical idea. It called for a radical brand concept.
Every day, the average person comes into contact with hundreds of harmful chemicals found in personal care products, household cleaners, foods and drinks. To address this, Ingredients was created as a line of toxin-free daily essentials formulated with organic, plant-based ingredients, in high concentrations to deliver optimal benefits. The brand promises to deliver only what is essential to perform its task, nothing more.
The concept is so radical that it demanded a radical approach to the brand design components.
The front of the package contains only the product name and a list of ingredients and their respective percentages – essentially publishing the product formulations for all to see. In fact, the entire design ethos embraced a stripped-down aesthetic that echoed the philosophy of the brand – only what is required, nothing more. The design employs a “stock room” aesthetic: the (unintentional) beauty of no-nonsense typography found on grocery and shipping labels, inventory sheets, ingredient lists, financial ledgers, library stacks, etc.
But while the visual design is spare, the brand approach is rich with content. Central to this is the brand narrative – a manifesto of the power of plants and how to live a toxin-free life.
Some details on the design approach:
This informs how the founders not only view product development, but how they view their attitude to life.
Logo: The bold, clear Ingredients logo embodies the brand’s transparent values. It was crafted from scratch to be distinctive and iconic at any size.
Typography: Monotype Grotesque was chosen as the primary typeface for its plain but quirky letterforms and historical inconsistencies. It adds a human touch in an otherwise minimal, clinical looking design. Theinhardt is the secondary workhorse typeface for the back of bottles and boxes.
Materials:The secondary packaging are constructed of crisp, post-consumer white paper card. It was important that the minimal typographic design be complimented by beautiful finishes and textures. The eggshell finish of the paper contrasts the glossy milk glass and white aluminium bottles. The box features an interior flood of our brand’s green color to make the bottles stand out when unboxing.
Color: As with the package design, a simple and limited color palette of black, white and green was employed. Green is symbolic of the brand’s commitment to ethical and environmental practices and sourcing the purest ingredients. While green is used by many natural brands, Ingredients green has a “digital” brightness that symbolizes a bridge between scientific analysis and the natural world.
About Concrete:
Concrete is an independent creative brand agency. Based in Toronto, the agency works globally across varied sectors on comprehensive brand identity programs. The agency’s holistic approach ensures the integrated expression of the brand across all communication vehicles and stakeholder brand touch points.
