Sustainable pet food brand Buggy Bix hopes to reverse the stigma attached to its key ingredient – bugs. The team at Percept were engaged to create a playful packaging design to communicate the nutritional value of the insect-based dog treats, as well as the positive impact the products can have on the planet.
The cheeky packaging plays on the sensory parts of the dog's face used to distinguish and taste food, with die-cuts used to add interest and standout, while giving consumers visibility to see the product inside.
Percept senior design Paula McLarnon said making the product visible on front of pack was imperative to make people comfortable with the ingredients at every touch point.
“Using a bespoke die-cut of a tongue is a fun and engaging way to communicate that dogs love eating bugs,” said McLarnon.
“Seeing the product helps to reduce inhibitions and preconceptions of what the product will look like and encourages purchase... and is also a great way to differentiate between the products on shelf, such as changing the placement, shape and action of the tongue.”
As insect pet treats are new to the Australian market, there were concerns that people may initially be hesitant to feed insects to their beloved pets, hence, the decision was made to use an illustrative approach to help ‘debug’ the ingredients, soften the subject matter, and add the ‘cute factor’, according to McLarnon.
“Illustration creates plenty of scope for the product range to expand and maintain a strong and memorable look and feel,” McLarnon says.
“Tone of voice and humour were carefully considered to build awareness of the nutritional value of insects and sustainability of the product in a friendly and approachable way. The tagline ‘Sweet Satisfaction’, alongside the tongue catching the bug, is a great visual cue to showcase that eating bug protein is a very natural thing for a dog to do.”
Given the environmentally friendly value proposition of Buggy Bix, McLarnon said efforts were made to ensure the packaging material was recyclable whilst maintaining a sufficient moisture and oxygen barrier. Packs were printed by the Packaging People.
