We had the distinct pleasure to interview award winning designer Joumana Maalouf about their original and creative Rice Cakes design work. Joumana Maalouf is an award-winning communication designer, that makes our world a better place with their original rice cakes works.
Joumana Maalouf ("JM") answered Design Interview ("DI") questions about their award-winning work Low Calorie line Rice Cakes. Interview questions prepared by Frank Scott.
JM : Our main idea behind this design is to create a package design for Rice Cakes and to allow consumers to connect with the brand on a deep level and have a marked effect on them. As for the inspiration, we focused on a mixture of 2 cultures and the strong link between them: the top Indian rice production and the leading European food processing.
JM : While designing the Rice Cakes, our main focus was to create a remarkable and appealing package on the shelf that will stand out on the shelf with its style and concept, between local and international competitors. We wanted to give consumers a fun, energetic and emotional experience in addition to reflecting purity, clean and healthy feelings.
JM : This design is already available in the market, locally and internationally. We are planning to expand its existence to new countries.
JM : The concept design phase took around 2 weeks, where we studied and understood people's needs and worked on how to meet them with our products.
JM : We were asked to create a new concept for the low-calorie line by the client. After conducting a serious research, and a multiple brainstorming sessions, this design was created from scratch.
JM : This design is being used by eQuia brand. It is available in Lebanon and multiple countries.
JM : Working for the F&B industry for more than 10 years, Colorcode agency is now working for multiple famous brands in the market. In some cases, client’s requests are vague and our designers get the chance to be creative. In this case, the brief was detailed, and the possibilities were unlimited.
JM : First of all, we started with a market research by checking all local and international competitors in order to stand out on the shelves. We were influenced by the creativity, quality and simplicity of modern European designs.
JM : The target customers for this design are health-conscious consumers, willing to achieve a happy, healthy and balanced lifestyle.
JM : The only way to effectively answer that question is to know who you’re competing against. After researching all local and international competitors, we searched about the products' background and we decided to work on a color combination related to Indian style mood board, as well as European modern style packaging design samples.
JM : Simplicity is key. We named this design “Low Calorie” in order to make consumers remember the product easily.
JM : We used different tools in Adobe Photoshop to create different pastel splashes colors. In order to avoid confusing the consumers, we fixed 2 splash colors: purple and yellow, and the 3rd color will be changeable from flavor to another in the upper bold side and in the typography. We also worked on typographic layout especially for the title that combines 3 languages with a special overlapping effect of the text with the splash circle.
JM : The most unique aspect of our design is that we follow FDA international rules, since we export our product to Arab and African countries.
JM : Mr. Balsam Abou Chacra, a graphic designer specialized in packaging at Colorcode Agency, was responsible for the execution of the Rice Cake’s package. After researching and meeting with the client, he used hand-drawn sketches and Adobe software to create digital drafts.
JM : Technology facilitated the possibility of having multiple trials in short period of time. Multiple computer software make some tasks easier when it comes to mechanically apply the creativity.
JM : Researching the market, the target audience, and the competitors were a necessity. And the study of foreign countries cultures also helped in creating this design.
JM : Since the printing on OPP Matt is very delicate, the hardest part of the design was the color separation for the printing process in order to obtain strong colors, similar to the ones chosen from the pantone palette. Results were overwhelming showing strong colors and unique products on the shelves.
JM : We came across the competition website by chance, and we instantly felt like we are part of this creative community. So we decided to take a step further and apply.
JM : We learned that research is key to a successful design, it is always essential to have a unique idea before starting. After detailed research, we gained knowledge in the healthy lifestyle & routine.
JM : It means a lot to Colorcode to be part of this international creative community and we feel proud to represent Lebanon in making this world look better.
