Domino’s Packaging

The Ultimate Slice of Life | Domino’s Pizza Base Pack 

 The Background

  • Domino's, while synonymous with pizza in India, needed to refresh its appeal among the evolving youth (18-24). Their current brand image felt staid, and competition in food delivery had diversified well beyond pizzas & burgers.  

The Challenge

  • Reconnect Domino's India with a young, 18-24-year-old target audience who see pizza as just another food delivery options. This meant adding a modern and emotionally resonant quality to the branding, packaging and communication.

  • The Elephant team was tasked with creating packaging that amplifies the relaunch campaign and builds both immediate and long-term brand associations with Domino's, to make it the go-to brand for life's defining moments. Domino’s global guidelines and brand spirit was to be continued while adding relevant local codes.

The Design

  • We believed the Pizza delivery box for a leading brand like Domino’s could become the canvas of storytelling and bonds that get formed over a slice. "It happens only with pizza" was the central message around which we the built stories that established emotional connection between Domino's and life's memorable occasions. Domino’s is the go-to option where pizza isn’t just a meal; it is a catalyst.

  • Vivid Palette, Playful Illustrations: We embraced a colourful, vibrant palette inspired by the colourful ingredients on a slice of pizza. Playful illustrations depicting people interacting with their slice and celebrating life's special moments took centre stage.

  • Memories, not Ingredients: Gone were the photorealistic pizza close-ups.  Instead, we focused on illustrating relatable scenarios - friends sharing a pizza during a startup brainstorming session, families enjoying a movie night pizza feast and of course, the first dates.

The Story

Domino's in India isn't just a pizza chain, it's a woven thread in the tapestry of the nation's changing palate. Arriving before last-mile delivery was even a concept, it introduced pizza to a generation hungry for global cuisines. It wasn't just about the taste, though. Domino's became synonymous with convenience, a reliable friend in the late-night study session or the celebratory centrepiece of a family gathering. It witnessed countless first dates, fuelled late-night movie marathons, and became a badge of honour for college students living on a shoestring budget. Today, Domino's is more than a brand; it's a shared memory, a cultural touchstone, and a testament to the evolving relationship Indians have with food and convenience in a rapidly changing world.

Domino’s just turned 29. And that’s a big number in our constantly evolving landscape. The stakes are higher, the industry is saturated, and technology has made many more options available – whether it be pizza, or caviar. They faced a new challenge: their legacy brand image wasn't resonating with Gen Z. While their 20-minute delivery promise once held sway, an explosion of delivery options and diverse cuisines meant pizza needed a new hook.

Insights

Our team delved into research, uncovering fascinating insights into the TG's preferences.

  • Experience over consumption: This generation craves experiences and creating memories with friends and family, valuing pizza not just for its taste but for its ability to fuel these moments.

  • Visual storytellers: They respond strongly to relatable visuals and narratives, hence the shift from mouthwatering close-ups to slice-of-life illustrations.

  • Emotional connection: While convenience and value matter, Gen Z prioritizes brands that resonate with their emotions and aspirations. Domino's needed to tap into this desire for belonging and shared joy.

These insights led to our core idea: "The Slice of Life." We aimed to reposition Domino's as the pizza for moments that matter, not just meals.

This insight led to our core idea: "The Slice of Life." We aimed to reposition Domino's as the pizza for moments that matter, not just meals.

Sliced to Perfection

We brought in a bold canvas of Domino's signature red and blue, infusing energy and youthfulness.

But the real magic happened with the illustrations. Forget drool-worthy pizza close-ups! We replaced them with playful scenes - a group of friends celebrating a startup success, enjoying a late-night pizza with dad – a conventionally distant figure in the past, but modern dads can also be friends. These relatable scenarios, paired with the central message "It happens only with pizza," painted a vivid picture of how Domino's becomes part of life's special moments.

The feedback was immediate and positive. Customers connected with the relatable scenes and the emotional messaging. Domino's emerges as a brand that understood their lives and celebrated their moments.

Elephant Design's "Slice of Life" packaging revamp didn't just refresh Domino's image; it repositioned the brand as the go-to pizza for Gen Z's defining moments. By focusing on emotional connection and relatable storytelling, we helped Domino's slice through the competition and become more than just a pizza company - they became part of the pizza magic that happens only in life's special moments.

The scale of our design implementation deserves a special mention, where no less than 222 pizzas a minute are delivered with our work proudly on display – which is storytelling via design in the most impactful way.

Our designer, Gouri, called this project her "project of the year" because of Domino's willingness to embrace a fresh, unconventional design approach. This collaboration truly allowed creativity to take centre stage, proving that a little slice of life can go a long way in reshaping a brand's image.