The Focus
Saffola wanted to strengthen its position in consumers' kitchens by introducing a new range of snackable millets to replace less healthy evening snacks.
The packaging needed to make millets exciting and aspirational, while still aligning with Saffola’s core design system.
The design had to subtly integrate health cues while focusing on taste and convenience, ensuring the product stood out from Saffola’s existing offerings.
The Design
We implemented a dynamic theme throughout the packaging, emphasizing the product as a snack for evening entertainment moments, like watching a cricket match.
The design retained Saffola’s familiar architecture, with vibrant colours and a heart-shaped logo, while introducing a horizontal layout for differentiation.
We highlighted the "Ready in 3 minutes" convenience and used bright, appetizing visuals to emphasize taste over health.
The Story
Saffola, a brand synonymous with heart-friendly oils and nutritious oats, was looking to expand its footprint in the kitchens of health-conscious consumers by introducing a new range of snackable millets. Our task was to create a packaging design that not only reflected Saffola’s strong health credentials but also positioned these millets as a go-to choice for those looking for a tasty and convenient evening snack.
Saffola is a trusted name when it comes to health and nutrition, known for its products that strike the perfect balance between health and taste. With their new millets range, Saffola aimed to further solidify their presence in the kitchens of young, urban consumers, particularly those aged 25-35.
Insights
Millets, though nutritious, are often perceived as bland or traditional, typically associated with heavier meals like chapatis. Saffola’s target audience comprises of increasingly health-conscious, often juggling busy lifestyles with a desire to make healthier choices for themselves and their families.
Elephant’s objective was to transform this perception via packaging design, making millets not just healthy but also aspirational and exciting, particularly as a replacement for less healthy evening snacks. The packaging needed to convey convenience—these were not your grandmother’s millets but a modern, quick, and tasty snack option that could be prepared in just three minutes.
Moreover, while the new millets range needed to stand out on the shelves, it was crucial that the packaging remained true to Saffola’s core design system. Consumers needed to instantly recognize the product as part of the Saffola family, with all the assurances of quality, health, and taste that come with it.
For your Snacktertainment
Understanding the brief, our team set out to create a packaging design that would resonate with Saffola’s target audience. We wanted to position these millets as a part of "snackertainment"—a dynamic, fun, and convenient snack that you could enjoy while watching your favourite TV show or a cricket match. This theme drove our design approach.
We knew that health was already a given with Saffola, so instead of making it the focal point, we decided to highlight taste and convenience. The packaging needed to be vibrant, appealing, and modern. To achieve this, we chose bright, bold colours—yellow, cherry red, and orange—to represent the different millet flavours. These colours not only made the packaging eye-catching but also conveyed the vibrant, tasty nature of the product.
One of the key elements of our design was the depiction of the product in a bowl, a nod to the "snackertainment" theme. Rather than a traditional product shot, we chose to present the millets in a heart-shaped bowl, aligning with the Saffola logo and reinforcing the idea that these millets are a snack you can enjoy during your evening relaxation time. The handwritten font used on the packaging added a personal, approachable touch, appealing to the younger, millennial audience that Saffola was targeting.
Brand Recall and Convenience
The core design structure was retained from Saffola’s established packaging architecture, ensuring brand continuity. The heart-shaped Saffola logo was kept front and centre, reinforcing the brand’s identity and the health assurances that come with it. To make the millets range distinct, we opted for a horizontal layout instead of the vertical separators typically used in Saffola’s packaging. This subtle change helped differentiate the product while maintaining the familiar Saffola look and feel.
We also included a mnemonic highlighting the product’s convenience: "Ready in 3 minutes." This was crucial in shifting the perception of millets from a heavy, time-consuming meal to a quick, easy snack. The ingredient focus, placed next to the main logo, added a sense of freshness and premium quality, subtly emphasizing the health benefits without making it the central message.
The result was a packaging design that perfectly balanced familiarity with innovation. Saffola’s millets range was immediately recognizable as part of the Saffola family, thanks to the consistent use of brand elements. At the same time, the vibrant colours, dynamic layout, and "snackertainment" theme made it stand out as a new, exciting option for health-conscious consumers.
By focusing on taste and convenience, we were able to reposition millets as a modern, desirable snack, capable of replacing less healthy evening snack options. The packaging not only met Saffola’s brief but also exceeded expectations by creating a design system that could easily accommodate future product extensions within this range.
With these new millets range, Saffola is well-positioned to capture the growing market of young, urban consumers who are looking for healthier, tastier snack options that fit into their busy lives. The packaging assures them that with Saffola, they are making the right choice—not just for their health, but also for their taste buds.
