Sydney design agency Squad Ink did Australia proud at this year's international Pentawards for packaging design, winning a gold award for its work on behalf of Sydney's The Grounds of Alexandria.
With a design team that included Matthew Squadrito, Terry Squadrito, Ruby Grose, and illustrator Stuart McLachlan (Jacky Winter), Squad Ink designed the packaging for The Grounds' range of breakfast cereal.
The Grounds of Alexandria was once a dilapidated Sydney industrial estate but is now an impassioned food and events hub featuring coffee roasters, organic bakers and chefs which reflects a bygone era of sourcing fresh food from the local farm.
Squad Ink was engaged to create the packaging for The Grounds’ newest range, which includes a nutritious Granola cereal.
"From the outset we wanted to develop something conceptual with this packaging, centred around the early morning breakfast table scene and incorporating elements of the farmyard - the rooster and the chicken coop," Matthew Squadrito told PKN.
“Over the years, the farm animals, which have virtual free reign of The Grounds site, have become much loved regulars on social media.
“With this in mind, we developed a playful character-led brand which champions The Grounds’ rowdy mascot: Rupert the Rooster, the hero of the on-pack illustrations, created by Stuart McLachlan of Jacky Winter Group."
As milk is usually part of the breakfast ritual, the team opted for an oversized ‘milk carton’ outer pack, fashioning the angled top into the pitched roof of a traditional chicken coop.
Photography is by Lucas Peng and the packs were printed by Detpak, in four colours with spot UV finish.
Squad Ink director Matthew Squadrito also worked on the brand design for Archie Rose Distilling Co, and shared his wisdom at the Food & Drink Business + PKN Breaking Boundaries LIVE forum in Sydney in August.
