Shikatani Lacroix

Background
EMD Serono Canada provides innovative drug therapies that address unmet medical needs in the areas of neurodegenerative diseases, fertility and endocrinology. EMD Serono Canada Inc. is an affiliate of Merck Serono, Geneva, Switzerland. Merck Serono is the division for innovative prescription pharmaceuticals of Merck KGaA, a global pharmaceutical and chemical group based in Darmstadt, Germany. In Canada, Merck Serono operates as EMD Serono. The company identified an opportunity to leverage its success of the Multibionta brand in Europe for the North American market. SL was retained to develop a new package design for the Canadian market.

Challenges
Multibionta was developed to meet the needs of today’s demanding and hectic lifestyle and the new package design needed to reinforce the greater benefits than traditional multivitamins. Multibionta is a combination of probiotics, vitamins and minerals, not only helps balance and normalize digestion while strengthens immune system. The new packaging need to also reinforce a unique 3-layer caplet that is smaller than most multivitamins and easier to swallow while leveraging its #1 multivitamin in U.K. and France position.

Solution
SL developed a new packaging brand architecture that provided focus on the products three unique benefits while creating an overall design that simplified the communication while ensuring strong shelf impact. The new package design leveraged a fifth panel that clearly communicated the product features while an illustration reinforced the unique multilayer tablet design.

Results
The new program has received strong support form the trade and is currently being rolled-out across Canada. For more information, please go to www.emdserono.ca.

TD Canada Trust has invited Mr. Lacroix to speak at an upcoming FREE online seminar that will show you how to create a Unique Selling Proposition (USP) for your business. Learn how to position your products and services in a way that distinguishes your business from your competitors, keeps your brand top of mind with customers, and increases your sales. The session is hosted by Irene Law, Senior Manager, Business Banking, TD Canada Trust and includes Jean-Pierre Lacroix, President of Shikatani Lacroix, one of North America’s leading branding firms and Michael McDerment, CEO and Co-Founder, Freshbooks, the Leader in Online Billing.

The session will be held Thursday, October 22, 2009, 12 noon eastern standard time.

Click here to register for October 22nd Webinar

Mr. Jean-Pierre Lacroix, President of Shikatani Lacroix was invited to speak this fall at the DesignThinkers ’09. It’s there 10th annual international conference focusing on the role of design in shaping business, society and the future health of the planet. Conference to be held in Toronto on November 3rd and 4th. The purpose of the conference is to gain new perspectives from some of the industry’s leading innovators – to connect with creative colleagues from across town and around the globe – to get inspired by fresh approaches.

Mr. Lacroix’ topic: Making your firm “Mighty”. With the majority of design firms consisting of five or less employees, how do you run your design profession for success and effectively compete? Jean-Pierre shares the fundamentals of running a firm for success. He explains how to define your point-of-difference, the numbers to watch to keep you out of financial harm and the key factors that will drive a firm’s growth.

Visit DesignThinkers

Welcome to the inaugural launch of the Shikatani Lacroix DesignLounge, a place to explore the importance and impact of design in your business.
A key to any organization’s success is its ability to translate knowledge and understanding into an engaged organization where knowledge is translated into measurable results.

As part of our commitment to providing our clients and the industry with knowledge tools that fully link design to business needs, we offer a wide range of lunch-and-learn “DesignLounge” sessions, developed to assist your organization in fully leveraging the power of design.

Click Here

The Association of Registered Graphic Designers of Ontario (RGD Ontario) has announced the recipients of the 2009 Student Awards, including the Shikatani Lacroix Award for Packaging Design

In recognition of her outstanding achievements, the winner is Narani Kannan, a graduating student from the communication design program at OCAD University. Narani receives a $1,000 cash prize donation by Shikatani Lacroix, a special certificate and a profile of her work in Applied Arts magazine.

Narani’s award-winning student project is Gotta Moo, an eco-friendly milk packaging solution. This greener milk packaging solution would outperform plastic, and plastic coated, packaging in the food and beverage industry.

“We applaud Narani for using creativity and research to help address the issue of waste reduction,” says Jean-Pierre Lacroix R.G.D., founder and President of Shikatani Lacroix Brandesign. “We’re also pleased to support the work of RGD Ontario as it encourages the next generation of designers to the highest levels of communication and strategic thinking.”

This year, RGD Ontario distributed $18,000 in cash prizes to 12 students. There were four regional awards for Excellence across media and 14 awards for Excellence in specific media, which included branding, logo design, books and editorial, multimedia, packaging and print. A jury of award-winning creative professionals selected the winners.

RGD Ontario’s Student Awards program aims to bring industry professionals together with emerging designers to promote excellence and encourage the next generation of design professionals to the highest levels of creativity, innovation and conceptualization.

In the 12 years that RGD Ontario has organized this program, it has distributed $119,000 in sponsored cash prizes supported by industry leaders. Awards are given to students graduating from three and four-year graphic design programs at Ontario colleges and universities. Shikatani Lacroix, founder, Mr. JP Lacroix was instrumental in launching the Student Awards program as part of his role on the RGD board and has been sponsoring the event for the past ten years. The work from all years has been archived at http://students.rgdontario.com.

Background

Quest Vitamins in one of many brands in the crowded natural supplements and vitamins segment in Canada, with presence in Loblaws and Shoppers Drug Mart, as well as many Grocery and Health Food Retailers. The brand has had a number of corporate owners over the years and recently it was acquired by Purity Life’s consumer products business. It consists of over 126 products that cater to the entire family.

Challenge

The supplements and vitamin category has become extremely competitive with new entrants and a growing desire by consumers to live healthier lives. The Quest brand did not effectively evolve with consumer needs and its presence at retail was being eroded while the brand’s value proposition was not clearly being communicated. In addition to the brand erosion, the category had become very confusing, fueled by the addition of new brands and new product categories with poorly defined benefits.

Solution

Shikatani was retained to dramatically improve the shopability of the line with high impact graphics and packaging re-design and iconography to help consumers navigate the category easier. Purity Life was launching life stage, gender-specific product innovation and the new look of Quest greatly increased the consumer appeal of the proposition

Results

The brand has an aggressive growth target of achieving over ten million in retail sales by the beginning of 2010 and the sell-in success has Purity Life well on the way to achieving its target.

Background

Purity Life (a Division of SunOpta) is a marketer of a wide range of natural health products with a number of brands that have been previously underleveraged within their portfolio. A key component of their brand portfolio is branded products that they own and distribute such as Vivitas, one of their large contributors of sales and profits.

Challenge

Purity Life had identified a market opportunity to launch an innovative family of supplement products. The challenge was that most products within the Vivitas line were issue-related, (ie. Melatonin as a natural sleep aid), as opposed to habitual purchase and use items. Purity Life identified a potential market and opportunity to have first mover advantage by having a line tailored specifically for women. The challenge consisted of creating breakthrough package structural and graphics that would clearly reinforced the emotive and functional benefits, while supporting the introduction of a new product offering that broadened the appeal of the line and increased habitual consumption and strengthened point-of-entry marketing.

Solution

SL initiated extensive consumer research to understand the emotive needs of the core target group. Based on these insights, SL developed a range of unique package shapes and systems in addition to label designs that could effectively connect with customers at store level. Through the use of research, a final design direction was selected that leveraged a contour bottle structural design and bright flower graphics for the supplements line and a pregnant bottle shape for the prenatal vitamin offering. Although the design process did explore a wide range of potential names, the name “Vivitas Woman” was selected by consumers for its ideal fit with the brand promise.

Results

The product is currently being launched and initial sales results are extremely positive with a target growth of doubling its sales within a year.

Background

Herbon, the original Echinacea throat lozenges, was founded in Canada and the first company in North America to put therapeutic amounts of Echinacea in a cough & sore throat lozenge. The brand was acquired in 2007 by Purity Life as part of the organization’s growth strategy and the product is currently sold across Canada, the United States, and a number of other countries overseas including China and Japan. Most recently, under new Marketing direction the brand has been completely reformulated using scientifically guided R&D to effectively bridge the gap between traditional cough and sore throat medications and herbal remedies.

Challenge

The brand had very limited distribution and weak brand architecture, packaging design and voids in the product portfolio. Therefore the brand was never strong enough in the domestic market to compete with mainstream competitors. Research also showed the brand had the right product attributes but did not have a clear position and insufficient innovative products to effectively compete in the mainstream cough & sore throat category. In addition, the Herbon brand had a children’s offering that had received limited success and was in jeopardy of being delisted. Purity Life retained Shikatani Lacroix to explore new structural design and branding initiatives that would help grow its presence, not only grocery, drugstore and mass retailing, but also in the fast expanding convenience retailing segment.

Solution

SL initiated extensive consumer research to understand the emotive needs of the core target group. Based on these insights, SL developed a range of unique package shapes and systems, in addition to label designs that could effectively connect with customers at store level. A range of product names were explored for the kids product that would more effectively connect with this segment at retail. The “Rockhoppers” name was selected for the children’s sub-brand and working with the manufacturing team, a new product with visible flavour beads was created. Through the use of research, a final design direction was selected that leveraged a more dynamic label design with a convenient zipper bag along with a line of convenient, purse-friendly rolled package. SL developed a new identity for the Rockhoppers sub-line that included a range of illustrations of the famous Rockhopper penguins.

Results

Sell-in to the trade has been extremely strong and the product is currently being introduced at retail. Retailers across Canada in every channel have described Herbon as very innovative and the energy shot that the category needed very much to stimulate sales and profit.

Canadian Department of Foreign Affairs (DFAIT) Global Wayfinding Program

BACKGROUND

The Canadian Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade represents all of the embassies across the globe and a physical presence of the Canadian flag in the countries with trade offices. A key role in leveraging a strong presence in key markets is the role of the embassies in assisting in the emigration and trade expansion and as such, DFAIT identified a need to improve its wayfinding and building identification program. As part of this global initiative, Shikatani Lacroix was retained to assist in developing a new design standards that would work in all markets.

CHALLENGE

Although DFAIT has very rigid branding guidelines for the use of the Canadian Coat of Arms and Flag, its embassies were designed to allow each location to be a unique physical manifestation of the brand in the markets being served. As such, the new building identification and wayfinding needed to effectively complement the style and personality of each embassy design while allowing for conformity and consistency. In addition, the role of wayfinding implementation was delegated to the individual embassy which increased the need to develop a wayfinding standards manual that was both informative and easy to understand.

SOLUTION

SL developed new wayfinding standards that consisted of a rigid signing architecture for content, hierarchy of communication and iconography but allowed for the use of different materials that would better integrate with the architectural personality of the facility. The standards manual were also written in a way that would help local embassy staff clearly understand not only the “What” but more importantly the “Why” and “How” of the program. SL developed prototypes and physical examples to assist in better understanding how materials play an important role while clearly identifying the appropriate use and location for each sign.

RESULTS

The new wayfinding program is currently being rolled-out across the globe and initial responses from DFAIT and embassy personal has been very positive.

Background

The honourable Alexander Keith is often credited as being the father of
great beer in Nova Scotia. He earned the title his way, with a lifetime of fine brewing, and a legend that still includes the most popular beers in Nova Scotia today. You can find Alexander Keith’s Pale Ale, Light Ale and Red Amber Ale across Canada while the product is still being brewed at their Nova Scotia brewery. Shikatani Lacroix have been managing the brand’s transformation for the past twenty years and are responsible for the new Keith’s label design and museum in Nova Scotia.

Challenge

Alexander Keith’s brewery were exploring the addition of a white ale to
their existing strong brand portfolio. Shikatani Lacroix was challenged to explore a branding solution that married the history and rich heritage of the brand with a new offering built around the brewing heritage of Belgium white beers. The new offering needed to be true to the Keith’s brand heritage while clearly enhancing appetite appeal and reinforcing the unique features, namely: quality, unfiltered ale brewed to deliver subtle notes of citrus.

Solution

SL developed a new contemporary design that evolved the Keith’s Stag Head to reinforce a strong confident image while introducing a new graphic shape to support the “Premium White” messaging. The new design has a strong link to the current family of packaging with the use of an oval while allowing this new offering to clearly stand-out in a bar setting and at retail. Shikatani Lacroix extended the design to secondary packaging that also helps support the brand’s point-of-difference and excellence in brewing quality.

Results

The brand was launched recently to great success.