Design Contest
Westminster University Student
The Contest
You will design the packaging for a conceptual savory snack brand called ‘Crisps’. You’ll be provided the logo, visual identity guide, and requirements in the design brief below. The student designers behind the two (2) most creative and well-executed designs will each be given a ticket ($275 value) to the Brand New design conference held in Salt Lake City on October 10-11.
Take a peek at last year’s conference here.
The Prize
The Brand New conference is the best* design and branding conference in the United States. For two days, you’ll hear from leading and emerging agencies, designers, strategists, and creatives working across industries.
Past speakers included creatives from the NFL, Nike, Fisk, Collins, Ghost Note Agency, Kurpa Hosk, Twitch, Hoodzpah, Wolff Olins. If you don’t know these names, I promise you know their work.
*I say it’s the best. So do lots of others. But this hasn’t been proven. I am also wholly biased as I’ve been to many design conferences in my career.
The Opportunity
Building a design portfolio while you’re school is a key part of getting the right gig after graduation. To everyone who submits to this challenge, I’ll provide feedback on your design to get it to professional standards and help you create industry-leading mockups for this project to add to your portfolio.
This is an optional additional opportunity and not required for you to participate in.
The Judge
Hey, hi, hello! 👋 I’m Catherine Foster, a double alum from Westminster University (‘17 and ‘19). I’ve worked as a professional independent brand strategist and designer for the last 8 years.
I built my six-figure design and consulting practice while I was still in school and have since served as Creative Director, Marketing Director, and fractional Brand Manager over B2B, DTC, and SaaS products and services. I started my career just like you’re starting yours, and this challenge is my way of supporting your own design journey and giving you a chance to see the best in class of our industry at a professional conference.
Crisps Design Challenge Brief
Brand Overview
Crisps is not just another chip brand; it's a flavor-filled experience designed by snack lovers. Our philosophy is simple: to provide the crunchiest, most flavorful experience in every bite while keeping it as healthy as possible. Crisps is all about fun, vibrancy, and, most importantly, taste that packs a punch. We're here to shake up the snack aisle with our bold flavors and even bolder designs.
Project Overview
Crisps is re-launching its fan-favorite flavor to reimagine the colors and imagery that make ‘delicious’ and ‘must-have’ be in the same sentence. The design should be hard to ignore and leap off the shelf. It should also have a strong appetite appeal and be irresistible. The 5x6.25” pouch should have a reimagined front and back design that maintains the brand essence and appeals to Crisp’s core audience.
Audience Overview
Crisps lovers are a diverse bunch with one thing in common: an insatiable love for snacking at all hours of the day. They're young, or young at heart, and deeply loyal to companies with healthy missions and bold colors. Your design needs to shout from the shelves, capturing their imagination and taste buds. They are big social media users and love an opportunity to share things.
Design Requirements
Beyond the requirements below, the world is your oyster—or rather, your potato field. Get creative with the provided visual identity guides, and don’t be afraid to break the mold.
The provided logo must be prominently featured on the front of the pouch.
The back of the pouch must include the provided nutrition facts label and barcode.
Submissions and Judging Criteria
Judging Criteria
With this challenge, you’re provided a comprehensive identity to design with, so we want to see your creativity and graphic design skills shine. This is not a branding project, but you are welcome to apply the core identity elements in creative ways outside of the guidelines. Design is inherently subjective, but we’ll be looking at five critical factors to determine the winner of the challenge:
Creativity and Originality
Commercial Appeal and Shelf Shout
Alignment with Crisps Brand Identity
Clarity and Legibility
Attention to Detail
Submit Your Design
When you feel like you’ve met all the specifications for your design and shown the best of your capability, email your exported PDF to Catherine at catherine@treadaway.co. Please include a brief description of your design choices and how they reflect the Crisps brand philosophy. This description does not need to formal. Keep it casual and use it as a chance to walk me through your thinking.