Each Melima Pasta Box Gets Its Own Unique Character That Promotes Transparency And Credibility
Melima is a Greek brand selling homemade goods from pasta and sauces to cookies, snacks and other Greek delicacies. The brand was acquired in 2016, and the result was a brand new name and identity that was more exciting, personal and engaging.
And the packaging matches this new, heartfelt persona and message. One design element in particular that promotes this positivity and warmth is the individual and unique characters that are present on each of these creative and enchanting boxes.
This pasta packaging is creative, energetic and fun — and you can feel the transparency of the company not only because of the actual cutouts on the boxes, but because these characters show that the brand cares.
Each variety has its own unique character that helps separate the design of these boxes, which follow a minimalist feel.
These characters are sitting in a black, fluid shaping. And they’re wrapping their arms around the heart-shaped cut out on the box that reveals the real prize.
The real star of the container’s design is the product itself. A clear window is cut into each box where the pasta adds a much-needed injection of color. It reflects a common principle among professional packaging companies: product visibility can significantly enhance consumer appeal, fostering trust in the product's quality and authenticity.
The back side of the packaging also features a clear window to see the pasta. Again, this aperture offers the only bit of color in the packaging design. It’s a very unique design that emphasizes a focus on the product. When a company does this, it tells customers that the product is the most important thing, immediately giving off a feeling of high quality.
A consumer will appreciate the authenticity of a product if they feel that the manufacturer has genuine confidence in it. And by making the pasta the star of their packaging design, Melima tells their customers that they have the ultimate confidence in the food they sell.
But you can’t ignore the characters that sit on the surface. These bubbly, happy and heartwarming illustrations really soften the mood and appeal to your emotions. Yes, the pasta gives off a credibility, but the imagery adds depth that makes you invested in the brand as a whole.
Here‘s the reasoning behind the characters from the design agency behind its creation — Nowhere Studio:
We came up with the name “Melima” which, in greek, stands for caring. The name and new packaging, was inspired by the love and care in which the products are being prepared. For each of us, caring comes from the people who love us and want the best for us. Different characters with different personalities: our mother, our brother, our godmother, our best friend, our boyfriend etc. These characters were illustrated in a series of figures that offer a heart shaped hug. With the smiling figures, we hope to create a sense of familiarity to the consumer, because it associates each product with a specific face figure. In this way, we achieve the intimacy and the idea of a small company and an affordable product. So far, we have designed 25 different figures which correspond to a special recipe and hope to make the family bigger.
These characters are hugging this pasta — and they could be anyone. They could even be hugging you — this brand could be hugging you. And that feeling permeates the whole design in a captivating and stunning way.
A Minimal Packaging Aesthetic Aligns The Melima Brand With A Young And Modern Target Audience
On top of the emotional element of this packaging, there is a modernity and a youthfulness that aligns it as one that all consumers can be happy to buy from. This is a brand that means business, understands its products and cares about its consumers.
And it jumps from the shelves thanks to a simple, sleek and minimal aesthetic that further puts its soul and its pasta products on full display.
These characters, like we’ve said, are created in a simple, black and white illustration. And they’re set against a clean, white and crisp background.
The logo sits at the top in a simple, elegant font. And the back of the packaging matches this simplicity with minimal illustrations of the pasta’s ingredients and a to-the-point description of the brand and the products inside.
The only other element of note is the heart-shaped cutout that offers a view inside the product, letting the only color — which comes from the pasta itself — take center stage.
But other than this clear window, the packaging design for Melima pasta is very clean, simple, and minimalistic. The sans serif font sits cleanly on the white background — it’s easy to read, but not so bold as to take away from the product window.
It’s a refreshing design that feels down-to-earth and authentic. This is a packaging for a hearty, helpful and passionate brand. And the minimal aesthetic helps consumer see the real focal point of the packaging which is the pasta.
The New Brand Name Gives The Pasta Company An Authenticity
Melima, in Greek, means “caring.” Using the brand name as inspiration, the designers created pasta boxes that depict illustrated characters hugging or cradling the delicious pasta inside.
Melima wasn’t always the name of this brand. In fact, it was once named Milelia before design agency Nowhere studio decided to give the brand moniker a facelift.
Here is the reasoning:
Melima is the new name of Milelia, a distinguished Greek brand for traditional, handmade delicacies. Following an ownership change in 2016, the new management decided to pursue a drastic shift: keep the same amazing recipes and production values that have defined the brand’s identity, but change everything else.
And the shift makes sense! With a new direction for the company, a new identity is in order. And the easiest way to make that change is by starting fresh. A new brand name doesn’t come with all the baggage of the old brand. It’s a clean slate and it allows the brand to start from scratch.
And the translation of the name really is apparent even if you don’t know it! You can tell that this brand cares about the characters on the screen to the literal transparency of the box. This brand wants you to know that it has its consumers best interest in mind.
And the simple, minimal way that this brand name is displayed is equally delicate and peaceful. It’s light and airy and jovial.
The decision to rebrand this company was a smart one, and starting with the name was an equally powerful move that helped to breathe life into this brand that elevates it above the competition in the world of handmade foods.
This is yet another testament to the critical role that branding experts play in shaping a company's identity and positioning it effectively in the market landscape.
Right off the bat, you know this is a very personal brand. It makes handmade goods, after all. And its name literally means "caring." They’re almost hitting you over the head with their enthusiasm and vivacious, loving spirit. But matched with the additional design elements, it really does work.
What Is Melima?
Melima is a distinctive Greek brand offering homemade goods and delicacies. It’s located in Agios Stefanos, Greece. It was acquired in 2016 and has made it their mission to provide quality, authentic goods to the area.
This is what the Melima brand is all about:
Opening your arms, filling your hug with care, and serving it to beloved ones in each and every delicious bite; that’s what MELIMA is all about. Since June 2016 the young MELIMA family overtook the workshop, the long experience and the endless recipes of “Ta Mylelia Old Water Mill” company. Every day we transform the purest Greek ingredients into excellent products, which are bringing a taste of Greece to the world. We produce in our workshop handmade and naturally air dried pasta with semolina and whole wheat flour grinded under low temperatures of the stone mill, sauces, Greek appetizers, flavored sea salt and healthy desserts.
This is a brand passionate about the products it creates and the customers it caters to. And you can see this dedication and this ambition infused not only into the products but in the packaging.
These packages are authentic and full of emotion. And that’s what helps them stand out.
The Power Of Playful Elements In Traditional Package Design
Melima is a brand that cares — which is obvious considering the Greek translation of the name means just that. But this maker of homemade goods also uses its packaging to let consumers know that it has a heart and a soul.
Their pasta packaging is extremely unique. It’s a minimal design that puts the focus on the real star of the show — the pasta inside.
It does this through the use of an innovative, heart-shaped cut out on both the front and back of the box. This lets consumers see the pasta immediately. And this burst of color adds a bubbliness that’s impossible to ignore.
Additionally, the infusion of imagery in the form of a unique character hugging this heart also appeals to the emotions and tells consumers that this brand has a unique spirit and a heart that you can relate to.
This packaging is unique, and it’s an obvious winner.
