australia &ndash a brand and packaging makeover for nestle purina&rsquos fancy feast range of cat food has reinforced its marketleading position and made it the fastest growing brand in wet cat food segment. wet cat food is the largest segment within the australian pet care category and fancy feast holds 22.9 per cent share of the market.prior to the redesign, however, the fancy feast wet cat range was decreasing market share for the first time in a decade. sydneybased saltmine design group was consulted to remedy the situation. the objective was to take the rearticulated brand story and brand archetype and bring them to life on the tiny canvas of the 85 g tin.in its execution of the brief, which included incorporating the fancy feast brand mark as used in the us market, and create shelf stand out and easy navigation across the 50plus variants, saltmine applied its proven expertise in pet care packaging design.on the core classic recipes range the designers introduced eyecatching gold accents to highlight the premium status of the range. the duotoned ribbon device that wraps horizontally around each pack like a present ribbon acts as a holding device for the range name, variant descriptor and texture. the ribbon itself connotes award ribbons and expensive gift wrapping, alluding to the premium status of the range.as there are over 20 variants in the classic recipes 85 g tin range distinctive variant colours were used for effective shelf navigation. this design was rolled out across the kitten subrange that uses pastel tones on the ribbon to differentiate it from the adult range and also translated on to the dry food range bags. the larger canvas of the dry food bags allows the ribbon device to flow freely across the pack and interact with the distinctive, white fancy feast cat.the a la carte range formerly sensations is differentiated from the core range through a silver pinstripe background on the tin label, with teal accents to highlight the tin colour. a lifestyle food shot, supplied from the us artwork, has also been added on a white plate, similar to gourmet restaurant food imagery, to illustrate the quality of the product inside. like classic recipes, the a la carte design is wrapped with a duotoned ribbon and the use of vibrant colour banding provides effective navigation through the gourmet flavours, innovative textures and delicious recipes of the range.both ranges include an image of the distinctive, white fancy feast cat or kitten on the kitten range which was recast by saltmine through an animal talent agency and photographed and retouched to ensure it looked youthful and friendly, but in keeping with its predecessor.the typography used on both ranges is modern and clean to allow for effective range navigation on shelf. the new design was carried across multipacks for both ranges.specifically with royale, saltmine needed to ensure its new visual identity reflected its newly defined brand positioning different and more premium to the rest of the range and the finest, epicurean delights inside the tins.royale is the pinnacle of the fancy feast brand and the use of the colour black was increased from the previous design to enhance super premium cues with the metal tin itself becoming black, as well as the background of the label. the range prides itself on its handselected delicacies from the sea and saltmine says it was also inspired by symbology from the sea such as neptune&rsquos staff and the coloured insignia of naval officers against their dark coloured uniforms.the highlight of the new visual identity is the gold royale brandmark &ndash the typography and royalesque crest with cursive flourishes surrounding it, were specially hand drawn to reflect the carefully crafted passion behind the brand. the fancy feast distinctive white cat remains on the front of pack. the range of ten variants is easily navigated by a palette of sophisticated coloured bands. the new design was also translated across multipacks.contributed by lindy hughsoneditor´s note the detail in this execution would not have been lost on the fancy feast target market, cat owners who are prepared to spend upwards from a dollar a day on their pet&rsquos &lsquofine dining&rsquo . with 1.3 million cans of wet food being opened every day in australia, it&rsquos not surprising that nestle purina wanted to ensure growth in market share. who&rsquos purring now 
