FMCG PACKAGING | BRAND REFRESH | RETAIL COMMUNICATION
Executive Snapshot
Beechies is an established chewing gum brand within Simba, one of South Africa’s best-known FMCG businesses.
The packaging refresh modernised the range for a competitive retail market while protecting the recognition already built around the product.
It needed to work across supermarkets, forecourts and convenience stores while following established brand guidelines.
The Packaging Challenge
Chewing gum competes in a price-sensitive category where purchasing decisions often happen within seconds. Colour, flavour recognition and pack visibility carry much of the communication.
Beechies had strong familiarity, but competing brands were using brighter colours, cleaner graphics and more immediate flavour cues. The refresh needed greater energy without distancing existing consumers.
The system also had to remain consistent across bags, cartons, blister packs and several flavour variants. Each product needed its own identity while remaining part of one recognisable range.
My Role
As Creative Director and Packaging Designer, I refreshed the packaging architecture, flavor differentiation and graphic style.
I directed color, typography, imagery and format application within Simba’s brand standards. I also created the fruit and chewing gum illustrations by hand.
The Creative Response
I retained the most recognizable brand assets and modernized the visual system around them. This preserved familiarity while giving the packs stronger retail presence.
Brighter color contrasts improved flavor coding across the range. Larger fruit cues and clearer flavour names made each variant easier to identify during fast purchasing decisions.
The custom fruit and gum illustrations gave the packaging more depth and character.
A consistent hierarchy organised the logo, flavour, product imagery and supporting information. This structure could adapt across formats without weakening recognition.
Business and Brand Value
The refresh gave Beechies a more competitive packaging system without discarding its established equity. It strengthened flavour communication and created greater consistency across the range.
The project demonstrates how packaging can protect familiarity while responding to changing retail expectations. It also shows the discipline required to create meaningful change within strict brand controls.
What This Project Demonstrates
FMCG packaging strategy, brand refresh, packaging architecture, flavor coding, illustration, retail communication, range consistency, production-aware design and creative direction.
