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5 Questions With Futura

by Elizabeth Freeman on 10/21/2016 | 6 Minute Read

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Can’t stop won’t stop. Every week we bring you The Dieline’s Top 10 packaging projects and articles to inspire and boost creativity, but why stop there? Our 5 Questions With series allows us to sit down with the best of the best here on The Dieline and dig deeper into these fascinating projects, from the design process to the biggest challenges. Today we’re chatting with Futura, a creative studio that wants to change the world, about their work on &pizza.


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1.Walk us through the design process that you went through for this project.

This was a different project for us because &pizza was founded in 2012 and their brand and culture is very strong. So we worked very close with the client during the process. They gave us a series of concepts to develop visually that were aligned with their culture ranging from Americana, to street art. What we can mention as a general starting point is that they incorporate the culture and characteristics of the surrounding community and that they are very inclusive… everyone is welcome. So one of the most important parts of the process was to truly understand their culture and vibe.

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 2.What was one of the biggest goals you set out to achieve with this packaging and how did you accomplish it?

We had 3 main goals during the process: (1) to communicate one specific idea in each package, (2) to communicate the brand’s concept + & culture, and finally (3) to create great pieces in terms of design that would be appealing to &pizza guests.

The way we accomplish the goals was by doing a lot of research, sketches and by listening carefully to the client’s input and feedback.

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3.What was the most challenging part of this project?

It was actually pretty smooth and cool. We have a lot of clients outside Mexico, and some of them need more “research” than others depending on our cultural differences, but since we are very familiar with the American culture we easily understood what they wanted to communicate. The only challenge was to create new designs while keeping their original vibe, but that is part of every project when working with an existing brand.

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4.If you could pick one aspect of the finished design that you like the most or feel especially proud of, what would it be and why?

We love the ONENESS box, because that lettering was also applied (huge) as a large-scale installation inside the Columbia Heights shop  in Washington DC. The design is pretty simple but at the same time is bold, edgy, and timeless. But what made us most proud is to collaborate across countries and cultures on a project that celebrates oneness. 

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5.Share one lesson that you learned while working on the project. 

It’s not easy to find cool brands that are also backed by a strong concept and a clear brand ethos. And it’s great to work with people who truly understand what they want to communicate. The biggest challenge in every design project comes when the client doesn’t know what he or she wants.

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Note: Some of the packages that are shown are prototypes the client is still not using.