According to Cure Celiac Disease, “celiac is an inherited autoimmune disorder that affects the digestive process of the small intestine. When a person who has celiac disease consumes gluten, a protein found in wheat, rye and barley, the individual’s immune system responds by attacking the small intestine and inhibiting absorption of important nutrients into the body.”
If you think about the products that contain such ingredients, that means no to beer, crackers, bread, pasta, cereal, pastries and to even be of wary of french fries, soups and sauces.
While gluten allergies and sensitivities exist, most can tolerate it without any negative consequences to their health. Celiacs, on the other hand, cannot.
As of 2015, a rise in celiac disease has swept over Italy, the pasta capital of the world. Fortunately for them, Newlat Food and CaroselloLab, a full-service studio based in Milan, has launched GÜDO, a line of gluten-free snacks and eats from pasta and biscotti to loaves of bread and even flour.
Back in January 2017, Newlat reached out to CaroselloLab to act as a creative partner. “While the company had the positioning in mind, we had to develop the brand from scratch, find insights, the strategy, naming, and, of course, all of the designs,” states Enrico Caputo, founder and creative director of CaroselloLab.
“We discovered we had two main areas to explore, ” starts Caputo. “One involved the Italian traditions, and the other was to keep a clean scientific approach but in a worry-free mood, which was something that we didn’t find on the market.”
Additionally, as a new product, their packaging and name needed to stick out on a shelf of similar products in the marketplace.
“That’s why we wanted a kind of abstract name,” adds Caputo. “We found it by simply playing around with the word gusto and good, then we created a smile with the ‘u’ and GÜDO came to life.”
Caputo and his team chose to roll with the worry-free mood and produced packaging that is not only eye-catching but informative to those with dietary restrictions.
“We wanted it to look solid and trustworthy since the company owns a huge factory for special food-gluten-free, aprotic, baby food and so on,” says Caputo. “
“They conduct a lot of research to ensure the products are tasty and safe,” he adds. “After a number of tests, we decided to put the logo in a square box while the rest of the brand identity has a lot of freedom with playful shapes, colors and illustrations to help create the right mood.”
GÜDO’s packaging is a mixture of food photography, with the product serving as the focal point, as well as typography and various texts being strategically displayed throughout. To follow through with the smile and overall cheery presentation of their products, all of the colors are vibrant and bold.
As it’s a specialty food product, CaroselloLab made sure to include a list of ingredients in multiple languages, as well as the nutritional breakdown.
“Looking back at what we did, I think the project is a success,” says Caputo. “The brand we created is very agile, with a strong personality. It’s helping us a lot as we start to develop the social media strategy and content.”
While they’ve received positive feedback received from the Italian market, his only qualm is the decision to dedicate a unique color to each product as 20 designs are already completed, and there are still many products and years to come.
Nonetheless, GÜDO is a gift to the pasta capital of the world to help ensure that even celiacs can enjoy a heaping bowl of pappardelle anytime they damn well want to.
