Media Contact: Heather West, (612) 724-8760, heatherwest@earthlink.net

Compass Design Helps Crystal Farm's Introduce
One of the First Refrigerated Jams

MINNEAPOLIS (August 28, 2002) - Helping Crystal Farms introduce Summer's Best Refrigerated Jam, Minneapolis-based Compass Design, Inc. captured the essence of fresh, sun-ripened fruit and the feeling of traditional jam, and translated these concepts into packaging for one of the first jams to appear in grocery store dairy cases.

By pasteurizing the berries used in the jam, Crystal Farms developed a way to keep the natural berry color and flavor intact with minimal processing. "The product itself is very visually appealing," says Mitch Lindgren, partner/designer at Compass Design. "So, our initial thought was to create a package which would draw attention to the fruit's natural color and appearance, while communicating that the jams are premium products. We wanted the consumer to quickly understand the product and be curious to try it."

"We needed to make sure the packing had shelf impact and clarity no matter where it was displayed," continues Lindgren. "Summer's Best is a one-of-a-kind product meaning that not only was its placement within the dairy case uncertain, it also could vary from store to store."

Adding to that challenge was the size of the labels to be used on the product's clear plastic container: The label for the front of the package was only 3"wide by 2" high, and the round label for the container's lid measured just 2-3/4" in diameter.

"We were working with a relatively small area that needed to include not only a design, but also the Summer's Best name, Crystal Farms logo, jam flavor, nutritional information and net weight," says Compass Design Partner/Designer Tom Arthur. "It was essential that our design maximize the remaining space as much as possible."

The Compass Design team began by sketching several labels that would complement the jam's texture and natural color. Since the product name and tagline promote the jam's "sun-ripened berries," each of the concepts included variations of hand-illustrated raspberries, strawberries and blackberries-the jam's three flavors. Twin Cities' illustrator John Shriner drew each fruit image.

After brainstorming and completing several concept boards, Compass presented them to the Crystal Farms executives. In a wise and unusual move, Crystal Farms' decision makers took the concept boards to a local grocery store, where they could get a better idea what each label would look like under the actual dairy case lights.

"It was a very good decision by Crystal Farms," says Julia Hemphill, partner/design at Compass. "Before they went to the store, each person had a favorite and many were leaning toward a concept that was a little darker and a little busier. Actually seeing the label as it would look in the dairy case helped them build a consensus and choose a lighter, simpler design that really stood out among competing products."

The concept chosen by Crystal Farms features a pair of hand-drawn berries depicting the jam's flavor, overlaid on a tan and black-specked background. The tan background, which matches the container's lid, is bordered in one of three colors: red (strawberry), green (raspberry) or purple (blackberry). The Summer's Best name uses an elegant, customized typeface to help convey its premium quality, and also is color-coded to match the label's border and berry flavor.

Crystal Farm's Marketing Manager Debby Childers reports that consumers are giving a big "thumbs up" to the Summer's Best packaging and product. "We have heard only positives about the label design. It communicates "jam" clearly, and we find consumers coming back for more."

Summer's Best Refrigerated Jam is available now at grocery store dairy cases nationwide. Each 12-ounce container of jam has a suggested retail price of $2.49. For more information about Crystal Farms products, call 1-800-344-7382.

Compass Design is a dynamic, Minneapolis-based design office specializing in comprehensive identity and consumer packaging programs for established and growing companies. With its experienced and knowledgeable staff, Compass Design strives for integrity and accuracy in its cost-effective, award-winning strategic design solutions. For more information on Compass Design, please contact Julia Hemphill at (612) 339-1595 or visit Compass Design's Web site at www.compassdesigninc.com.