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Compass Design Helps Introduce Daddy Sam's Bar-B-Que Sauce, Bringing Texas Family Recipe to Minnesota Taste Buds

Minneapolis (December 2002) - When Dwight Oglesby decided to share his grandfather's West Texas barbecue sauce with Minnesota's condiment consumers, he turned to Minneapolis-based Compass Design for a package design that would grab as much attention as the flavor inside.

Oglesby moved from Texas in 1971 to pursue his career as an attorney. Now retired, he launched a family-run business with a family-made product - Daddy Sam's, Inc. "This is new. It's our first product and we knew we needed to stand out on the shelves," says Oglesby. "We also wanted a high quality image for a high quality product that would sell well in upscale grocery stores and gourmet shops."

With his idea and his recipe, Oglesby contacted Compass Design for their packaging expertise. Partner/designer Mitch Lindgren remembers their initial meeting: "Dwight came to us with a photo of his grandfather and one of the family ranch. He told us the story of how Sam traveled on a stagecoach from Virginia to Texas and bought a cowboy hat with his last five dollars. He married the woman who sold him the hat. They raised eight children on a West Texas ranch where they hosted lots of family barbecues. Regardless of relation, everyone called him Daddy Sam and enjoyed his homemade sauce. Many said he should bottle it and sell it. Finally, his grandson and great-granddaughters are doing just that."

"It's this home-grown feeling that we wanted to help capture in the packaging," says Julia Hemphill, Compass Design partner/sales. "This is the real thing and it deserved an authentic look that honored this family tradition, while differentiating them from the big guys' competition."

She explains the first step was naming the product: "We knew that this was Daddy Sam's recipe and there's only one recipe, so there's only one flavor - West Texas Original, but 'barbecue sauce' sounds more generic, more Midwestern than Texan. Instead, we spelled it as Daddy Sam might have said it and simply called it Daddy Sam's Bar-B-Que Sawce."

Along with his name, Compass used his photos: a black-and-white snapshot of a happy, aging man with a tight tie and round-rimmed glasses proudly appears on the front and on the side appears the photo of an austere ranch house with a towering windmill. Daddy Sam's face also comprises the large, repeating background image in a screened-back dot pattern that's overprinted with the other design elements.

This somewhat grainy background image complements the distressed, wood-block style letters and intentionally misaligned rules. "The overall look is reminiscent of silkscreen techniques used on posters for musicians traveling throughout the South in the '30s and '40s," explains Lindgren. "It conveys a rural quality, a hand-done process, like it was made in the back pantry."

Further drawing out the personality of Daddy Sam, Compass worked with the family to recall phrases that had been a part of the family vernacular such as "Good Goods Are Never Cheap - Cheap Goods Are Never Good" and the family directions for applying sauce "Just Slop It On." These phrases, along with Daddy Sam's short story about arriving in Texas and marrying the young woman at the General Store, became central to the package's design.

Mixing photography, illustration, typography and contrasting colors, Compass incorporated the mandatory nutritional and ingredient information, to create a package that stands out from the crowded shelf. As a final touch, a signature further endorses the "sawce" as a Daddy Sam's creation.

Lindgren adds that they were given clear direction that the accompanying package design "should not look too slick or flashy" and that the consumer "should feel like they're getting a lot of product, not paying for a lot of packaging."

"Compass really listened to what we needed. They addressed our concerns, responded promptly, offered options and were easy to work with," emphasizes Oglesby. "I can't compliment them enough. They are not only good in design, they are professionals who know what works commercially and know how to work collaboratively with us, their client."

As part of that collaborative approach, Compass Design worked closely with Oglesby and his daughter Kyle to finalize several Minnesota-based suppliers that helped produce their family recipe. Fischer was selected to manufacture the sauce, hot packing it to make a shelf-stable product. Twin City Bottle provided the 18-ounce glass jar and Myers Printing supplied the matte paper label. The "Good Goods…" phrase also was printed directly on the jar lid.

According to Kyle, the molasses-based recipe has been a hit with the Minnesota palette: "It's not too smoky or spicy so it works well on lots of things like fish and vegetables. It's so versatile that we use it year-round. And we were recognized as the best new local product by local celebrity Chef Andrew." Introduced in April 2002, Daddy Sam's Bar-B-Que Sawce now sells in 30 upscale grocery stores, in gourmet shops and co-ops and online at www.daddysams.com.

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.