PHYTABAR

Seaweed nutrition!

WHO IS PHYTABAR?

A high percentage of American people are deficient in omega-3, and traditional seafood (which is high in omega-3) remains under-consumed. Phytabar has created a seaweed-chocolate nutrition bar that introduces seaweed as a source of omega-3 and offers a delicious, healthy fix in an era of on-the-go nutrition.

Phytabar had already received grants and gone through trial runs with their manufacturer when they became a Scout client. All they needed was a brand, packaging, and a marketing website in preparation for their scheduled product launch in Fall 2023. Our team’s biggest obstacle was time, but we made sure to flesh out a full schedule to make sure everything stayed on track throughout the semester.

RESEARCH

First, we did research. This required all hands on deck – the entire team worked with our clients to complete brand exercises to get to know Phytabar better. We completed personality levers to learn more about our clients’ desired look and feel of the brand. We wrote elevator pitches and user stories to establish the target audience, and did competitor research. Based on our brand exercises and competitor research, we made a list of essential features that would create the best user experience for our target audience.

A snapshot of our user stories, brand feature list, and competitor analysis research.

DESIGNING THE BRAND

We began working on the design strategy directly after our research, and continued working on it until we started working on high-fidelity wireframes. We kept the color palette natural and reminiscent of the ocean and seaweed. The inclusion of a gradient and simple graphic elements keeps the brand informative and clean, yet still approachable.

LOGO DEVELOPMENT

Our clients had an existing logo that they wanted the new logo to be based on. We went through around 3 weeks of iteration. The final logo is simplistic and clean, and incorporates the omega-3 symbol as well as the original seaweed silhouette. We used “Unbounded”, our chosen typeface for the wordmark, but altered the ‘y’ and ‘t’ characters to better suit the brand.

CREATING THE STRUCTURE

While developing the design strategy, the design team also began working on low fidelity wireframes for the packaging and marketing website. The developers worked on the frameworks of the site during this time. The goal of the first round of low-fidelity wireframes was to show the client distinct formatting options. For the next few weeks, we had our clients pick out elements that they liked and disliked, and focused on creating an efficient user experience.

USER TESTING

While transitioning from low-fidelity wireframes to high-fidelity wireframes, the team conducted 1:1 user testing interviews and participated in a studio-wide critique. We were pushed to re-evaluate our current color contrast/accessibility and the way we formatted information on both the packaging and the website.

APPLYING THE BRAND

After the team completed low-fidelity wireframes, we began applying the new brand to create high-fidelity wireframes. We introduced color, images, texture, and graphic elements to bring Phytabar’s vision to life. While designers finalized the application of the brand to the wireframes, the developers built the website according to the low-fidelity wireframes. And once the high-fidelity wireframes for the website were finished, the developers updated the site accordingly.

Final package design placed in a mockup.

Final box design.

Final high fidelity wireframes for the website.

WHAT'S NEXT?