Our agency was chosen to design packaging for Sola, a sugar substitute that was developed in Great Britain and then introduced on U.S. store shelves as an additive and a line of low-carb and low-sugar branded products.

Made out of sweeteners found in fruits, vegetables and dairy products, Sola has a low-glycemic response, replaces sugar gram for gram, retains its structure in baking and has no aftertaste, so it’s a great substitute for sugar in recipes. It looks, tastes, measures, browns and caramelizes just like sugar and contains 75% fewer calories and zero net carbs.

However, Sola wasn’t well known in the U.S., and the products sounded too good to be true! Our job was to convey on packaging that these items were delicious and diet-friendly.

Seeing is believing with Sola, so we gave shoppers a peek at the products. We encased breads, yogurts and granola bars in bright red packaging offset by a swatch of complementary color—a different hue for every SKU—and included cutaway windows that allowed them to take a closer look at what was inside. Sparse expository copy in white relayed the most pertinent information on the front of each package. Sola Bread, for instance, is delightfully seeded and contains 80 calories, 4 net carbs, 6 grams of protein and 50% less sugar than the average whole wheat slice.

Sola ice cream, yogurt, smoothies, bread, granola and granola bars hit shelves at Harris Teeter in the Southeast and Hy-vee stores in the Midwest in March 2018. The angled color blocking and transparent windows created something eye catching and iconic on store shelves and the text communicated to shoppers that these products allowed them to cut out sugar without sacrificing the taste they’ve always loved.