Natural Sins is a unique line of crispy mango, pineapple, coconut and beet chips from Costa Rica that was poised to enter the North American market alongside an eternal row of tempting treats that are anything but wholesome. Product packaging needed to convince retail customers and health-conscious consumers that a good-for-you-snack can also be craved.

The design directive was to create eye-catching bags by using restraint rather than a cacophony of clutter, an idea that would visually echo the simplicity of these all-natural snacks. Packages also needed to convey that Natural Sins are a delicious, healthy alternative to the conventional potato chip.

Each one-ounce bag is anchored by an image of a whole piece of fruit (or veg, in the beet's case) with the upper portion cut into wafer-thin slices. One piece is extracted, enlarged and rotated to show the chip’s cross-section.

For easy ID within the unified design scheme, the background of each package is color-coordinated to each product SKU. A halo draws the eye to the center and a radial effect saturates each package’s color at the edges. This formula of bold color + primary visual tells the product’s story and keeps it simple in a competitive shelf set. However, more information needed to be conveyed.

With the key visuals in place, we added more cues to support Natural Sins’ healthy-alternative positioning. Since a minimalist approach was desired, a cargo look was chosen, and bags were “stamped” with the name of the fruits they bore in a utilitarian font below the central image. A faint map of Costa Rica, the product’s exotic origin, was screened in the background. The map, stamp and font choices were used to drive home the idea that this is a natural product that is produced and imported from Costa Rica.

To the left of the primary image, a series of small icons verify Natural Sins’ gluten-free, non-GMO, certified vegan, Paleo-friendly and Kosher status. And just in case the art and color cues don’t convince shoppers that this product is special, minimal text was added. The first message one encounters at the top of each bag is “Just two ingredients,” and it’s reinforced by a text strip at the top right that declares Natural Sins is “The Un-Potato Chip.”

Thanks to the successful reception of Natural Sins packaging at the trade shows, the product is just now starting to hit American stores. Retailers are biting, and we think health-minded snackers will be tempted to follow.