Mainland – Anything But Mainstream

Derrick Lin

Global

Creative Agency: Dow Design
Designer: Brendon O’Dwyer
Creative Director: Donna McCort
Project Type: Produced, Commercial Work
Client: Fonterra New Zealand
Location: Auckland, New Zealand
Packaging Contents: Cheese
Packaging Materials: Plastic & Card

Good things take time, but they can’t stand still. Mainland, a New Zealand icon, had begun to look, well, a little too Mainstream. A subtle, but profound, design makeover was needed to give Mainland back its premium edge and speak to its key point of difference, aged cheese credentials. The addition of a shadow image of Mainland’s Central Otago heartland, more muted variant colours, and a crafted treatment of the fonts, all add up to a sophisticated makeover. But it was the addition of a flavour scale, and tightly linking Mainland’s unique ageing process with its distinctive taste profile, that has really step changed the mainstream cheese category. A makeover that has made Mainland anything but mainstream. So yes, good things take time, but not too much time if you want to stay ahead of the game.