AG Design Agency

For creative success, AG Design Agency relies on the multicultural wealth of experience of its team members. Depending on the task at hand, the creatives whose backgrounds best fit the respective project come together: “In this constellation, we aim to foster an open, collaborative process between people who share a passion for problem-solving and good design,” sums up the agency’s founder and creative director Alexandros Gavrilakis. Over the years, this has resulted in numerous award-winning brandings, digital solutions and clever content strategies ... but also in charming packaging designs that wrap you around their finger.

Interview with AG Design Agency

Red Dot: For the Gloria Patisserie packaging series, you were inspired by a fairy tale. How important is emotional storytelling for packaging in general today?
AG Design Agency: Stories captivate and, more importantly, capture one’s attention. A good story can make a message engaging and memorable. It helps audiences relate, connect and unite. On packaging, we can use illustrated stories to express feelings, share information, entertain, evoke happiness or simply whet the appetite.

With this packaging, you rely entirely on illustrations. Are these often more emotional than photographs?
Yes, they are. Illustration is one of the oldest forms of communication, and it is still a powerful tool for telling a story without words. Gloria’s tree is inspired by the fairy tale “Jack and the Beanstalk” – and so all the shop’s delicacies are wrapped in this “fruitful” approach. It is meant to evoke emotions in customers and put them in high spirits: the packaging is an utterly surreal tour through Gloria’s whimsical world, full of fruits, nuts, hungry bees and blossoming marshmallow buds.

The design concept can be stringently applied not only to different forms of packaging, but also to different products. Was this the biggest challenge?
A design concept can be considered successful if it has the potential to be applied to completely different touchpoints. A well-designed family of products carefully implements all brand elements (type, colour, images/illustrations, etc.) in the different products, creating a coherent – yet not identical – visual narrative.

What trends do you see in packaging design overall?
Clear messages expressed with simple but effective visuals are easy to digest and they establish an emotional connection with the audience. Despite the techniques used (3D, expressive typography, vibrant colours, etc.), the story always remains the core with which we identify.