Project: TJ’s Design
Role: Designer 2018-2021
That neighborhood store that everyone loves…you know the one. The whimsical wonderland of retail groceries, dances to its own beat with sales soaring over $2,100 per square foot – that's double the delight of any other grocer! And get this – they've achieved this grocery nirvana without the usual suspects: no ads, no loyalty programs, no coupons, no "daily deals," no focus groups, and definitely no paid influencers. Just pure, unadulterated Trader Joe's magic!
Designing here was an exhilarating experience because the creative autonomy of their artists from the corporate level to the sign artists at the store level continues to be so paramount to their process. Individual Creatives are at the helm for art direction, design and copy for assignments. Trust in the product and the brand has created a built-in safety net to let the creatives go wild and build the company brand. It’s pretty magical.
How can you not be happy designing ice cream packaging? I think it’s technically illegal to be a grump while kicking these kind of designs out…I checked with legal counsel.
The fan favorite Ube Ice Cream tub design was inspired by the increasingly-popular tuber of its namesake. You really can’t go wrong with that purple.
Initial concept sketch vs final product
In addition to packaging, I designed countless rolls of stickers and became a real favorite of kid’s backseat windows everywhere.
