As the only provider of syndicated package design data, Designalytics evaluates the top-selling and fastest-growing designs across hundreds of consumer-packaged-goods categories. We measure and analyze a wide range of design performance areas, including visibility, communication, mental availability, element-level diagnostics, and more.
There is a lot of competition to be among the brands found in consumers’ pantries. And while there are various factors involved, package design is the only one tasked with “closing the deal” at the shelf. We analyzed the data to highlight five pantry staples that drove substantial consumer preference gains through strategic redesigns.
Category: Pasta sauce
Francesco Rinaldi updated the structure of its jar as well as its label, successfully modernizing the product while maintaining its traditional appeal. Consumers gravitated toward the new straight-sided glass jar for its environmental benefits and functional benefits, specifically noting it seemed like it would be “easier to get the sauce out.” The label really leans into the brand’s history, featuring a more prominent, full-color illustration of the famed “Mrs. Rinaldi” character. This vivid artwork resonated strongly, with one consumer describing it as “reminiscent of authentic Italian cooking” and another noting it now "looks like a family brand." By pairing modern functionality with nostalgia, the new design earned an impressive 73% purchase preference.
Category: Cereal (everyday)
By more clearly communicating key benefits, Raisin Bran’s new design won over many consumers. The new design introduced a top banner that made it easy to spot key benefits, as well as adding a prominent "High Fiber" callout in the center of the box. These updates made the product's healthfulness much easier for consumers to judge. The strategic use of yellow sealed the deal, as one consumer noted: "I like that 'High Fiber' is in yellow… it makes me feel like the product is healthier." Overall, 68% of consumers preferred the new look over the old.
Category: Pasta
San Giorgio drove a 67% purchase preference by leaning heavily into appetite appeal, centering its new packaging around a significantly larger, more prominent image of baked lasagna. The visual impact was undeniable—as one consumer put it, "It made me hungrier for lasagna." The brand paired this mouth-watering imagery with clearer communication, including a well-received non-GMO callout, balancing temptation and transparency for a significant win.
Category: Crackers
Back to Nature secured a 62% consumer purchase preference by trading its subtle packaging for eye-catching visuals. While the brand also simplified its messaging—dropping prominent "plant-based" callouts to focus on flavor—consumers were most captivated by the bold blue and the imagery of topped crackers. Consumers felt the updated design was more appealing, with one noting that “it's more colorful and fun, and the toppings on the cracker look delicious.”
Category: Macaroni and cheese
Annie's proved that kid-friendly packaging can still speak to adults, driving a 61% purchase preference by leaning into bold colors and enhanced appetite appeal. Consumers liked the new design's vibrant pink-and-purple palette, noting the playful aesthetic would appeal to children. Beyond color, the updated packaging featured a highly appetizing image of a spoonful of macaroni and cheese, while ensuring the "made with real cheese" message stood out. One consumer highlighted this effective communication, saying that the cheese claim “suggests a more authentic flavor to me.”
While these five pantry staples prove that savvy design changes can yield remarkable results, identifying which visual elements to optimize (and how) requires more than instinct or opinions. That is where objective, category-wide insights become critical. Learn more about our syndicated design research, a subscription-based package that offers continuous design intelligence.