One of our first projects for Duke’s was prompted by a customer comment.

He was in the BBQ aisle of a supermarket and noticed a Duke’s product on the shelf. Consternated, he wrote to us: “It’s a shame you guys don't make stuff besides mayo; another Duke’s company got there first!” The label looked so different that he had no idea it was from the same brand.

Trust the system.

Well, as Duke’s new Agency of Record, we had the advantage of having a bird’s eye view of everything they had done as a brand. Some of it was great. You don’t become the South’s favorite mayo by bumbling around. But some of it…could be better. 

Like their packaging.

So job #1 for us: make a cohesive packaging system for all of the condiments under the Duke’s brand umbrella. And since folks down here know Duke’s best for their mayo, we used the label as the foundation.

We started with color. Duke’s yellow stands out on the shelf amongst a sea of blue mayos. It’s bold. It speaks to their "zagging" ways and we felt: iconic. So we decided to create yellow caps and labels for every condiment.

Another iconic element we kept and systematized: their big black dot, or circle around their scripted name. Then we simplified and modernized the secondary fonts for a timeless, classic appeal, as well as making a clear hierarchy of information.

We did a lot of keeping. But decided to add a color ring and ribbon system to differentiate individual products.

OG Mayo

Our Duke’s client had called the mayo package a “yard sale,” meaning it contained too many superfluous and random elements. We simplified the design and created a clean, box system to contain any necessary information.

Southern Sauces

Back to the consternated customer in the BBQ sauce: we redesigned all the packages in our new system. But we added a lil more flavor. Since the flavors originated from distinct southern regions, we included state icons and added some copy to let shoppers know which foods each sauce made better.

Sauce, meet mustard.

Along with the Southern Sauces, we had the fortune of launching a brand new product, Duke’s Mustards. Like the Southern Sauces, the mustards played in a premium space and needed to be quickly associated with the Duke's brand. We aimed for classic yet crafted.

Flavored Mayos

One of the tricky things with design systems is that they can leave little room for individual products to shine. Not so here.

Working with local Richmond artist Bailey Sullivan, we developed custom illustrations for Duke’s flavored mayos that oozed character and appetite appeal, and felt like a piece of Duke’s fan art (which is a thing).

Yes, we're big design nerds.

Keep an eye out for Duke’s wherever condiments are sold, and impress your friends with some behind-the-scenes design knowledge. Go buy some!