Designalytics, in partnership with Dieline, announced the winners of the second-annual Designalytics Effectiveness Awards, recognizing the power of strong packaging design and its impact on driving double-digit sales growth for some of today’s fast-moving consumer brands.

The Designalytics Effectiveness Awards are unique because, unlike traditional design competitions, winner selection is entirely data-driven, based on sales performance in the marketplace and rigorous quantitative consumer testing of each design. For this year’s contest, brands and their creative agencies submitted package redesigns launched in the U.S. between July 2018 and July 2020 for consideration.

“Increasingly, consumer-packaged goods companies are realizing that design is a significant driver of brand growth, particularly when it’s guided by objective, strategic decision-making. This is a fact—a bottom-line reality that Designalytics is uniquely positioned to illuminate, and our award winners provide powerful and inspirational proof points,” says Steve Lamoureux, CEO and founder of Designalytics.

Dark Horse leverages distinctive assets and bold colors as grand prize winner

This year’s grand prize winner, previously announced by Dieline, is Dark Horse, a wine brand owned by E. & J. Gallo Winery. ForceMAJEURE, a Brooklyn-based creative agency, led the redesign effort, building on an already top-performing design by leaning into the brand’s key distinctive asset: its beloved horse iconography. The agency also assigned a bold color to each varietal, adding some “pop” and making the line easier for consumers to navigate.

The redesign resulted in a 15% increase in sales for Dark Horse following the brand’s relaunch relative to the same period during the prior year—significantly outpacing the average for similarly-priced wines. Read more about the Dark Horse relaunch.

Strong design drives sales: Meet this year’s 4 other winning brands

This year’s winners hail from the food, beverage, and personal care categories. Check them out below.

Dove (Body Wash)

Manufacturer: Unilever

Agency: forceMAJEURE

A category leader improved on an already-top-performing design by leveraging ingredient photography to capture the product’s heightened sensory experiences and the specific benefits of each variety. The redesign resulted in double-digit sales growth for the Dove brand and record share growth, exceeding 20% in the body wash category for the first time.

Morningstar Farms (Plant-Based Meat)

Manufacturer: Kellogg’s

Agency: Design B&B

A long-standing leader in a booming category enjoys renewed relevance by modernizing the brand and punching up taste appeal with new food photography. Changes to the hierarchy of communication helped consumers locate specific products more easily and realize the breadth of the brand’s offerings. As a result, MorningStar Farms' sales grew by 14% following the relaunch.

Theo Chocolate (Holiday Chocolate)

Manufacturer: Theo Chocolate

Agency: Internal design team

Seasonal packaging for a premium chocolatier's line of holiday products amped up holiday cheer and gifting appeal. The updated packaging increased Theo Chocolate's sales by 37% compared to last year’s seasonal packaging, with a 120% sales increase in the grocery channel.

Fat Snax (Keto Cookies)

Manufacturer: Fat Snax

Agency: Interact

A challenger brand skyrocketed distribution and sales at brick-and-mortar retailers with a bold, cheeky look that appeals to mainstream cookie consumers and health-oriented buyers alike. The new design increased retail sales 94% after the relaunch. Notably, sales in Whole Foods stores that had carried Fat Snax prior to the redesign increased by 46% after the new design was introduced.

“The Designalytics Effectiveness Awards serve a unique and incredibly important role in the industry: crystallizing the strong connection between design and brand growth, and doing it in a truly indisputable, data-driven way,” says Andrew Gibbs, founder and editor-in-chief at Dieline.