Böcklingpastej is a smoked herring fish paste from Biggans, a small family owned company creating products for the Swedish market since 1952. The company recently worked with Stockholm-based graphic design studio Bedow, who had previously helped them with the packaging for their range of sauces, to develop product packaging and POS for Böcklingpastej. This replaces a heavily branded logo-centric design with one of a more distinctive and crafted character.

Bedow’s approach really hinges on the quality of the illustration and its implementation. Both fish across the tube and fishing vessel and waves across the box are handled well, with a pleasant balance between line work and negative space, detail and reduction.

There is some lovely motion caught in the rendering of the waves, with a clear hand drawn aesthetic that expresses a familiar but compelling sense craft. The way that this is then applied to the box, breaking up panels, introducing visual texture and variation whilst still embracing a sense of Scandinavian restraint, is lovely.

Bedow make great use of the length of the tube, and form a good narrative connection between POS and packaging without simply relying on replicating elements. Contrast between the practical and robust uncoated board of the POS and the metallic sea green of the tube is a particular highlight, adding value, alongside a playful inside wall detail depicting the ocean floor. More from Bedow on BP&O.

Design: Bedow. Opinion: Richard Baird.