ALGAE CHOCOLATE WINS KENT DESIGN AGENCY COMP

Tunbridge Wells’ JDO RAW once again sought out the best up and coming designers in the country

Algae and chocolate are not an obvious pairing, but it was this curious combination that impressed the judging panel of the annual JDO RAW national design competition, awarding Plymouth College of Art student, Emma’s Flintham’s ‘Algae Cacao’ first place.

The winning design was selected out of 150 entries, all of which pushed the boundaries of food/drink product and packaging design. JDO, the Tunbridge Wells brand design agency behind the initiative, tasked UK students to design a food/drink brand for millennials using a mash up generator to randomly select two unexpected food, drink or flavour combinations.

Runners-up created new brands and packaging for a range of food/drink types including whisky, gin, craft beer and vodka. Emma’s design stood out to judges for its distinct branding. The algae motif runs deep, from the spirulina algae within each chocolate bar to the green algae plants printed on the packaging.

Emma said: “It’s such an honour to come first place, knowing that all those hours of hard work have paid off. I wanted to create a product that would be both sustainable and healthy. ‘Algae Cacao’ combines spirulina algae and cacao for health benefits and is fully recyclable.”

JDO Co-Founder Ben Oates added: “Emma’s design fulfills the RAW criteria perfectly and it tells a unique yet believable brand story. From the idea to the execution, Emma has considered every touchpoint that a good designer should. The combination of chocolate and algae is truly unexpected – something we celebrate at JDO, but it’s also a marketable product. The bright colours, the bold font, the recyclable paper packaging, it all comes together to tell the story of ‘Algae Cacao’… I can see it on the supermarket shelves already.”

Emma will complete a 4-week paid placement at JDO, as part of the winner’s prize for JDO RAW 2020.