Harrods
The Harrods Foodhall is a destination in itself - embodying Harrods’ image as a doorway to the extraordinary.
The legendary London shopping landmark approached Construct to redesign collection packaging for their wondrous Foodhall. More than just food and beverage, the many offerings of the Foodhall are crafted as gifts in their own right, designed to delight on receipt.
Our project started with that most famous of Foodhall icons – the hamper, as well as a capsule collection of 25 items spanning different categories: from biscuit packets and tins to condiments of various sizes, tea, and confectionery, with a lot of existing inconsistencies in design. We were keen to create a unifying thread across all Foodhall packaging that would give visual coherency at the level expected of this luxury brand.
Construct’s initial concept exploration was quickly refined to the strength and importance of colour to Harrods overall. Founded in 1849, Harrods’ heritage drew us to the rich jewel tones of a sumptuous Victorian aesthetic, reinvented to sit with the modern magic and flair of the store’s creativity.
One of the starting points was a series of fantastical and intricate illustrations by Timorous Beasties, commissioned by Harrods to bring to life their philosophy of magic and wonder. A closer look into tonal colour combinations provided us with inspiration that had both depth and vibrancy to offset the detail and quirks of the illustrations. Functionally, colour became an effortless way to categorise and to signal flavour differentiation. The quality and finish of each selected colour has been incredibly important: carefully chosen and robustly tested so that we can check every detail of how it works sitting in store, being wrapped, and might be transported home.
Beyond the ‘everyday’ items in the Foodhall, Construct was also tasked with an approach for seasonal items, including the angular and vividly coloured Valentine’s Day gift collection. Here, we offer a new aesthetic with its own characteristics, but colour remains as the prominent and vibrant signature. The next seasonal collection is for Easter, and Christmas gifting, ready for the 2022 festive season.
Harrods is making a considered effort throughout its products and store experience to be more meaningful, responsible and sustainable. Part of this consideration is looking at how we can create packaging that is so beautiful and functional that it has a second life beyond its initial purpose, becoming a keepsake or something to reuse. And where the item is in something simpler, perhaps tea in a packet, we have ensured this is recyclable.
