A B2C supplement company connecting people through latin based protein bars.
Overview
Fuerza Elite is a supplement company that strives to provide a healthy and enjoyable twist to supplements through Latin American inspired flavors. Fuerza encourages its customers to empower their individuality and unleash their full potential.
My Role
User Researcher and Designer
Tools
Zoom, Google Docs, Adobe Dimension, Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator
Process
Discover, Ideation, Design, Testing, Reflection
The Problem
Fuerza Elite Supplements needed a packaging design that would capture the essence of their Latin-inspired flavors while conveying a sense of luxury and authenticity. Without any existing design, they sought a subtle yet impactful look that would resonate with their audience’s culture and values.
The Solution
Fuerza Elite Supplements wanted to showcase Latin culture while appealing to a broad audience. The goal was to create a design that conveyed simplicity, culture, and luxury without excluding anyone. We achieved this by focusing on a minimal, inviting look that highlights the rich flavors and heritage behind the product, ensuring that anyone, regardless of background, would feel drawn to the brand.
Discovery - The Brand Vision
Discovery Session
Before conducting a competitive analysis, I met with the founder of Fuerza Elite to align on the brand’s vision and design objectives. Our discussion centered around understanding the emotional impact the packaging should have on its target audience, particularly consumers of Latin heritage, while ensuring the design felt inclusive and inviting to a broader demographic. We explored how the brand values—authenticity, empowerment, and health—could be expressed through the packaging.
In this session, I also inquired about future product lines and flavors, seeking to ensure that the packaging design could be adapted across different offerings. Additionally, we discussed the brand’s overarching goal with the protein bar and how the packaging could communicate both the brand’s heritage and its premium positioning. This discovery session allowed me to fully understand the brand’s purpose and direction, which helped guide subsequent design decisions.
Competitive Analysis
Our competitive analysis focused on three major players in the protein bar market: Quest, Power Crunch, and Met-Rx. Each of these brands has a unique specialty that sets them apart:
Quest:
• Specializes in being macro-friendly with low sugar, high protein, and high fiber, making it ideal for health-conscious consumers focused on strict nutritional goals.
Power Crunch:
• Known for its best-in-class taste and light, wafer-like texture, making it appealing to those who prioritize flavor over strict nutritional content.
Met-Rx:
• A hybrid bar with higher calories but substantial protein content, offering a balance between flavor and protein for those seeking a more filling option.
Fuerza Elite combines the best aspects of these competitors—health, taste, and protein content—while introducing a unique twist: Latin-inspired flavors. This approach sets the brand apart, appealing to a broader audience while still catering to the specific needs of its target market.
Design - Crafting Simplicity and Culture
Moodboard
After gathering insights from the discovery session and conducting the competitive analysis, I created a moodboard to visually represent the design direction we wanted to pursue. This served as a reference point for capturing the essence of Fuerza Elite’s brand values—authenticity, empowerment, and health. The moodboard included elements that reflected the desired aesthetic, tone, and luxurious yet minimal look we aimed for, helping guide the design process toward a cohesive and impactful final product.
Sketches
Using the moodboard as a foundation, I created sketches to explore different design concepts, focusing on simplicity, culture, and luxury. These initial drafts were instrumental in bringing the brand’s vision to life, allowing me to experiment with layouts and elements that reflected Fuerza Elite’s core values. Interestingly, many of these early sketches closely resembled the final design, with only minor iterations needed after presenting them to the owner. Adjustments included refining the colors on the lines, resizing the logo, and tweaking the flavor label placement to ensure the design was both functional and visually appealing.
High-Fidelity Design/ Final Packaging
The final design for Fuerza Elite Supplements was crafted to meet both aesthetic and functional goals. Initially, we turned in designs for three different flavors, allowing the owner to visualize how the packaging could evolve beyond the first flavor launch. The overall design remained clean and minimalistic, using a predominantly black palette to maintain simplicity and avoid clutter.
We incorporated color-coded lines to indicate flavor, strategically placing them next to corresponding images to create a cohesive visual identity. The flavor name was placed prominently above the flavor image for clarity and easy identification, making it accessible to a broad audience.
To highlight the brand, the Fuerza Elite logo and company name were positioned prominently on the left side of the packaging, ensuring it would catch the consumer’s eye immediately. The bright logo stood out against the clean, dark background, giving the brand strong visibility. A consistent font was maintained across the flavor and brand names to reinforce brand identity, while the back of the packaging included necessary nutritional facts for transparency and usability.
Reflection
Overview
Working on Fuerza Elite’s packaging was a unique experience that brought both creativity and strategy to the forefront. I led the wrapper design project, focused on balancing cultural authenticity with a clean, inviting look that would resonate with diverse customers. Initially, I was concerned about fully interpreting the brand’s vision—communicating Latin heritage while making the product appealing for a broader market.
Throughout the process, I found that simplicity was key. A minimalist design with bold colors and intentional spacing allowed the core messages to stand out. The competitive analysis phase provided insights into essential elements for the protein bar market, helping us highlight the brand’s unique value. Our initial discovery call set the foundation by clarifying Fuerza Elite’s goals and intended consumer experience. From there, a moodboard helped capture the visual direction, and sketches brought those ideas to life.
Ultimately, small design refinements brought the brand vision together, allowing Fuerza Elite to scale with a consistent and recognizable identity.