It’s easy to start a fire on a dry day in the middle of summer. But Onfire Design was founded at the onset of the GFC – in other words, it was pouring with rain in a southerly buster!
However, the challenges faced in the beginning set Onfire up to become one of New Zealand’s hottest design and branding agencies.
“Things were a little different back then,” said Onfire MD Sam Allan. “We were in Birkenhead above a barber shop – I had more hair in those days, so that was handy. Seriously though, we really had to scrap for every client and every piece of work – and that work ethic instilled itself in our DNA. On top of being an incredibly talented team, everyone here at Onfire puts in the hard yards.”
Today, visiting its office in Takapuna on Auckland’s North Shore, you could be forgiven for thinking you were in a mini-mart given the number of brands on Onfire’s books.
From breakfast cereal to snacks, beauty products to RTD’s, dairy to pet food, you’re hard pressed to find a category the business hasn’t worked on.
“We pride ourselves on being able to apply the right measure of creativity wherever it is needed. It’s the process we love, not necessarily the category. That’s why you see such an eclectic range of clients. As well as FMCG, Onfire works with design-led companies in manufacturing, lifestyle brands and agriculture – as they say, variety is the spice of life,” says Sam - and it’s hard to disagree when you see the range and quality of work being produced by this expressive outfit on the North Shore.
Refreshing an iconic Kiwi brand
Looking for change, Hubbards came to Onfire to reinvigorate its range of breakfast foods. The team took this opportunity to turn Hubbards brand language up to the max. Out went the soft, earthy colour palette of its predecessor and in came a bold, bright and confident approach– without losing the all-important “Yum” factor.
Who says fire and ice don’t mix
Deep South ventured north to Onfire. Featuring refreshed livery, new packaging maintains provenance and pride in the South Island with a stylised representation of the region’s iconic mountains. Split into premium and mainstream offerings, the new ranges help broaden appeal across different price point.
Igniting a brand from the ground up
Redefining what a ready-to-drink cocktail can deliver in terms of quality, ingredients and pure flavour, Finery as a brand speaks to the new spirit among consumers, those looking for an alternative to the mainstream. It also appealed to the judges at the Good Design Awards who described the packaging as “visually beautiful.”
Inspiration from their own backyard
Utilising its forest origins, Onfire Design went to work bringing the Talbot Forest story to life. The outcome is a fresh, bold design that embraces Talbot Forest’s roots and story but does so with a contemporary vibrant look that sparks curiosity and attention – a real game changer for the brand and for the category.
Raising the bar
A Kiwi snacking staple since the ’70s, Snak Logs were getting lost amongst the growing ‘energy’ category – with more modern offerings presenting cleaner and bolder product propositions. Onfire focused on amplifying the existing proposition of ‘Nature’s power pack’. The small but mighty product range now literally shouts on-shelf.
While many of these projects have either won or are in the running to win major design awards, Sam said it’s great to get peer recognition but that’s not his motivation...
“Look, we’ve won awards in the USA, Germany, China, Australia and the UK and been ranked 8th in the Top 50 most creative agencies judged by the World Brand Design Society. But it’s doing commercially successful work that gets us out of bed every morning. The team lives and breathes it. To be honest, I have complete faith in the design team lead by Creative Director Matt Grantham. Both Matt and I learnt the ropes in the UK at its peak and we’ve been building here in Auckland for 15 years. Now we’re finally seeing clients make a shift away from older agencies to more nimble teams like Onfire that offer better returns.”
If successful brands are some the most valuable of commercial assets, it stands to reason that they should set themselves apart in a crowded marketplace, communicate credibility and instil trust. Getting the branding and package design right is vital to success.
“At Onfire, we take all the values and features that make up an identity and translate them into visual elements that clients and their customers love. It’s more than packaging – it’s all about communication and storytelling that can also carry across media.”
To ignite your brand, call 09 480 2036 or 021 608 204. Or just pay Onfire a visit at the beach!
