Elsie’s – Dairy Product Packaging

This project was a response to Designer Briefs challenge #183: create packaging and branding for Elsie’s, an organic milk brand that brings the simplicity of heritage farming into modern homes. The brand avoids industrial shortcuts and sells organic, grass-fed dairy with a strong sense of old-world storytelling. The four keywords were heritage, rustic, honest and nostalgic.

Nostalgia became my starting point, which led to the tagline “In case you miss grandma.” Milk in glass bottles, yogurt in a jar and butter wrapped in paper are the foods many of us remember from our grandparents’ kitchens, so I wanted the packaging to bring back that feeling of care and home. The illustration of a cow with her calf is the heart of the identity. It’s a gentle symbol of nurturing passed from one generation to the next, echoing the grandmother-and-grandchild story behind the brand. I extended the range beyond milk to yogurt and butter, and created an Elsie’s zine that pairs the products with family photographs and memories to carry the storytelling further.

For materials, I chose glass bottles and jars and paper wrapping for the butter. They feel honest and natural, suit an organic, low-waste product, and are how dairy used to be sold. The cow-print lids and butter wrap, with small pink hearts hidden in the spots, add warmth and playfulness and make the range easy to recognise in the fridge. The labels use a fine hand-drawn line illustration, delicate vines and a scalloped frame in soft pink and green, with a slightly old-fashioned serif, so the system feels like a vintage farm label made for today’s homes.