Drugi jezik na kojem je dostupan ovaj članak: Bosnian
Photo: Design Bureau Izvorka Jurić: Matija Tolić, Izvorka Jurić, Stela Kovačić, Jelena Gvozdanović (permanent external collaborator), Igor Poturić (permanent external collaborator) and Marijo Franić
A completely organic, hand-made line of natural cosmetic products Plasinia was launched recently, inspired by the geolocation of Lika, made of wild plants and water from the Gacka River, the second cleanest river in the world. Branding this premium product was the task for the Design Bureau Izvorka Jurić, and the result was published by the prestigious US magazine The Dieline. This is another example of the design of identity of a Croatian product associated with a rich opus of design works by Izvorka Jurić, which have made her synonymous with packaging design in Croatia. With her design she has significantly contributed to the building of the recognizability of the domestic products, their competitiveness and the affirmation of Croatian cultural identity. These days, Izvorka Jurić, the world award-winning designer, marks 20 years of work on branding the products of local small and medium-sized producers in the areas of gastronomy, cosmetics and tourism. Thanks to design, these products stood out and had their core product values recognized. Brachia, Lintar, Croatia in a Box, Croatian Planer, Bite Art, Zdenka sir, Slast&Mast, Rustican, Koer, Domeca, Draco, Genos, Aroma Mediterranea, Plasinia i Omnivia – these are just some of the brands whose visual communication was designed by Izvorka Jurić.
For 13 years, together with two partners she led the Tridvajedan Creative Agency as a creative and art director. Later she launched the Design Bureau Izvorka Jurić, dedicating herself to design of product identities for those producers whose only chance to stand out in their highly competitive market niches is good design. Among them, branding for Rustican stands out – the super premium brand of dog food, which thanks to its good design won a significant position on the regional market. For the Koer, brand of Croatian company Klimaoprema which is oriented to export of its bespoke products for smart home management, Design Bureau Izvorka Jurić designed branding, but also design elements of user interface on devices, product packaging, presentation materials at business congresses, web pages etc.
The success of her designs, which regularly win international awards, has attracted many entrepreneurs to entrust her with the design of new products that are often intended for export. The wider public is most familiar with the branding for Brachia olive oil – Croatia’s most awarded packaging design in international circles – bottles of olive oil shaped as an olive. Investing in the design of an exclusive product line, an authentic bottle, and a long-term strategic investment in the packaging design of each new product, helped the Agricultural Cooperative of Brač to build reputation, achieve export and grow into a successful brand. In addition, the mentioned exclusive Brachia line today is sold in premium delicatessen stores in New York, Tokyo and other major metropolises. Izvorka Jurić continues collaboration with Brachia to this day, creating sub-brands such as ecoBrachia, Brachia sortno ulje, Brachia and friends – which are a regular sight at tables in restaurants and homes across Croatia.
The excellence in design of product identity is confirmed by the most coveted international and domestic professional awards, of the most important ones are four Red Dots, Pentawards, Ed Awards, WorldStar, President’s Award nomination, BEDA European Design Award, Creativity Gold Award, Eurobest, ADI New Designer Award, CroPak, RegPak, Art Directors Club Croatia, HOW Award, Graphis “G” Gold Award, D&AD and Cresta International.
Design works by Izvorka Jurić are published in many professional publications, most notably Monocle, I.D., DesignWeek, Print, HOW, Novum, Branded, GDR creative intelligence, KAK, Colour Management for Logos, Graphis, European Graphic Design Portfolio, Creativity Awards Annual, ADI Graphic Design Annual, Israel Design Magazine, The Cool Hunter, The Dieline, The Lovely Package, Packaging of the World, Packaging Inspiration, The Appetizer magazine.
“Designing the identity of a new product is a great challenge and responsibility, and in my work I focused on small and medium entrepreneurs, where I work directly with the owner to create products that will be prominent in the market, and through design they communicate their basic essence or value. Communication with small entrepreneurs is simpler than in large systems. Such clients are aware that they can stand out in the market only through creative solutions and different approaches to that of the competition, and they are more inclined to ‘risk’ with solutions that would very hardly see light of day in large systems. In the case of small and medium-sized businesses, their biggest problem is still the inability to invest in the volume they would need. The interest in investing in this area of product development is still very high, but in small-scale manufacturers opportunities are very limited,” says Izvorka Jurić, adding: “Packaging is certainly one of the most demanding design tasks. It does not refer to the visual identity alone, but to the fulfillment of the requirements of particular market categories, the functionality of the product itself when it comes to its use, the knowledge of technological requirements in production, printing and other techniques for obtaining the desired design quality, and of course recyclability, waste management and sustainable development. All this is gained only by practical design experience. For a significant number of projects I worked on, it was crucial to express the identity of Croatian natural, cultural and gastro heritage in contemporary visual language. After a series of gastro product packaging designs, business owners from the sphere of tourism started contacting me, such as travel agencies and hotels, and then small cosmetics manufacturers. Each of them came to me with the request for cooperation because they recognized the potential that our design can bring in more competitive positioning in the market.”
