We all know that I have a bit of a thing for packaging. OK. It’s a bit more than a thing. I see the power it has and how it can elevate a product and a brand or fall wide of the mark and make people believe that whatever is inside the packaging is distinctly average. In a new occasional series, I’ll be speaking to people who create packaging that (I feel) hits the nail on the head. And here’s the first. Caroline from Leroy & Bongo had a chat with me about her packaging and how she feels it makes a difference to this fun, dynamic brand. I’d love to hear what you think…

Tell us a bit about Leroy & Bongo and what you do

Leroy and Bongo is a new British brand,  founded by a little team of equestrians and designers in Marlborough, Wiltshire.  Together we love creating useful and beautiful equestrian stationery and lifestyle products!

Let’s start with your branding – how did you decide on your logo, the colours and your branding overall?

Our aim with our logo was to create something contemporary, clearly equestrian and proudly British. We wanted to keep it simple, easily recognisable and flexible enough to work across lots of different applications. Our logo is used in a number of colour-ways  depending on the application. 

We wanted our brand colour palette to be fun and eye-catching, as well as appealing to a wide demographic across the horse-loving world.

How did you decide on your packaging? What elements did you consider?

Right from the beginning we wanted our packaging to be fun and appealing to our customers, as well as unique to Leroy and Bongo. It also needed to be flexible enough to be used across our product range and “different” enough to stand out in a retail environment.

Quality was also important, as we wanted the packaging to reflect the quality of the product inside.

The end result is (we hope!)  like our products – useful and functional, but lovely to look at too! All of our product packaging features a paper “band” with a description of the product and our little black acrylic mini-pony.

The mini-pony has also featured in social media campaigns, which has really helped with customer engagement and brand recognition.

We also include a personal note to our customers when they buy from our website – handwritten on a Leroy and Bongo correspondence card.

What kind of response have you received to your packaging?

We’ve had a wonderful response to our packaging and the mini-pony already has a following of his own! Customers send in their own photos of the mini-pony in various situations, which is absolutely delightful. It’s lovely to have that level of engagement with our customers.

Do you think packaging adds to a product and the customer experience? Was this something you factored into your product quite early on or something that has evolved over time?

We like to think that packaging really adds to the customer experience. It makes the purchasing and gifting experience a little more fun – something that was definitely in our minds from the outset. If a product is beautifully packaged, it’s going to feel like a treat – either for yourself or the person you are gifting it to.

Are there any other brands who have packaging that inspires you? Or that you think is done really well?

We love anything that’s simple, functional and beautifully designed!

Anything else you’d like to add?

For us, packaging is an important part of the Leroy and Bongo brand identity. But most of all, we hope our mini-pony makes our customers smile! 

Where can we find you online?

You can find us at leroyandbongo.com