When the product shapes the packaging’s design, functionality comes to life
A 120-month-aged Parmigiano Reggiano presented in a rigid yellow box that withstands refrigerated display while combining aesthetics with functionality. Developed by Kidstudio using Fedrigoni’s Materica Terra Gialla paper, Malandrone 1477’s packaging won a Silver Award at the 2025 Pentawards in the Food category. At Packaging Première Milan, the three key figures behind the project – Carlo Minelli – Founder of Malandrone, Marco Innocenti – Founder of Kidstudio and Matteo Suardi – Commercial Director Italy, Merchants & Direct Sales Europe, Fedrigoni Special Papers – shared the story behind its development. The result is a lesson in methodology before it is one in design.
Constraints as a driver of creativity
Carlo Minelli opened the discussion with a story that predates the packaging itself. In the 13th century, the Benedictine monks who developed the method for preserving milk had no access to external resources. Out of those constraints came a product that has endured for more than eight centuries. Marco Innocenti applied the same principle to the graphic design of the project. “I don’t believe creativity comes from the absence of constraints,” he said. “Quite the opposite.” Suardi completed the picture by highlighting the converter’s role in the process. His key point was not about the materials themselves, but about the business model. For a niche brand like Malandrone, it meant being able to work with a premium supplier without the minimum volume requirements that would normally prevent smaller players from accessing that level of service.
Sometimes colour is not chosen, it is discovered
The spheres: design that solves a problem
The most recognisable graphic element – the spheres on the front of the box – was born from a practical challenge. Malandrone produces Parmigiano with ageing periods ranging from 10 to 240 months and multiples of 12 quickly become difficult to understand for those outside the industry. How long is 54 months? The graphic solution was to transform the top view of the Parmigiano wheel – a circle – into an intuitive visual counting system. For shorter ageing periods, the number is immediately readable; for longer ones, the differentiated colours of the labels come into play, supported by the spheres that count the years. Here, aesthetic form and functional form converge in the same visual language: the spheres solve a communication challenge while simultaneously becoming the most distinctive element of the packaging.
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