Print Case Study

Introduction
In 2024, US Foods prepared to feature their Harbor Banks shrimp brand at prospecting events. The marketing team requested a laminated sizing guide for chefs to use during live cooking demos. The guide needed to visually compare raw vs. cooked shrimp, allowing chefs to place shrimp samples directly on the poster for accurate, real-time size reference.

Setup
The creative team was given full freedom on format, with printer constraints of a maximum 17" width and flexible height. Marketing initially provided a list of nearly 40 shrimp sizes. After regrouping, I advised narrowing the selection to 10 industry-standard sizes that could also be photographed in-house. The poster began as an 11" × 17" tri-fold, with stock imagery serving as placeholders until the Harbor Banks shrimp were photographed.

Challenge
When scaling the final shrimp photography to actual size using the photographed ruler, it became clear the original format could not accommodate accurate dimensions. The piece first expanded to 14" × 17" as a bi-fold, and after further requests from marketing for additional content, required another adjustment. Expanding the design to 17×17 allowed for full-scale representation, but the marketing team concerned about the increased printing costs. I needed to smooth tempers and carefully explain why the updated size was necessary to meet both functional and branding requirements.

Solution
I redesigned the guide on a 17×17 format to accommodate all shrimp sizes, brand elements, and explanatory text without compromising clarity. I organized the shrimp illustrations so that raw and cooked sizes were clearly correlated, and separated “tail on” from “tail off” sizes to create a logical, easy-to-read structure. I communicated with the marketing team to show how the updated layout improved usability and readability while maintaining brand standards, addressing their concerns about cost and ensuring everyone understood the reasoning behind the design choices.

Results
The outcome was a durable, laminated reference guide for chefs to use at events throughout the year. It showcased raw vs. cooked shrimp at actual size, paired with supporting information, and provided a practical, branded tool for customer engagement. The print guide was distributed at 20+ events to 2,000 chefs, leading to increased product inquiries and stronger customer engagement.

Shown here are images of the final printed piece (concepting files not available).