Smucker’s strawberry jam is both a staple and icon of the American pantry. While the concept of packing jam into a jar is rather simple, there are key facets of the packaging that enhance its appeal to the consumer. As a family-run business, the J.M. Smucker Company prides itself on the quality and integrity of its products. The Smucker’s branding and package design aptly communicate this to the consumer. While the jar does have a single label placement, a large majority of the jar’s surface is barely allowing the consumer to right through the jar to the jam inside. The graphic content of the label is rather simple – a simple white text “Strawberry Jam” against a bright, plain backdrop that plays well with the color of the jam surround in the label. The rest of the label is occupied by a realistic illustration of a strawberry plant bearing fruit below the Smucker’s logo. The placement of the illustrated fruit directly below the logo may perhaps be aiming to insinuate that Smucker’s fruit comes straight from the farm. It’s interesting that rather than using an actual photo of a strawberry plant, the label uses and realistic illustration. Perhaps this enables them to present more perfect, idealized strawberries on the label which would seem unnatural, unreasonable, and or deceitful within the context of a real-world photo. Perhaps the most iconic feature of the Smucker’s jar is the red-white, checkered blanket print on the lid. A clear allusion to picnic blankets of the same print, this makes the Smucker’s brand easily identifiable in almost any context while also associating the product with the pleasures of a picnic. The embossed signature of the company’s founder, J.M. Smucker’s, is a subtle final touch that furthers the image of authenticity and integrity that the Smucker’s brand is built on.
