About Scott Kellen

Scott Kellen:
Designing Irresistible Labels

When a customer picks up a product bearing a label designed by Scott Kellen, it’s a defining moment.

It’s the culmination of Kellen’s more than 10 years designing labels for maximum impact. Using his experience and customized research for each client, Kellen creates label magic.

His designs exude power along with the strong impression that the brand behind this label can be trusted to deliver.

Kellen excels at exceeding expectations, and has a long line of clients that will attest to it.
Scott Kellen

Boosting Profit Margins 600%

One excellent example is Central Garden & Pet, which has Matthews’ Four Seasons potting supplies as a division. In 2005, the decision was made to take the struggling brand, with its 20-year-old identity, and give it a new look.

“We repackaged the product from its stale, ‘70s image with single-color illustrations of plants and flowers. I used real pictures for the project, among other changes. Their profit margins went up 600%,” says Kellen.

 “Yes, a well-designed label can make a huge, huge difference for a product,” says Kellen, owner of Kellen Design.

Products that Sell Themselves on the Shelves

Kellen understands that any product he works on must “sell itself on the shelf,” and every decision he puts into his label designs is geared to that outcome.

In the highly competitive world of sports pharmaceuticals, for instance, a customer is looking for a literal bang for their buck. When they take the product home, and open it up to use it, they want to feel confident that they will experience improved health or performance because of this product. The packaging can help convey that message.

Making a Mark for Myogenix

Much of Scott Kellen Design’s business comes from the sports pharmaceutical industry.

For Myogenix, Kellen designed packaging for Hyper Shock, After Shock, and MyoLean Evolution, helping to rack up millions in sales.

The bold red-and-black packaging evokes the powerful promise of greater performance inside each bottle.

Indeed, Kellen explains that choosing color is one of the most strategic decisions he makes as a designer. “Different colors create different effects for the brain,” he says. Designers need to know how people’s brains react to color.

Time for a Redesign? Weigh Factors, Including Economy

How does a company know when it’s time to redesign labels?

“It’s a good idea every two to three years on custom products,” says Kellen.

When the economy shifts, it’s a good time to “resuit” your products. “If something happens in the market that forces a change, it’s a good motivator to revisit your labels,” he explains.

Understanding Market Key

Whether it’s the wine industry or sports pharmaceuticals, whether it’s a gardening product or a garden variety consumer product, Kellen works to ensure that he understands the marketplace his products will compete in.

“For example, in the sports market, I know these products speak to the 18- to 24-year-old crowd, mostly male. I stay up on what those guys are looking at, and what they’re involved in today. I honor that harmony and bring something fresh to whatever I’m designing,” he says.

By studying the elite brands in any market, Kellen learns the playing field, then works on making his clients bigger players on that field. The results are a win-win for his clients—and their customers.
About Kellen Design

Scott Kellen of Kellen Design has established himself as one of the elite in visual communications for a variety of industries during his career. His professional work in the field of art direction and graphic design has focused on corporate identity/branding, POP/POS, ads and packaging design to extremely high-end web work.

From clients as diverse as start-up companies to established billion-dollar global corporations and community-based symphonies to national record labels, Scott always strives to create high-impact solutions that contribute to his client’s success.

Scott received his B.A. in Graphic Design from California State University, Fresno. He has furthered his education yearly, outside of his degree in marketing, typography, typographic style, and the psychology of color.

Scott Kellen can be reached at: scott@kellendesign.com