It wasn’t until last summer, while having dinner with Brian Jacobson of Focus Design in San Rafael, that we discovered we’d worked together on this project. Brian was the designer at Michael Osborne Design and I was the freelance packaging copywriter, but we one of the company’s account executives was the liaison. So we never knew about our collaboration until 2009.

In fact, Brian told me that this had been a creative test project vs. a number of other top design firms, and that his company had actually won this account through this project. The salad dressing group was the first product release of a national repositioning to compete with top-name brands on a national level. The new design featured a new word-mark and logo to communicate Trader Vic’s international heritage and commitment to quality with a natural, fresh image to the consumer.

How’s that for delayed gratification?

Download Trader Vic’s Salad Dressings PDF.

But that doesn’t mean you can’t still find some of their products around, like these Flavor Destinations chips, including Sweet Maui Onion Potato Chips, Laredo Kettle Style BBQ Potato Chips, Idaho Kettle Cooked Potato Chips, Santa Fe Blue Corn Organic Tortilla Chips, Napa Valley Honey Dijon Pretzel Pieces, and Yukon Golden Pretzel Peanut Butter Filled Nuggets.

Here are two examples of the six brands of packaging copy I wrote for their brands:
Download Sweet Maui Onioin Potato Chips front PDF. Download Sweet Maui Onion Potato Chips back PDF.

Download Laredo Kettle Style BBQ Potato Chips front PDF. Download Laredo Kettle Style BBQ Potato Chips back PDF.

What goes great with chips? Beer! So for a few years, I brewed my own beer at a place in downtown San Rafael that had all the ingredients, recipes, copper kettles and bottling equipment. Naturally, my groups of beermeisters called ourselves “The Brews Brothers.” I co-created the labels with two very talented local designers, Larry Nielsen and Malcolm Rodgers.
Download Honey Porter Beer Label PDF.
Download American Pilsner Beer Label PDF.
Download End of the Century Celebration Ale Beer Label PDF.
Download Doppleweisen Beer Label PDF.
Download 4 Brews Brothers Beer Labels PDF.

Below are some samples of a variety of clients for whom I’ve written package copy as a freelance writer, including Intel, Palladium Software, and Granny Goose Foods.

For Intel’s Create and Share Camera Pack, I wrote the packaging copy for the first software product created by this industry giant. It’s shown here on the left. Download the front panel PDF. Download the back panel PDF.

Above on the right is the packaging I wrote for Intel’s Video Phone Software, another venture into extending Intel’s lineup of products. Download the Intel Video Phone Software PDF.

Palladium Software in Marin County, CA, contracted with me to write copy for a few of their products. One was Nine Worlds, an astronomy software package. For the ad to promote it, “Telescope Not Required” was the headline. Download the Nine Worlds front panel PDF.
Download the Nine Worlds back panel PDF.

Broderbund needed help in a variety of ways.

First, they wanted me to help them name this math skills game aimed at 8-12 year olds.

Next, they asked me to write the package copy to entice parents — and their kids — to buy this game while shopping in the retail channel.

I was successful in both of these tasks.

The game was a 1997 Codie Excellence In Software Award Winner for Best Home Education Software for Pre-Teens.

Read the package copy. Download the front and back panels.