Hey, good looking

6 July 2015



Hey, good looking


Hey, good looking

How can brand-owners and designers ensure they come out of the key on-shelf battleground on top? Emma-Jane Batey speaks to industry experts to get to the bottom of 'good design'.

As famous graphic designer Lindon Leader, who created the FedEx logo among other eye-catching things, once said: "I strive for two things in design: simplicity and clarity. Great design is born of those two things." While every element of packaging must come together to create a functional product that protects and promotes the product within, it is perhaps primarily the design that makes the first impression on the consumer.


So how does good design influence shelf appeal? And what defines good design? Packaging Today spoke to brand-owners, packaging designers and packaging manufacturers to get a broad view of the role design plays in making sure consumers buy your product - and that they're happy with its performance once they've parted with their money. Style over substance is not an option.
Freelance packaging designer Gareth Roberts has over ten years' experience in creating design-led packaging concepts for such diverse brands as Disney, Kraft Foods and Belvedere Vodka. His dedication to packaging being memorable is as strong as his understanding of its practicalities. He says: "It's no wonder that something like 80% of all product launches fail - the supermarket shelves are filled with visual clutter, with any number of branded and own-brand packaging vying for your attention. To simplify and amplify the message so that people can quickly grasp what and how your product is different is vital to its success. If your brand is relevant, clearly communicated and memorable, you are on the right track."
But how is this achieved? Keeping in close contact with the latest trends in packaging design is one way, with careful appreciation of how consumers are using products sitting neatly alongside innovative ideas to introduce and influence packaging trends another.
"The biggest packaging trend I've seen in recent times is natural or implied naturalness, which is a part of the bigger general trend for honesty in products across the board," Roberts adds. "People are more aware of the nasties in their food, drinks and body-care products, and to either hide this or not address the issue is a major perhaps fatal error.
"The new Coca-Cola offering, Coke Life, and the recent Flora and Clover redesigns are examples of big brands addressing these issues inherent to their products. From a design perspective, this means more natural substrates - such as ethically sourced or recycled boards, and biodegradable plastic alternatives - and the use of more earth tones, and distressed typefaces and textures, as well as the use of more sunny outdoor photographic styling."

Niche appeal
For Suffolk-based packaging and closures manufacturer BodyPak, offering an in-house design service alongside its manufacturing capabilities is a key way to differentiate itself from the bigger players. Co-owner Sam Oliver is clear that simply offering a portfolio of high-quality packaging and closures is not enough and that by working in partnership with brand-owners to deliver attractive, effective packaging, it has cemented its niche market position.
Oliver explains: "As a small packaging company, we are committed to adding real shelf appeal to our products. That's why we have our own dedicated in-house packaging designer who brings fresh ideas to our customers' requests through innovative thinking.
"We've also recently launched fliptopjar.com to complement our packaging and closures range; it's a patented range of contemporary dispensing closures that are stylish and functional, and add something new to our customers' offering."
BodyPak's understanding that in order to stand apart from the major packaging manufacturers without simply competing on volume or price, bringing design-led innovation to its packaging is a valuable commodity.
Oliver continues: "Integrating good design right from the start of a new packaging concept enables us to capture a niche in the market; our ever-evolving flip-top closures are already being used worldwide by leading brands like Charles Worthington Haircare and PZ Cussons - companies that want something attractive yet reliably functional to help their product stand out on very crowded retail shelves.
"Well-designed packaging gives our customers the edge and, as an independent company, we can be creative, quick and totally flexible. It's a great mix."
For major brand-owners, being able to capture that heady combination of form and function is critical, particularly when regulations impact on the freedom of packaging options. For multinational pharmaceutical and consumer healthcare company GlaxoSmithKline, the balance needs to incorporate the various elements of shelf appeal, legislation and functionality in order to support its impressive global position.
Jon Blundell, global packaging specialist for GSK, speaks of the importance of design in packaging and how it underpins all the other aspects of the product.
"Packaging design is everything," he emphasises. "A good product means good packaging. In the pharmaceutical sector, the packaging is a critical part of the commercial success of a product, primarily as it simply must be technically effective in order to withstand the conditions it is used under.
"For RX [prescription] products, it's mainly about the medical element of the product as they are for hospital rather than retail applications, but this still brings its own design challenges and considerations - they must be child-resistant, senior-friendly and well-suited to their environment, with very, very clear information."
GSK also deals with a large range of well-known consumer healthcare brands, including Beechams, Panadol and Macleans, with the medical and retail elements working in tandem.
"For these CX [consumer experience] products, shelf impact and consumer image are also important considerations," says Blundell. "We work with a clear marketing brief as well as the design elements so that everything that needs to be communicated to the customer is easy to see on shelf.
"We have to take the design lead from a number of sources associated with the product and then we work with our suppliers to ensure that the packaging meets a wide range of targets - from looking good and being easily usable for the patient to being able to withstand the rough and tumble of the transport chain. There are a number of influences that have to be distilled down into an attractive product, particularly for CX products."
This interesting balance is a daily challenge for the UK's leading pharmacy, beauty and healthcare high street chain Boots. Its mix of medical, practical and indulgent products means a broad range is vying for shelf appeal. Annabel Burdett, packaging manager, global sourcing, quality, ethics and supplier development for Boots UK, explains how good design plays a role across the store.
"We're committed to offering our customers innovative products such as our own brands No7, Boots Pharmaceuticals, Boots Soltan, Botanics, SEVENTEEN and Soap & Glory," Burdett says. "We have over 2,500 stores from local community pharmacies to large destination health and beauty stores, and while we consider all aspects of product development important, for a consumer to take notice, a product must have shelf appeal.
"Our development teams understand how to market a product from the outside in. This requires a thorough understanding of the retail environment, the product and, of course, the packaging materials, ensuring the packaging is robust, legal and capable of efficient manufacture and handling to stores. Delivering an appropriate balance between the performance and aesthetic needs of the product is critical."

The bottom line
This critical balance has a real impact on the bottom line, too. Burdett continues: "When executed well, packaging functionality can increase the likelihood of repurchase and in turn drive brand loyalty. We understand the ease with which the package opens or efficiently dispenses is of vital importance to our consumers. We must satisfy the need of the brands we develop in terms of value of the product, market, regulations and the message that is required to be conveyed with the package design.
"Good packaging design is key. It needs to be bold, eye-catching, attractive, interesting and informative, providing a clear answer to our customers' needs, and creating the desire to buy and to feel good. It all comes down to shelf appeal. If a consumer is not hooked by a product seconds after glancing at it, then the chances are good that a second or third look will not change their opinion."
While 'good packaging' is impossible to define, what is clear is that the influence of attractive, appealing, trend-appropriate packaging in consumers' buying decisions, particularly when it is cleverly created to reflect the brand image, is vital - with huge financial repercussions for the whole supply chain. With the remit of design including ease of opening, communicating marketing, nutritional and medical information, withstanding the rigours of transport and product protection, as well as the all-important shelf appeal, it shows that good packaging design is integral to the success of a product.

 

 



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