Coca-Cola. Colgate. Crayola. Any American is surely familiar with--and finds value in--these popular products. But that value extends far beyond the products themselves. Each of these items owes its success to its brand--not a secret formula, whitening power or 64 colors.
Branding provides a unique identity for a product and makes it instantly recognizable. And nothing is more crucial to a brand's success than packaging.
"The package design/brand provides a direct interface with the consumer," says Haley Johnson, principal of Minneapolis-based Haley Johnson Design. "Good branding adds value to a product, especially if there's a concept connected with the brand. Conceptual branding really sets the stage for product-expansion opportunities...hence more printing opportunities."
According to a July 2002 report from TrendWatch Graphic Arts, a monitor of trends and changes in the graphics, publishing and electronic-media markets, the U.S. packaging industry is estimated at $114 billion--a whopping 80 percent of the size of the commercial printing industry. Key end-user sectors (read: your customers) are projected to grow significantly, from a 3.5 percent increase for health and beauty aids to 14.5 percent for security products. That's good news for distributorships that want to establish or grow a packaging component of their business.
But how can distributorships tap into this market segment, offering clients packaging solutions that positively reinforce their brands and boost their bottom lines? By working with graphic designers, much as they would with a manufacturer for commercial printing, promotional products or labels. Designers create and shape brands every day by not treating projects as isolated jobs, but rather as part of entire branding campaigns.
Star Search
Finding the right design match for your packaging products takes a little more effort than just opening the phone book or soliciting a Better Business Bureau stamp of approval. Because packaging design is a more involved discipline than, say, brochure or label design, you want to base your choice on a great portfolio, knowledge of the process and a deep understanding of the category, says Maria Kennedy, president and creative director of Karacters Design Group in Vancouver, British Columbia. "Many companies that are involved in some aspect of the production side of packaging offer design as part of the service," she says. "In most cases, I would stay away from companies that don't offer design as one of their core responsibilities."
Both Kennedy and Johnson recommend reading design magazine annuals and packaging books, both of which show designers' work and locations, to familiarize yourself with various designers and their abilities. (See "Packaging Trends Primer" box at right.) Another good resource is your local chapter of the American Institute of Graphic Arts (www.aiga.org), a nationwide nonprofit organization for creative professionals. The chapter may publish a newsletter in which you can place an ad, or may provide a list of area designers who specialize in packaging. Before hiring a designer, "make sure they're reputable and have a good portfolio and history of good work," Kennedy says.
She also cautions distributorships to avoid offering spec work as a way to land a design deal, a situation in which a number of firms complete a portion of the project to compete for the job, without a guarantee of being paid or hired. Spec work is a no-no for most designers, and it often results in uninspired solutions due to a lack of information and dedication.
The Color of Money
Cost is a consideration when selecting a design professional, too. Johnson prices her projects on an estimated hourly basis, plus value. "An initial branding project comes with a high value-added figure, whereas a general form would be priced only on an hourly basis," she says. "Value or price are adjusted to fit the size of the client and the extent of the market being sold to."
Kennedy stresses the importance of providing a design candidate with a creative brief. The designer, in turn, should provide a proposal outlining the process he or she will follow, from packaging development through production. "You should also get a timeline for each phase, with the cost associated with it," she says. "This is one kind of project where costs should not be the final determination of awarding the business."
Also keep in mind that designers are accustomed to working directly with manufacturers and may include that service as part of the overall fee. A 2002 TrendWatch report found that 65 percent of designers buy printing services on behalf of clients. Many designers feel comfortable spearheading packaging that includes die cutting, embossing, thermography, metallic inks and other special features. "A good design plus great printing and additional production techniques often help distinguish a package from its competition," Johnson says. "A unique paper stock, die cut, box shape, foil or emboss can often boost a package's potential...as long as they're used appropriately."
Let's Get Together
It's also crucial that the client and the designer have an opportunity to communicate directly with each other, which will help ensure that everyone understands the key objectives for the project and the brand goals. The distributorship should facilitate this relationship and also should set up a clear contract that outlines the process in concise phases so that all parties know what to expect from one another, Johnson says.
Packaging projects can be time-consuming and expensive, so the less information you have to relay between your client and a designer, the better. "Interpretation of the facts and the desires at hand are much clearer when delivered directly," Johnson says. "Trying to achieve successful graphic design without communicating directly is a formula for bad design that will not give the product or brand much of a chance for success." Of course, it's the distributorship's responsibility to help the client establish those objectives and find the right creative match for the project.
With a little research, education and communication, you can "wow" your clients. "Branding and packaging are the simplest form of advertising," Kennedy says. "In a retail environment, your package is a mini ad saying, 'Buy me, instead of someone/ something else.' So it's an important part of the overall identity of the brand. And some packaging takes over to become a key identifier to the brand. Think about the Volkswagen Bug, The FedEx envelope and the Coca-Cola bottle. It becomes more difficult to separate the brand from the packaging. Everything about your product needs to speak from the same voice, and in most cases the packaging is the brand in a 3D form."
Packaging Trends Primer
You've decided you want to add packaging to your repertoire, and your customers are ready to jump on board. You know how to work with a graphic designer. You know the ins of outs of package design and production. But how do you know what's really hot? For a look at trends in packaging design and production techniques, turn to the design industry itself.
"There's a return to more sensual packaging--things that feel good in your hand, have a unique structure," says Maria Kennedy, whose firm is responsible for the packaging of hot mass-market items like Clearly Canadian, Reebok Fitness Water and Caboodles Cosmetics' C*me line. "The age of simplified graphics to get a message across continues. Also, there's more of an awareness of modern clean lines in packaging and graphics so that even an inexpensive item is packaged or sold in a more upscale manner. Think about Target and its ability to sell well-designed products to the masses."
These trends stem from both a need to stand out from a cluttered marketplace and advances in computer and printing technologies during the past 10 years, says Haley Johnson, whose packaging designs for Blue Q brands such as Dirty Girl and Tough Guy visually have dominated the high-end bath-product market. "Computer technology has allowed for more exploration of design options," which has resulted in more complex solutions than we've seen in the past, she notes. "A competitive market here and in Asia has brought printing prices down, allowing for the use of more and more production techniques. However, I still believe simple, direct, well-executed packaging often steals the show today. It counteracts the busyness and lack of message in the marketplace."
So what's in store for packaging design? "There's going to be a huge movement to more responsible packaging, especially in consumer products, where millions are sold," Kennedy says. "Why do I need to have such a big package for a little item? We need to become more responsible and demand that less stuff goes to waste."
For more visual fodder, pick up a design annual from any major graphic-design magazine, and you easily can spot trends within the packaging category. Annuals are good indicators of what designers and manufacturers are doing right because the judges for these competitions typically gravitate toward designs that they know will have success in the marketplace and eschew dying. Check out Communication Arts' November issues (www.commarts.com), HOW magazine's April issues (www.howdesign.com) and I.D. magazine's August issues (www.idonline.com) for inspiration. Other good trend indicators are fashion and product design (think iMac). For color predications, turn to The Color Marketing Group (www.colormarketing.org).
And if you're still on the fence about whether to add packaging to your arsenal, keep this in mind, Johnson says: "As advertising budgets come and go, the package design will never go away."
