We are very proud to announce that our packaging design for Zaz Chocopops has won an award!
Design Rush have selected our design for new Zaz Chocopops for the award next month. Read more about our branding and packaging design for Zaz below.
We are thrilled that our packaging design for Zaz has been awarded ‘Best Package Design’ and kindly described as ‘Making A Bold Statement On Premium, Guilt-Free Snacks.’
Judges’ Verdict: Zaz Chocopops Package Design Is A Standout In Branding And Food Packaging
“New players face double the challenges in making their products stand out on the market. They’re are often up against well-known brands and childhood nostalgic favourites that have been around for decades.
Their bold design managed to integrate the branding in a surprisingly elegant manner despite displaying vibrant colours and large images front and center.
It’s no surprise that our judges crowned this design as a winner in the packaging design category!”
About Zaz Packaging Design
We were briefed to create the branding and and packaging design for the new range of Chocopops. The design needed to reflect the premium quality of the product. ZAZ’s mission to enable consumers to feel on top of their snacking routine without compromising on taste.
Based on a positioning of ‘King of ingredients,’ the regal design utilises a striking sash and gold foiling for bold impact on shelf. It was important to communicate that the snack was 100% natural and contained organic ingredients.
We opted for a vibrant colour palette and large product cameo that exudes appetite appeal.
Guilt free snacking has never been this divine, any time of the day!
Read more about our packaging design for Zaz here.
A big thanks to Design Rush for including us in this list.
About Slice Design
Based in London UK, Slice Design are a top international creative branding and packaging design agency that have helped consumer brands grow and get noticed since 2004. We like to think of ourselves as a challenger to the large agency. As the name suggests we cut through jargon with our flexible, no nonsense approach and down to earth attitude.
No fancy trademarked processes and no hidden extras. The benefit to yourselves is all the experience but with the flexibility that large packaging design agencies cannot deliver.
From our studio in Hammersmith, London, we work for clients around the world: global and local, big household names and small startups, challengers and leaders. Whether a big brand re-design, NPD launch or simple packaging updates. We’re proud to remain flexible, refreshingly honest and wholly independent.
You can see some of our recent packaging design work here
Feel free to drop us a line or pop in and meet us in person. We are located in the centre of Hammersmith, London. For specific project requirements click on either of the two green buttons at the bottom of the page and we will get back to you double quick to hear more about your projects!
A big thanks from Team Slice Design.
Take a look at further lists we have been aware a placed on below:
Slice Design are pleased to announce that we have been awarded the Bronze title of UK Agency of the Year by Ad World Masters.
About Slice Design
Based in London UK, Slice Design are a top international creative branding and packaging design agency that have helped consumer brands grow and get noticed since 2004. We like to think of ourselves as a challenger to the large agency. As the name suggests we cut through jargon with our flexible, no nonsense approach and down to earth attitude.
No fancy trademarked processes and no hidden extras. The benefit to yourselves is all the experience but with the flexibility that large packaging design agencies cannot deliver.
From our studio in Hammersmith, London, we work for clients around the world: global and local, big household names and small startups, challengers and leaders. Whether a big brand re-design, NPD launch or simple packaging updates. We’re proud to remain flexible, refreshingly honest and wholly independent.
You can see some of our recent packaging design work here
Feel free to drop us a line or pop in and meet us in person. We are located in the centre of Hammersmith, London. For specific project requirements click on either of the two green buttons at the bottom of the page we will get back to you double quick to hear more about you projects!
Choosing a packaging design agency can be tricky. What are they good at? How much will it cost? How do they differ from other agencies. Complex trademarked processes and jargon doesn’t help you either. We prefer the transparent approach, that’s why we put together our Jargon Buster so that you can find out what your current agency is going on about. Time for a change in design agency?
A huge congratulations to Team Slice and the other winners. Here’s to another great year!
Happy New Year! 2019 was certainly a year of inspiration in terms of food trends and exciting combinations such as plant-based foods and cronuts.
It’s now 2020 and BBC Good Food have once again predicted the food, drink and eating trends for the upcoming year. Have a look at their top 20 trends below.
1. Low-sugar chocolate
Many of us are already aware of the health benefits of dark chocolate as The Grocer’s Emma Weinbren states: “We’ve seen a big increase in dark chocolate’s value sales. People see it as healthier – higher cocoa, lower sugar content,” however it is predicated there will be an increased interest in lower sugar chocolate this year.
Nestlé launched 2 chocolates that contain 30% less sugar: Milkybar Wowsomes and a new variant of Dairy Milk. This is an exciting development for 2020 and we are sure many brands will soon follow suit.
2. Food Halls
The next trend is an eating experience. Food Halls are huge spaces full of many street kitchens, bars and communal seating areas and although these can already be found around the country, Food Halls are set to expand in 2020. Watch out for the arrival of Eataly and Market Hall Canary Wharf as well as Time Out Waterloo in 2021 and Kings Cross’ Goods Way.
3. Local Produce
With the increased interest in environmental impact, it doesn’t surprise us that that use of local produce makes it onto 2020’s trends list. Many chefs are now growing and using their own produce. The Pig is an example of a restaurant that has introduced a new ‘garden to plate ethos’. Booths Supermarket is also at the forefront with their ‘dug today’ potatoes and ‘picked today’ berries.
4. Unpacked
Waitrose were one of the first supermarkets to hop onto the ‘Unpacked’ trend and have launched pasta dispensers, tap beer and pick ’n’ mix frozen veg in a bid to go plastic free with great results! Their Oxford Botley Road store is seeing unpackaged product outselling packed products with reports of 90% of shoppers saying they are happy to bring refillable containers. Look out for phase two of Waitrose & Partners Unpacked initiative which will be announced in Spring. Dedicated shops for refill stations of everyday ingredients are also increasing in popularity around the country.
5. Bar snacks
With the increased demand for exciting, light bites in bars, 2020 will see a rise in bar snack options. Bar snacks are growing in popularity and many bars have already introduced new options set for 2020. Sabor have introduced chicken oyster bocadllio, Gridiron now offer lamb belly fritters and the The Moorcook Inn’s has introduced crispy smoked potatoes.
6. Plant Food
Now we know this was a trend last year too, but this is a trend that won’t be easing down for a while. With consumers ever conscious of health and the benefits of a plant based diet, it is a trend that will continue into 2020. January sees the influx of new plant based products and offerings for ‘Veganuary’ and many chains and supermarkets seems to have hopped on the bandwagon.
Greggs have launched their vegan sausage roll and as of this week, their vegan steak bake. KFC have also launched their vegan version of a chicken burger. The majority of all UK supermarkets now have a dedicated plant based range with new products launching this January. April Preston, director of product development at M&S, “It’s shown absolutely no sign of slowing down. Our customers are adopting flexitarian lifestyles and we’ve a pipeline of new plant-based products planned, including a no-chicken Kiev.”
7. Gastro
A trend predicted for the following year is the rise in gastro tourists and therefore the popularity of gastro restaurants. With Tom Kerridge’s Bull & Bear and Culturplex as well as Restaurant Mana, there is no short of restaurants to fulfil the trend in 2020.
8. Pea Milk
There are already many variants of plant based milk but 2020’s trend is Pea Milk. Made from yellow split peas, this delicious new alternative is something we are already familiar with at Slice Design. We designed a Pea Milk range (including a sweetened and unsweetened variant) for the plant based snack brand Qwrkee. Find out more about our designs for Qwrkee Pea Milk here. Pea milk is perfect for use in cooking, breakfast, smoothies or as a drink on it’s own. This milk alternative is also full off added benefits as it’s high in Omega 3, protein and a source of fibre. Senior Ocado buyer Anthony Sharpe, believes in the Pea Milk trends as “It has one of the lowest environmental footprints.”
9. The rise of frozen food
The conscious consumer is in favour of little to no waste food options and this trend certainly tackles that. Frozen options such as chopped garlic cubes and entire meal kits eliminate any excess waste. M&S’s new Hempstead Valley store has a freezer section that is 75% bigger than other branches with a huge 291 lines available. April Preston, director of product development at M&S, states “We’re seeing new challenger brands and convenient no-waste options that make it more appealing.”
10. All things Japan
It is predicated that in 2020, our fascination with Japanese cuisine and culture will continue to grow. Examples include Lakeland’s cherry blossom baking moulds and sushi platters as well as Ocado’s brand new range of Japanese products. Adam Smith, check at Coworth Park states “We’ve seen a slow influx of Japanese techniques and ingredients and, in 2020, we’ll see this a lot more.”
11. Gut Food
This was a well known trend from last year that again makes it’s way into 2020. With the increased focus on gut friendly foods, it is no surprise that brands are jumping on this trend. M&S has a wide range of probiotic food and drink options that include kefir and kombucha. Two words we are sure you have heard before! Qwrkee’s range includes plant based puffs that contain probiotics. These packs were designed by us at Slice Design and they taste delicious! The Grocer’s Emma Weinbren states. “In March, we got stats from Kantar that more than 40% of kefir is consumed by over-65s. People think it’s a cool millennial drink but it’s the older generation driving it.”
12. Middle Eastern Cuisine
This trend is predicated by Waitrose and it’s senior development chef Zoe Simons credits the “Winning blend of spice, heat and sweetness. Home cooks will soon think nothing of whipping up baba ganoush or tabbouleh.” Due to cooking schools Moroccan Kitchen, Turkish Delight and Chicken Shawarma selling out it’s courses we can certainly see there is a spike in interest for North African and Middle Eastern food this year.
13. Filipino BBQ
This delicious trend is all thanks to the appearance of BBQ Dreamz on BBC Two’s My Million Pound Menu last year. Restaurant Magazine editor Stefan Chomka says “Known for its duck heart skewers and crispy pork belly, BBQ Dreamz is likely to leap from street food to bricks and mortar in 2020 with a nine-month residency at a new site on Hackney Road. It will be under the banner “BBQ Dreamz presents Bong Bong’s Manila Kanteen”.
14. Grown Up Ice Cream
Innovative ice cream flavours have become a huge trend in recent years with the increase of instagramable ice cream spots such as Milk Train and other chains having introduced charcoal and matcha flavours. 2020 will show no sign of stopping with unusual flavours such as goat’s cheese, liquorice and gin flavoured ice creams available now. What flavour would you like to see?
15. Sandwiches
Sandwiches are now back in fashion in 2020! Thanks to the delicious shots of stacked sandwiches filling out Instagram feeds, restaurants are coming up with new creations to excite and inspire consumers. Tou’s famous sandwich is a Japanese style sandwich of pack crumbled pork neck fried in lard, with cabbage and raspberry brown sauce. What would be your creation?
16. Seacuterie
This trend is all thanks to Josh Niland’s fin to tail ethos in ‘The Whole Fish Cookbook.’ Aarik Persaud of Heritage says “Everyone’s going to be trying all manner of sea offal.” The process is to dry age or cure the fish for intensity of flavour and Seacuterie is popping up on more and more restaurant menus. Look out for this trend in 2020!
17. Funugreek seeds
Funugreek seeds are tipped to be the new turmeric this year and Vivek Singh, owner of the Cinnamon Collection restaurants says that “Bitter tastes will be sought after in 2020.” Chefs have also tipped black tahini as a trend this year due to it’s strong flavour.
18. Less waste
As the interest in sustainability grows, there is a need for no waste ingredients. An example of this is Dash Water who use naturally formed ingredients in their drinks. Rubble have also adopted the same concept for their condiments. Domini Hogg, founder of specialist food distribution platform, Tried & Supplied“We’ve seen a real trend in snacks, drinks and sauces that use surplus foods, such as Urban Cordial’s surplus fruit cordials or Sea Chips’ healthy, crispy salmon skin snacks.”
19. Whey-hey
Whey is a waste product of cheesemaking and going hand in hand with trend number 18, whey is now being incorporated into many recipes and dishes. Chef Tommy Banks says “It’s super flavoursome and sweet.” In some of his creations he uses raw milk whey, to make ricotta and sauces. What creations could you come up with?
20. CBD
This trend is one we expected to see on the list! There is a lot of buzz around CBD products due to it’s many health benefits and many chains (such as Holland & Barrett) have released their own CBD product line. Expect in 2020 to see more CBD product creations including gins, hummus and ice cream. The Grocer’s Daniel Woolfson says ‘‘Every week, we get sent a new sparkling CBD drink.”
So there you have it.. 2020’s Top 20 Food & Drink Trends. Let us know if there are any another trends you predict for the coming year.
We are delighted to announce we have been recognised as a top packaging design agency in 2 reports by Design Rush.
1. ‘Top Cosmetic Packaging Design Companies’
The report states:
“Upwards of 33 percent of consumers will refuse to use a product or brand if they don’t like the look of their packaging label – and cosmetic packaging design is a prime example of this in action.
In fact, the brands that increasing perform well with consumers and in the cosmetics, makeup and skincare market are those that couple a great product with even better packaging.
This emphasis on aesthetic appeal improves brand awareness, consumer loyalty, user-generated marketing – particularly through social media – and ultimately increases revenue”
Design Rush say “Craft beer sales now comprise 24 percent of the United States’ beer market – which is a $114 billion industry. These trendy, homegrown beers rely on both taste and aesthetic appeal to attract customers within a growing market. And the most important element is a logo design.”
A big thanks to Design Rush for including us in this list.
Based in London UK, Slice Design are a top international creative branding and packaging design agency that have helped consumer brands grow and get noticed since 2004. We like to think of ourselves as a challenger to the large agency. As the name suggests we cut through jargon with our flexible, no nonsense approach and down to earth attitude. You can see some of our recent packaging design work here
Feel free to drop us a line or pop in and meet us in person. We are located in the centre of Hammersmith, London.
For specific project requirements click on either of the two green buttons at the bottom of the page we will get back to you double quick to hear more about your projects!
Ok so you’ve made the decision to become a designer. Great! Now where do you start?
Whether you’re a design student, graduate or young professional, making your first steps into the world of design is not an easy task. We understand how overwhelming it can be trying to get your name out there, so we have complied our best advice on how to get your foot in the door.
Do your research
Our first piece of advice is to do your research. Understand what type of agency you want to work in e.g packaging, web design, graphic design and then look for agencies that specialise in that. Once you know the agency you are interviewing with, research them thoroughly. Visit their website/social media and understand how they work, their style and their approach so you are prepared for any questions they may ask you. There’s nothing worse than not knowing any of their clients if you are asked which you would like to work on..
Practice makes perfect
All interviews are different, but you should still prepare for the standard interview questions – have your answers ready. If not all of them, at least prepare to tell them a bit about yourself and your studies. Agencies love it when you ask questions too, as this shows enthusiasm and an eagerness to learn. Try to think of at least one question to engage with your interviewer. It may be the one thing that sticks in their mind when you leave and it’s a great way to start a conversation! If you are worried you may forget questions or key points you want to cover, write them down in a notepad. This shows the agency just how prepared your are.
Think outside the box
Agencies are sent many CV’s/portfolios every day, meaning it’s vital to make sure yours stands out. Be different, be bold, be unique. Why not try hand delivering your CV or getting creative with the format? Make sure your portfolio is the bee’s knees! Agencies will always see your portfolio before they see you, so it really is the deciding factor on whether you get an interview. We recommend not just showing final execution but also showing development and how you got there. It’s important that all your skills are shown from thought generation to sketching to Mac visuals. Show no more than 8 pieces of your best work as anything more than that is design overload.
Don’t be late
This is a simple one but if you do get an interview, don’t be late. Unless you have a very very good excuse, being late will leave a bad impression for the duration of your interview. Make sure you are there at least 10 minutes early. If it’s a bit too early, find a coffee shop nearby and run through your notes whilst you wait. In London especially, there are factors such as tube delays that are beyond your control, so leave earlier than you should just in case. Your interviewer will have meetings and possibly other interviews that day so you do not want to be holding them up.
Leave a lasting impression
The first question the interviewer is asked when they walk back into the office is “how was that?” You need to have left the interview on good terms for them to say “They were great!” as opposed to “meh.” Be memorable – leave them with an interesting fact about yourself that they can share with the team. An agency is always looking for someone that can fit culturally with the team and will be a great addition. It’s key that you are yourself in an interview as this is what they will base their decision on.
Come with an opening statement
When you’re waiting outside the room you’re going to interviewed in, understandably you may be a little nervous. That’s completely normal – take a deep breath and try to relax. If you’re worried you may not have anything to say, come prepared with an opening statement or question. It could be something you’ve seen on your way in? The office dog you’ve just spotted? Or simply about the weather that day? Be engaging.
Eagerness to learn
We understand a graduate or design student’s work may not be perfect and will need moulding. That’s why you should always show your eagerness to learn. Talk us through your passion and love of design and why you want to make this your career. Are you ambitious? Great, tell the interviewer! When you’re starting out, you will get to experience lots of different tasks within an agency and it’s only then that you will know which ones you do/don’t like.
Get feedback
If you have been for an interview and not heard back from them for a few days, pop them an email or give them a call asking for feedback. If the answer is a no, feedback is a great way for you to progress in the next interview you have. Please don’t be disheartened if it’s a no, we understand this is difficult but success is never instantaneous – it takes time. Interviewing is A learning curve in itself and is something you can only get better at! Your interviewer may also give you feedback during the interview. If this is constructive, the best thing to do is not get defensive but rather take it on board. They are only trying to help you for future interviews.
Consider any kind of experience
An internship, placement or work experience is a great way to get yourself out there and get some knowledge of the industry. This also means you have something to discuss at interviews beyond your your portfolio. An internship could also very well turn into a job if you impress them whilst you’re there, and a job opening comes up. Even if it’s unpaid work, we would definitely recommend any kind of experience as this is more likely to help you secure a job.
Be patient
These things don’t happen over night so be patient. You can send out hundreds of CV’s but that one place that gets back may be perfect for you. Keep at it and something will come along. If not, review your tactics and mix it up. If you’re getting no where over the phone or email, go to the agency and ask for a meeting. A bold move will make a statement!
So there you have it. Our top tips for designers looking to start their carrier in a design agency. If you have any other tips, do let us know. Good luck! Enjoy the ride! You can find Slice on Design Rush’s Top Beer Branding Agencies list.
Recently, the Drum conduced a survey of 120 millennials to find out their favourite brands in relevant categories. Let’s see if you can guess any before the answers are revealed.
Beverage
Clothing
Supermarket
Food-Service
Telecoms
Travel
Banking
Food
Personal Care
Find out the answers below..
Beverage
3 main reasons for this answer was reliability, taste and familiarity with 1 in 4 saying it was their favourite drink. It’s true that from a very young age, children will see Coca-Cola everywhere, wherever they go in the world and whatever shop they go in it will be a consistent brand. The familiarity of the Christmas advert and the ongoing marketing activity online or at events such as festivals also cements the brand in people’s mind. It’s a very traditional brand that we think will still continue to be a fan favourite for many years to come.
Clothing Brand
The Drum stated that the top demands for clothing brands were variety, access and loyalty perks all of which Asos ticks. Runners up were New Look, Topshop, Zara and Next.
Who would yours be?
Supermarket
Results of this question were a bit of a mixed bag, with both value and affluent supermarkets appearing in the top 5 (Tesco, Marks and Spencer, Aldi, Waitrose, Sainsbury’s) One of the main reasons discovered in the survey was Tesco’s brand guarantee and club card benefits. It could also be the familiarity of Tesco as you’re never too far from one!
Food-service
Now this was no surprise to us when reading this but yes Nando’s topped the list for favourite food service of Millenials. Second place was awarded to Just Eat, followed by Dominos, Pizza Express and Five Guy’s. As the Drum pointed out all of these offer a relaxed dinner approach with a casual setting. The convenience of getting your food delivered and being able to watch it in from of Netflix resignates with Millennials. A popular
Telecoms brand
Again, no surprise to us that O2 won the vote of top teleoms brand. Second place was EE, followed by 3, Vodafone and Giffgaff. We believe the O2 Priority was what swayed it for Milleanials here. Access to gigs, festivals, events and cinema tickets is a great way to attract and most importantly keep younger consumers.
Travel brand
1 in 6 Millennials voted Airbnb their top travel brand followed by Thomas Cook, Skyscanner, Tui and EasyJet. Airbnb is very popular at the moment due to it’s flexibility, price and discovery aspect. You never know what you will get in the middle of a new city! We see Airbnb staying around for a very long time.
Banking Brand
Closely followed by Lloyds, Barclays, Natwest and HSBC, Millenails voted Santander their winner with 19% of votes. The Drum states that respondents made their decisions based on benefits, customer service and security.
Food Brand
Top place in this category is Cadbury, beating Ben & Jerrys, Doritos, Kinder and Lindt. The combination of great tasting chocolate and familiarity definitely plays a role here. Everyone knows Cadbury chocolate due it’s appearance at every occasion in the UK! Christmas, Easter, Valentines, Halloween – you’ll find Cadbury’s somewhere!
Personal care brand
Finally millennials voted Nivea their top personal care brand. Followed by Dove, Simple, L’oreal and Tresemme. The extensive product range for all skin types means this brand is one for everybody and not just targeted at specific people. Whether it’s skin care, make up, men’s grooming on sun care, Nivea’s got it covered. A household staple.
Did you guess any of these correctly? Let us know what you think and your favourite brands in these categories below.
Find us on Design Rush and discover some of our recent branding work here
Brand positioning is the foundation of your brand.
It’s the question we always get asked.. so here’s the answer.
A brand is what your customers perceive about you and how you make them feel. Therefore brand positioning is about developing a unique perception about your brand in the mind of the consumer. In order to discover the ‘opportunity’ we will consider:
1) What your product does well (credibility)
2) How you can be different and unique from the competition (differentiation)
3) Research and analyse consumer trends to understand what your consumer needs (relevance)
During this stage of the project we spend time considering the consumers and exploring trends to create insights and discover consumer needs within your particular field. Using this information we then craft “ownable” and “unique” brand propositions, which build the foundations of the brand – detailing the brand essence, core belief, product truth and tone of voice.
This is an important basis to not only guide the design, but also everything regarding the brand moving forward. Your choice of ‘tone of voice’ during the brand positioning can effect how you write copy on your website, to how you engage with consumers through social media, the choice of products you might look to launch in future, and so on!
Do you need brand positioning?
Brand positioning is not something every brand definitely needs, but we would highly recommend it. Having a unique proposition makes it much easier to sell your product into retailers. It also gives you a great opportunity to clearly differentiate yourself from competitors on shelf. Many of our clients have used the brand positioning we created for them to clearly communicate to retailers exactly why they should stock their product – and essentially got them a foot in the door!
Having a solid brand positioning also makes it easier to expand your range of products. Let’s say you have a food product and your positioning is ‘Surprise your senses’ as your range has quirky flavours. This positioning has scope to allow you to launch new flavours/products under the same brand that would also surprise your senses. This also reaffirms the consumers perception of what your brand stands for (perhaps exploratory, exciting etc…).
What next once you’ve selected your brand positioning?
When you have selected your preferred territory, this will influence the pack design and we begin with the first designing stage. The brand essence, core belief, product truth and tone of voice will play an important part. This is always taken into consideration before any design work begins.
Hopefully now you are a bit clearer on what brand positioning is and why it’s important. Now when someone asks you the dreaded question what does your brand stand for or what makes you different from everyone else, you have an answer!
To find out more about our brand positioning service call 0208 222 6999 and check out some of our brand case studies here
For more information on brand positioning, Marketing week post industry updates here
Now that the sun had decided to grace us with its presence, it truly feels like Summer in the UK. Sweaty trains, shorts, sunglasses and sleepless nights.
Have you ever noticed that we see seasonal packaging, in particular Christmas, Halloween, Easter and Valentine’s Day, but rarely Summer packaging on the shelves? Today we’ll be looking at the possible reasons for that, as well as the opportunities this opens up for brands.
Colours
Think of Summer…. What colours do you think of? Could it be a reason brands shy away from Summer packaging due to the limited colour palette of oranges, yellows and whites? If a brand is amongst competitors who have also chosen to explore Summer packaging and products are all using the same colours, there is an obvious risk of not standing out. Therefore it’s important to do a thorough competitor analysis to ensure you can differentiate from competitors.
Weather
We have been very fortunate with the weather this Summer, unlike previous years which have often been reminiscent of a Winter’s day. Let’s now look at a ketchup brand and packaging is screaming a sunny environment to inspire the consumer to eat ketchup at a barbecue. If it’s tipping it down with rain outside, you might not appeal to the consumer. On the other hand, if the weather is more typically ‘English’, a Summer pack design could offer some fantasy and escapism.
Sell well anyway
Some products such as ice cream, barbecue foods, alcohol and suncream sell well during Summer. The need to create new Summer designs as their sales are sufficient during the specific period may not be required. If anything, most of these categories should be focusing on other seasonal packaging that isn’t Summer to ensure sales throughout the year.
Gifting
Other opportunities for seasonal packaging are sometimes associated with gifting; Christmas, Valentine’s, Easter. Some brands use this to their advantage by positioning the product itself as a gift. During Summer, this is much more difficult for brands as Summer is does not have that association with gifting, unless you know someone who burns when they spend five minutes in the sun and you buy them aftersun as a gift of generosity!
Characters
What do you think of when you hear Christmas? Santa, reindeers, snow. What do you think of when you hear Halloween? Spiders, ghosts, zombies. What do you think of when you hear Easter? Eggs, chicks, bunnies. All of these occasions that can be used in packaging contain characters that you can get creative with. When you think of Summer, you do think of sun, beaches and sand. Unfortunately, these aren’t as fun as some of the other occasions and means less chances for creativity with the pack design.
Not an event
Again, if we think of the times brands would use limited edition packaging, it is normally an event that is one day and built up to. Summer is a long time period (or is meant to be) from the start of June to the end of August that isn’t a day or celebrated as much as other events. Could this be a reason brands see it as less important than other holidays and therefore packaging doesn’t celebrate it?
Relevant
Some brands may find it simple to link their product to Summer. Let’s say you are a haircare product, you could create Summer packaging for use in the sun or on holiday. However, if you are a brand such as hot chocolate, predominately being drunk in Winter, it may be more difficult for you to link your brand with Summer. We would not recommend trying to force something that your brand doesn’t stand for and making a strange link to Summer.
Opportunities
Now we have looked at the potential reasons brands may shy away from Summer packaging, we wanted to share with you some of the reasons brand DO utilise it and the opportunities it holds.
Summer packaging gives brands the chance to expand their product range. Whether that is testing new products, limited edition ranges or products that are Summer specific, it’s a great chance to grow a brand. As well as the opportunity for further products, Summer packaging opens up a whole new consumer base. Consumers may discover a product due to new packaging that wows on the shelf. This opens up the possibility for brands to become known as a holiday essential in the Summertime.
If consumers are more aware of brands during Summer, this inevitably means having the opportunity to boost sales. If your brand doesn’t sell well in the hot months, investing in Summer packaging that ties in with your brand in some way is a trick you could be missing. Want sales all year round? Give it a go.
Summer lasts a lot longer than most other holidays so if you are currently doing seasonal packaging such as Halloween, you won’t have as much of a shelf life compared to Summer packaging. If you’re going to invest in packaging, Summer could be a good place to test to waters.
During Summer you also have the chance to be experimental with your brand, take it somewhere new and test it with a fresh, vibrant colour palette. Get creative!
Discover some of the top Summer packaging of 2020 here
Top tips
If you have chosen to go ahead with Summer packaging, we have listed out top tips below for you.
Make sure it is relevant for the brand
Be positive in all messaging
Make sure people will still recognise the brand
Don’t follow the crowd
Don’t be narrow minded. Could your packaging turn into a fan?
Use Summer imagery
Link it to a Summer campaign e.g win a holiday
Use opportunities to sell more products
If you’d like to talk to us about Summer packaging give us a call on 0208 222 6999. Check out some of our recent work here
Here at Slice, we are always on the lookout for imaginative, quirky and clever packaging that is different to everything else.
The kind of packaging you would stop and make you say “cool.”
Using clever packaging that really thinks outside the box means you are more likely to have people talking about it and wanting to get their hands on it. An ingenious piece of packaging can definitely compliment the product itself and is also a great way to stand out amongst your competitors.
Today we’ve looked at 15 pack designs that impressed us.
1. Teapea tea
2. Good Hair Day Pasta
3. Blood Of Grapes
4. Smirnoff
5. Hanger Tea
7. SpoonLidz
8. Zen Fragrance
9. Poilu Paintbrush
10. Paramasen Pencil
11. Mini Oliva
12. Japanese Cookie
13. La Vieja Fabrica
14. Cupcake Oven
15. Butter! Better!
Did any of these put a smile on your face? If you can think of any more innovative and clever pack designs you’ve seen, let us know.
Based in London UK, Slice Design are a top international creative branding and packaging design agency that have helped consumer brands grow and get noticed since 2004. We like to think of ourselves as a challenger to the large agency. As the name suggests we cut through jargon with our flexible, no nonsense approach and down to earth attitude.
No fancy trademarked processes and no hidden extras. The benefit to yourselves is all the experience but with the flexibility that large packaging design agencies cannot deliver.
From our studio in Hammersmith, London, we work for clients around the world: global and local, big household names and small startups, challengers and leaders. Whether a big brand re-design, NPD launch or simple packaging updates. We’re proud to remain flexible, refreshingly honest and wholly independent.
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