Branding

You can’t rely on bright colour alone for shelf stand out.

I’ve had a couple of conversations with clients over the last week regards how colour is best utilised on packaging.

Sure, a bright colour will give you stand out at fixture but it’s not the only weapon in the arsenal.

Once you catch a consumers attention, you’ve then got to entice them in and tell the story. If it was only about bright colours you’d have premium whiskeys in fluorescent greens and pinks and clearly you don’t. There’s a good reason behind that.

The choice of colour also has to tell a credible and relevant story for the brand. It needs to work as part of the design system. Part of the story telling.

Relying only on a bright colour is a trap that many brands fall into, take this great example from Cherry Blossom shoe care. Sure, the wall of red is eye-catching, but there is nothing within the brand communication that tells an emotive story that connects with the consumer beyond that. The copy is utilitarian, and the overall look anaesthetic is dated and functional.

Having a credible story goes a long way, it’s a reason for your consumer is to believe why you are the right product choice. It’s the brands opportunity to showcase how it adds a value.

#BrandDesign, #PackagingDesign, #Packaging, #Marketing

Beauty drinks are a huge trend in Thailand.

Functional drinks with added vitamins, collagen or chlorophyll don’t promise to work wonders on the inside but on the outside.

They borrow much more from the world of personal care than from their refreshing counterparts.

It seems to be a deep, rooted cultural thing, because in Thailand, the more beautiful, you are the more successful you appear to be.

This is something I’ll cover a little deeper with my next post tomorrow, but safe to say based on the demand of a market which places great importance on beauty, these type of products will continue to be a key part of the Drinks fixture.

#PackagingDesign, #Packaging, #Innovation, #Beauty

Here is a fascinating innovation from the world of confectionery.

As any parent will know, it’s tricky to get the kids off sweets and chocolate over the summer holiday, so it was great to see this innovation in the confectionery aisle in Thailand.

The pack consists of a thin sheet of roasted seaweed laced with chilli (other flavours are available).

The pack instantly caught my eye with a character, hurriedly stuffing, a whole sheet into their mouth!

The punchy colours and large format make it feel like you are getting much more bang for your buck, so even at a tiny 3.5g per pack the kids (or adults) dont feel like they are losing out – a really clever approach!

It retails about 8p per pack. The thinness of the format means that SRP’s can be filled to the brim and the pack commands a huge amount of real estate, because of the profile.

In a world where we are trying to limit the amount of sugar intake in kids, this innovative product can only be celebrated.

#BrandDesign, #PackagingDesign, #Packaging, #Innovation

For me, one of the most exciting things about going to far-flung places is sampling the delights of new food.

That said, it’s not the same for everyone. Some people prefer familiarity and a taste from back home.

Whilst I appreciate some foods could be a bit challenging for all pallets you can’t help, but think consumers are missing out on the local delicacies if they revert to what they normally eat every day.

Have a look at this example from a Thai supermarket, obviously aimed at toasted sandwich. Loving Brits, who are missing their beloved ham and cheese toastie!

One thing that is really important if you’re trying to ‘replicate’ snacks is making sure that the reassurance box is ticked, whilst these packs are obviously aimed at people with slightly less adventurous pallets, the lack of a good food shot doesn’t really lead it self to appetite appeal.

That taste of home will only be satisfied, if it looks like the real thing you left back home.

#BrandDesign, #PackagingDesign, #Packaging, #Marketing

Using formats borrowed from other sectors for food packaging adds intrigue and can sometimes solve a problem.

So, last week I was in Thailand and dug out some fantastic packaging examples which I’m going to share on posts this week.

Sometimes it’s good to play around with different unrelated formats for products, especially when those formats are better recognised from completely different sectors. This helps add intrigue and excitement.

Take this example from Carnation, as a great case in point. This well recognised food brand has borrowed tubes from the world of toothpaste.

Now on first sight, this is quite juxtaposition of product and format, but it actually works really well as a both a dispense mechanism and as a convenient way of resealing cream in a hot environment. The added bonus is that it certainly catches the eye on shelf.

Things aren’t always what they seem. But that’s a good thing, right?

#BrandDesign, #PackagingDesign, #Packaging, #Innovation

Always try to challenge and inspire the consumer.

I saw these in store recently and its fair to say, steamed brown lentils are never going to be an easy sell-in!

Therefore it’s really important to try and find ways to inspire consumers with regards how they can use your product in tasty and adventurous ways.

I think the brand would really benefit from some inspirational destination dish shots or even appetite appeal building into the rather forlorn logotype which would also help increase brand recognition.

Remember, the consumer is looking to a brand for guidance and expertise and inspiration.

#BrandDesign, #PackagingDesign, #Packaging, #Food

What did you say it was again?

I often think a dollop of common sense is beneficial for brands.

Take a look at this example of a Heinz Tomato Ketchup sachet where, in order to comply with regulations, the brand has had to write tomato ketchup in multiple languages. This happens more than you realise!

It is often a common challenge in packaging design, trying to squeeze all of these languages onto the pack but on closer inspection you can see that the translation is exactly the same in 7 of the languages!

Common sense should always win through, after all, I don’t think it takes a rocket scientist to work out what it is. Regulators sometimes need to ‘ketchup’ and utilise common sense.

#BrandDesign, #PackagingDesign, #Packaging, #Marketing

Ask any kid who Mr. Beast is, and they will immediately start spouting stories about his excess and over the top character.

As with Logan Paul and KSI, launching Prime, Mr. Beast has not been late to the party, introducing his own brand of consumer goods Feastables, a range of snacking chocolate bars.

MrBeast is known for his hugely expensive videos, altruism and larger than life personality. On one recent video he asked 100 people of all different ages to see how long they could stay in a cube – the winner getting half a million dollars. On another he filled a house with fireworks and blew it up whilst driving a freight train int a huge hole!

With this launch, there was a perfect opportunity to introduce some of his unique altruistic character and showmanship onto pack, which I feel they missed out on a little.

Social media influencers will always look to release consumer goods as they are a fantastic way to capitalise on their fanbase, but it’s important that the personality of the individual comes across in the storytelling in these products, otherwise they may disappear amongst the competition on shelf.

#BrandDesign, #PackagingDesign, #Packaging, #Marketing

It’s that time of the year, when we invest gazillions in protecting ourselves from the summer sun.

Sunscreen (or suntan lotion, as some people refer to it as, I’ve no idea why has it doesn’t actually give you a suntan!) Is top of the shopping list over these first few weeks of the post school summer holiday.

How do you navigate and choose your brand of choice?

I saw this example from Nivia, and it’s a great example of the branding and structure not being designed in harmony.

Clearly the bottle needs to be gripped by oily hands to stop it flying off into the Mediterranean Sea. However, the way this particular structure has been designed, reduces the branding area significantly, rendering it very difficult to see on the shelf.

Packaging is a three-dimensional item, both structure and graphics need to work together in synchronicity in order to communicate to the consumer why you are the best brand.

If these components are designed in isolation your brand will suffer the consequences.

#BrandDesign, #PackagingDesign, #Packaging, #3D

It’s that time of the year, when we invest gazillions in protecting ourselves from the summer sun.

Sunscreen (or suntan lotion, as some people refer to it as, I’ve no idea why has it doesn’t actually give you a suntan!) Is top of the shopping list over these first few weeks of the post school summer holiday.

How do you navigate and choose your brand of choice?

I saw this example from Nivia, and it’s a great example of the branding and structure not being designed in harmony.

Clearly the bottle needs to be gripped by oily hands to stop it flying off into the Mediterranean Sea. However, the way this particular structure has been designed, reduces the branding area significantly, rendering it very difficult to see on the shelf.

Packaging is a three-dimensional item, both structure and graphics need to work together in synchronicity in order to communicate to the consumer why you are the best brand.

If these components are designed in isolation your brand will suffer the consequences.

#BrandDesign, #PackagingDesign, #Packaging, #3D