Branding

If.

There are many design projects which don’t have the budget for either food photography or illustration, let alone using stock library imagery.

In these situations colour and typography are incredibly important as they are the only items in the tool kit that you can use to convey taste, appetite, appeal, and in some instances provenence. Therefore, this selection process should be handled very sensitively as getting the wrong colour for the wrong competitive environment can create packaging that lacks desire.

Have a look at this example now, this is an own brand pack from Sainsbury’s. The choice of blue with a product that lacks vibrancy means the net result is quite insipid.

When you put this on shelf against some of the other more vibrant dips and sauces, it has a tendency to look incredibly uninviting.

This is often where a combination of different colourways can come in to elude towards either the provenence of the dish or to introduce an element of appetite appeal.

Remember, you eat with your eyes, first!

#BrandDesign, #PackagingDesign, #Packaging, #Food

One of the big advantages of advent calendars is the huge branding space available.

It’s usually a fantastic way to create a bit of seasonal excitement for confectionery brands and introduce the product to loyal fans and new consumers alike.

So this Maltesers offering is an odd addition to the festive lineup this year. Whilst many of the competition have opted for a large brand logo, Maltesers have gone for a very minimal approach with a huge amount of dead space towards the top of the pack.

This minimal approach is also echoed in the numbering system, so unless door number one, has a magnifying glass behind it. Good luck trying to work your way sequentially through the days up till Christmas Eve.

Negative space is often a great way to frame a brand logo and create an area of calm on a busy shelf but I wonder if this offering where the brand logo is pushed towards the bottom of the canvas and hidden behind the SRP is the best solution?

Simplicity is key, but always make sure the composition is optimised to ensure standout.

#BrandDesign, #PackagingDesign, #Packaging, #Marketing

Use what you have in a creative way.

Following on from my post yesterday regards using windows on-pack, have a look at this clever little idea from Terry‘s Chocolate Orange.

Interestingly, they have incorporated the window into part of the design in order to make the product more seasonal.

It’s a very simple approach, but uses the existing cutter guide on the box so as not to incur additional production costs.

This clever little theme is also followed through onto the side of the pack.

Windows can be incredibly restrictive as I’ve discussed earlier but with a little bit of creative jiggery-pokery, can be used to accommodate different designs over any season.

#BrandDesign, #PackagingDesign, #Packaging, #Sustainability

Further reading: How to start a branding company

It’s what’s inside that counts?

Clearly (no pun intended) it’s important that the consumer knows what they are purchasing, but often a window never really sells the product in. In many cases it does the opposite. Importantly, it also reduces the amount of branding area you have available.

The frozen aisle is particularly bad. Items are covered in ice, obscured behind frosted bags and in a state far from what you would consider appetising or aspirational.

It reminded me of a conversation a few years back when a client was asking for a window on a frozen lasagna pack ‘so that the consumer can see the delicious topping’. I politely informed them that not even Harry Potter knows a spell that could make that topping look attractive so we are better not showing it!

In most instances, it would be better to use the space to show the product with a more appetising food shot.

A balance needs to be struck between what you want the consumer to see and impact at fixture, because having the window reduces the amount of branding and communication area.

It’s also false economy if the product wouldn’t benefit from being seen.

#BrandDesign, #PackagingDesign, #Packaging, #Marketing

Well, that’s Halloween out of the way, now onto Christmas!

It’s that epitome of a lazy gifting. That signal that I have no idea what to buy you, so I’m going to opt for this gift. The gift card.

Most of the multiples are strewn with aisle ends of these and it’s fair to say that they all rely purely on a large logo in order to entice those lazy consumers.

I wonder if there is a bigger win here for some of these brands to do something a little different using something that echoes the individual and unique propositions a lot more?

A typical plastic card on a card backing is more akin to a card renewal from your bank and has all of those functional more utilitarian connotations with it.

There are lots of ways to add a little ceremony to the opening. A message to showcase your point of difference and make the end consumer think, ooooh, thats fun!

So come on big brands. You have spent years developing a strong and differentiated essence. Give your lazy consumers a bit more excitement so that the receiver feels a bit more appreciated and above all – engaged.

#BrandDesign, #PackagingDesign, #Packaging, #Marketing

If your brand is lucky enough to have a pedigree, use it, It’s a great point of difference.

There aren’t many brands they can say they’ve been around for over 100 years. It’s actually a fantastic differentiator as it shows real credibility. If you’ve lasted this amount of time, you’ve obviously got an incredibly good product!

The world of shaving products has been very samey over the last 10 or 20 years. All competing blade brands seem to have been rooted in technology, and only differentiated their offers by adding more and more blades.

So it’s interesting to see Gillette focus more on its authenticity and roots in this extension of its shaving products. Mr King Camp Gillette (the brands namesake) revolutionised modern day grooming in 1901 when he invented the world’s first ever safety razor.

The King C. Gillette brand, inspired by its founder, provides a nod back to the early 1900’s with its shaving products and classic razor collection.

It’s actually quite a brave move as this development doesn’t use any of the brands existing core assets, with only the name providing the link to the parent brand.

If you have a great product and a name synonymous with a sector, this is obviously a much easier leap to make. But remember you can’t make up authenticity it needs to be backed with a credible story. So if you have one, use it!

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Here’s a great example, regards how to be transparent with the consumer.

This toothpaste pack explains what each of the ingredients are on the back, where they are derived from and what each does.

In a world where consumers are keen to understand what they are putting in their bodies, this is a great way for a brand to show empathy.

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Stay true to your values.

If you are launching a sub-brand or variant, it’s important that this variant is a true representation of what the parent brand stands for.

Line extensions in a portfolio create intrigue and help get new users into the category, but it’s paramount that these new offerings sit comfortably within the same tone voice and brand story as the brand that spawned it.

Jimmy Chu is a brand synonymous with swanky shoes. So, I suppose it makes sense that any of these high fashion brands can switch easily from one end of the body to the other and Introduce fragrance.

But this latest offspring seems to make no sense at all. Why would a brand with such a high-end positioning undermine these premium credentials and create an urban offering that looks more like the cover of a Speed Garage compilation from the late 90s?!

Instead of creating a new twist, this approach has the tendency to undermine and devalue the brand.

Always look at how to extend your portfolio and your offer, but remember to stay true to the values that created your offer in the first place.

#BrandDesign, #PackagingDesign, #Packaging, #Marketing

One of the most visually striking sectors for packaging design is often the bottles in fragrance category.

Well, for the primary pack I think that’s true, but for the secondary packaging, the cartons that the bottles go in, it is incredibly bland with most of the big players following the same minimal rules.

In many cases it would be hard to guess which carton some of the bottles came from as there is little correlation.

The net result is that few of these, standout or showcase the same excitement or brand story as the bottles hidden within.

The default seems to be simplistic type on a plane carton, a mile away from what some of the bottle shapes are doing.

It’s not for the want of cost saving either, the markup on these items is huge, so there is plenty of budget available for brands to inject a little excitement into what is the main facing in store.

A strong design system should run through all items within a portfolio. Its this consistency that creates more recognition and brand recall.

#BrandDesign, #PackagingDesign, #Packaging, #Marketing

This may be the most boring photo you see all day.

There are on average some 30,000 items in a typical UK supermarket, that’s a lot of choice. A brands role is too get the consumer excited and interested.

For many sectors, this is quite a challenge non more so than for kitchen electricals. This tired looking apologetic space doesn’t seem to have changed since the mid-80s.

It does seem that there is a huge opportunity in this area to break the mould and do something, well, more challenging.

Whether that’s dispensing with the clipped product shot and doing something more lifestyle based or being big and bold and focusing on a single minded claim.

Always keep the consumer interested. A boring pack hints at a boring product experience.

#BrandDesign, #PackagingDesign, #Packaging, #Marketing