Packaging For Tomorrow

Kevin A asked:


Packaging is the third largest industry in America valued at $110 billion per annum. It is estimated that there are 350 billion packages which comprise of the tiniest item in pharmaceuticals to supersacks used that are used to carry thousands of pounds of content and which can withstand rigorous transport.

Product Packaging Design

Consider what product packaging design does to your product:



Most importantly, packaging identifies your brand.

Packaging communicates with the consumer and presents an image, displays the product and also provides instructions for its use.

Packaging distinguishes your product from your competitors in its design, color, and shape.

Packaging is your products promotional advertisement. It is the last thing the consumer sees about your product before making a decision to purchase it.



To see how important product label design is, take the case of DermaQuest which produces a line of skincare products. Although their products are of high quality, their initial packaging was not impressive and did not say much about their product. After working with a team of professional designers and branding houses their skincare products were given a totally new makeover. Allyson Rogers, director of education at DermaQuest said, “It’s made a huge difference. It’s helped us get into new doors that we weren’t in before. This is something that appeals to doctors. It’s clean, scientific and elegant-looking.” The new look resulted in doubling their sales.

Generally packaging works out to 10% of the retail cost of a product. However this margin would go up or down considering the product you are selling. Cosmetic and electronic manufacturers may spend up to 40% or more of the product cost on packaging, as would gift items. An attractively packaged product makes all the difference at the point of sale. The extra care and cost required to produce an attractive package are more than covered through increase in sales.

Sanjay Sood, associate professor of marketing at UCLA’s Anderson School of Management said, “Packaging may provide consumers with some sort of interest or incentive that can help get customers to try it, but for repeat buys, that’s where the product will live or die on its own.”

There is a psychology to a consumers selection of a product and it depends on product design and packaging.

Points to Consider in Product Label Design:



Packaging should be functional.



It should protect your product against any kind of damage or deterioration.

It should also be able to withstand transport and shipping.

It should be environmentally friendly

It should be easy to open and the product easy to use.

It should be tamper proof.





Packaging should have consumer appeal, a distinctiveness that makes your product stand out against a hundred other products on the shelf.

Packaging, labeling and any additional information should be designed keeping in mind the profile of your target consumer. Understand your market and target them specifically. Packaging for a generic audience can confuse the consumer.

Packaging should help build your brand image. Its about communicating your product and building a relationship with your consumers through your brand image.

Packaging should stand out against your competitors products.



Product Label Design: Health Supplements



Labeling on health supplements is important. Labels on the package should contain Supplement Facts about the ingredients and their nutritive value and comply with other FDA guidelines regarding dietary supplements.

Additional information on the package on how the product works could provide the consumer incentive information that will help the consumer to make an educated decision over your competitors products.

Promotional leaflets inside the packaging can help consumers to be more aware of the product and how it beneficially impacts the consumers health. This can build credibility and trust. These leaflets can also be used to introduce other products in your line of production.

Adding one or more health claims on health products could boost your sales by 20% . This was the conclusion of an online study conducted by National Starch. Consumer perception was tested for leading brands of bread, nutrition bars and cereals. It was found that consumers began placing a higher value on these products when the packaging was altered to include additional health claims such as: increases dietary fiber inake, “promotes a healthy digestive system”, “helps to control blood sugar highs,” “provides a balance of energy” and “delivers prebiotic properties.”



ackaging trends are changing constantly. There are new innovations all the time. Keeping abreast of packaging and label trends will give your products a competitive edge.



Savannah

Tim Robertson asked:


Marketers will often turn to focus groups for feedback on current or proposed packaging design. Unfortunately, traditional focus groups tend to mimic beauty contests. They turn into opinion gathering sessions that support a participant’s point of view, rather than providing feedback on consumers’ actual buying behavior within the store environment where products are purchased.

Participants play art director over design issues, confuse the brand with the package design, react emotionally to price increase questions, and talk about what they “like” and “don’t like”. As a result, the output quality of this type of research is minimal at best.

On the other hand, effective behavior-based focus group research measures the effect of brand influence, analyzes the buying behavior of participants in a comparative retail environment, and uses eye-tracking technology to find out what consumers pay attention to - and what they ignore.

The significance of brand influence

Effective brand value testing involves separating the brand name from the actual proposed or current package design. This measurement gives an indication of how the brand is perceived prior to seeing a packaged product. Participants are then introduced to the packaging and asked if the new or proposed package design adds, or detracts from, perceived brand value. Marketers may be making a costly mistake if the perceived value of a brand is negatively affected by a new design architecture.

Buying behavior of participants in a retail environment

Packaging design is measured and tested in the comparative marketplace for which it is intended. A comparative marketplace is one in which the competition sits side by side for comparison and consideration. This is a circumstance that does not usually occur in print and broadcast media; as competitors usually do not jockey to be side-by-side.

According to Wharton School research, over one third of the brands displayed on the shelf are never seen. A colorful and exciting new design that is approved in the boardroom or chosen in a focus group may fail if all the other packages on the shelf in the same category are equally as colorful and exciting. Contrast is what makes a package design stand out on the shelf, and this can be achieved through the effective means of both design and structural innovation.

Eye-tracking technology

Consumers spend 2-3 seconds scanning a package for relevant information. If they do not immediately comprehend the benefit they will move on to a competitor’s brand. It is imperative to know what consumers are seeing and what they are not, and this can be done effectively with eye-tracking technology. This type of research gives marketers an idea of which messaging to prioritize, and which information to minimize.

Not surprisingly, the more text there is on a package, the less it will be read. Unfortunately, many well-meaning marketers think the opposite, and act accordingly. Some of the product designers at Microsoft have put together a great parody of this practice by showing how the Microsoft marketing department would redesign Apple’s iPod package. Instead of the simple and elegant messaging Apple created, it becomes a hodgepodge of system requirements, badges, call-outs, sub-branding logos, benefit statements, feature lists, and more!

Effective behavior-based focus group research goes beyond “opinion gathering”, giving researchers the feedback necessary to understand the impact and value of both present, and proposed packaging design in real-world terms.



Jaiden

Glazer+Kalayjian asked:


We have come a long way since wooden barrels and woven bags were used as packaging for products. Globally the packaging industry is worth over $400 billion, with companies actively investing their resources into new product development and packaging design innovation to drive growth within their industry and increase their market share.



Packaging often offers one of the last opportunities to influence the purchasing decisions of consumers in a store setting, therefore on a basic level, the better the packaging, the greater the chance that consumers will buy your product.

Effective packaging should:

* Generate visibility and consideration for your product (above others) at retail outlets;

* Help shoppers to select the right product/variety/brand easily;

* Communicate key product information, product benefits and directions for use;

* Generate purchase (and interest in future purchases);

* Generate an emotional appeal to the client, so they search out your brand, and become loyal to the brand.



Glazer+Kalayjian has almost 30 years of experience serving the packaging, marketing and branding design needs of clients globally, through an array of services that support and simplify the design, creation and execution of consumer brands worldwide. We are adept at creatively developing and executing a wide range of end-to-end solutions, whether it is for a new product launch or a re-packaging exercise, that will work in harmony with the brand, and create synergy with your brand strategy.

Services available to our clients include:

Design Research and Trend Watching:

Glazer+Kalayjian frequently meets with partners from around the world to discuss, trends, forecasts, and compare learning and business solutions. Clients benefit from the wealth of shared knowledge from different countries and cultures around the world. We can watch trends developing and emerging in different markets around the globe, and evaluate them on a local and international level, long before deciding whether to implement them in local and/or global markets.

Strategy:

At Glazer+Kalayjian, we think your brand name should not only create new logos, but also new markets. Using our organization, creative thinking, customer research and our R&D initiatives we want to steer your company ahead of the pack. As a result, every Glazer+Kalayjian project begins by stimulating discussions between your client, the market place, the distributor, and the consumer.

Idea Generation:

The best strategic packaging design solutions begin with a brainstorming or mind mapping session. Starting with a competitive analysis, background research, the clients objectives and positioning strategy, we begin uncovering innovative solutions that solve any merchandising and point-of-sale issues and build brand equity.

Packaging Design and 3D Modeling:

Our packaging and modeling teams offer implementation and art preparation using state of the art digital technology.

Digital Keyline:

In the creation of a keyline, the art file speaks the details for each individual job. The ultimate goal is to attain design standards and colors specific to each brand.

Production Art:

Creating production art from design files requires the adjustment of files to match the desired printed outcome. During this process, we work with rounds of color exploration and design adjustments.

Photo Composition and Retouching:

We can digitally alter any image, including matching preexisting images or colors, or creating a new image from several separate images (composition).



Implementation and Roll-Out:

Often, we are charged with implementing a brand design strategy across many SKU’s. We are able to implement art across a line of products under the same brand architecture while holding true to the visual brand design specifications across different types of packaging.

File Preparation for Print:

We can prepare files for a large print runs, and ready master files for final separation and print. The final electronic files will include all the necessary data to ensure a successful print run. A member of staff is always present for on-press supervision, to review the project with the plant, check the samples, and to review the proofs.

Technical Drawings:

Using information from ideation and brainstorm sessions, our designers move into technical drawings to review feasibility, ergonomics and creativity of each idea. This stage allows us to test ideas, and our clients to visualize ideas as they take on 3D virtual forms. We can wrap any form with graphics and colors to create photorealistic visuals.

Mix 3-D with Reality:

Often, a client wants to use existing photography, but redesign packaging graphics. To solve this problem we would build a 3D model of the packaging and apply new graphics to the model. Next, we match camera angles and lighting of the original photo and produce the new image.

Rendering:

Rendering is the final step, where the computer processes all the data and takes a “virtual photograph” of it. The resulting image is produced as an Adobe Photoshop file that can be used across different platforms.

Technical Drawings:

Using information from our idea generation sessions, our designers create technical drawings. This stage allows us to test ideas and feasibility, and our clients to visualize the packaging as the ideas take on 3D forms, that can be wrapped with graphics and colors to create photorealistic visuals.

Comp Capabilities:

Our comp capabilities are unparalleled. From a simple box comp to large scale heros, our innovative techniques are the key to meeting any packaging prototype challenge. Our comps provide clients with an exact replica of their product packaging using custom colors and substrates. These packages are flawless and free of extraneous graphic elements that may detract from the brand message. Clients use our comps and mock-ups for:

* Design approval

* Packaging prototypes

* Hero packaging for advertising

* Sell-in to the trade

From concept to implementation and production, Glazer+Kalayjian offer services and solutions that are tailor-made to match the individual needs of each client, though strategic brand design and development and expert knowledge. Types of packaging we have produced for our clients include:

* Shrink-wrap or overwrap

* Transfers and Decals

* Bottles and Labels

* Waterproof Labels

* Boxes and Cartons

* Clamshells and Blisters

* Bags and Pouches

* Cans and Tubes

* Conical Shapes

* Cups and Tubs

* Displays/Point of Purchase

* Presentation Boards

* Oversize/Miniatures

Packaging Design Research:

Any new packaging design, or significant change in an existing package, should always be subjected to the scrutiny of objective feedback through a number of research methods. As marketers seek a return on investment from re-packaging initiatives, research becomes increasingly important. Research helps to evaluate packaging systems across different forms/structures and retail environments. What works in one retail outlet may not work in all. It is also valuable to speak with retail personnel, to understand the implications of alternative packaging structures on merchandising and retail presence, and evaluate point of sale materials and promotions. Some consumer goods clients find that it is worthwhile to conduct ethnographic research, to observe people transporting, using and storing packaging within their homes. Please contact us for your packaging design research needs.

Collateral Materials:

Marketing materials, or sales collateral materials are used to support the sale of your products. At GK we can develop, create and produce a wide range of collateral materials, including:

* Sales brochures and other printed product information

* Posters and signs

* Visual aids and PowerPoint templates for use in sales presentations

* Point of sale materials

* In-store marketing materials, such as gondolas, floor splashes etc.

* Websites, search engine optimization and internet advertising

* Sales scripts

* Demonstration scripts

* Product data sheets

* Signage (external and internal)

* Vehicle signage

GK has a proven track record over three decades of understanding and supporting the creative needs and complicated production challenges facing our clients around the world.

Please contact us with your packaging design project needs.



Ivan