Each week a different member of the HuebnerPetersen team presents a "Teaching Moment". This week, Kendall, put together a insightful and visually delightful overview of on "Packaging 01: An Essential Primer for Today's Competitive Market". The book has unique insights on packaging and this presentation works to generate discussion and inspiration.
2. On the most basic level, a
package is a necessity. It
is used to protect, contain
and identify products.
Beyond that, a package can have many other functions. It may be
used to present information, prevent theft, or to set the product
apart from the competition.
With the variety of materials currently available and efficient proto-
typing and manufacturing processes, package design is a world of
opportunity today. The importance of packaging is becoming more
obvious, and the world is shifting in favor of it.
3. 4 Criteria of a Successful Package
1. Identification: How easily a consumer can identify product
from package
-Consider all of the senses, engage the consumer.
-Great package design takes a leap within the category, not
completely out of the category and over a cliff.
4. 2. Functionality: Usability of the product
-The package can become an integral part of the product. The lines
between product and package begin to blur when the package
adds an unexpected benefit to the product.
5. 3. Personality: How the brand comes to life
-The package is the first and almost always the last moment of
truth before the purchase is made. It is often the only personal
interaction a consumer may have with the product, and is kind of
like an actual person itself.
6. 4. Navigation: How the consumer finds your product within
the category
-Navigation uses visual clues like type, colors, patterns, words
and shapes
-An individual brand’s products should be easily identifiable and
should stand apart from others. Different products within a brand
may use parts of the package to connect it to the larger family of
products, while other elements make the package distinctive.
7. Other neat things
Shape and structure
-The shape of the package says something about the product and
brand that words, graphics and colors cannot. If you were blind
folded and someone put five similar products in front of you, could
you pick your preferred brand? The next time you are consuming a
product directly from the package, ask yourself, “What do I feel?”
8. Green
-With increased awareness of the consequences of too much
packaging (and too much everything) in landfills, we now find
ourselves considering what happens at the end of the life of a
package.
-We, as a design community, have the ability to make a positive
impact. Just saving inches of packing material, choosing
biodegradable materials, or making energy-saving decisions in the
production process can make a difference.