In order to gain a better understanding behind the packaging of products, I wanted to get some insider knowledge from packaging designers. I wrote a list of questions to send to some packaging designers so that I could compare it with the research I had found for my essay. This was my list of questions:
(1) Do you research heavily into the brand you're designing when designing something new?
(2) What do you class as successful packaging design and why?
(3) Do you ever consider the theories related to design (colour theory, psychological etc) when designing, or is it just mainly focused on aesthetics?
(4) How much do you compare / copy similar brands? Do you try to stand out or stick with the norms?
(5) What has been your favourite product to work on and why?
I contacted four different studios that I had found who design food and other packaging. I contacted Anna Lamburn from Butterfly Cannon based in London, BigFish studios, Robot Food and Elmwood. BigFish studios contacted me back giving me an email for one of their designers, however I am yet to hear back from him, and Robot Food and Elmwood I have sadly not heard back from.
Anna Lamburn from Butterfly Cannon did respond and gave me some useful information responding to my questions.
Hi Beth,
- Do you research heavily into the brand you're designing when designing something new?
Yes. We ask the client to provide as much information as possible. We want to know the history of the brand, brand stories, past designs they've done, where the brand is headed over the next few years, competitors, future aims, where it will be sold, how much it costs etc. We need to know the full picture to help us position our design well.
- What do you class as successful packaging design and why?
Successful packaging design should be meaningful, memorable and beautiful (in that order). Every design choice you make has to have a relevant meaning behind it because it helps consumers connect to the brand in an emotional way. Without meaning the brand feels empty and consumers don't tend to gravitate towards it as much. It's the reason some brands are coveted and talked about constantly, like Veuve Cliquot for example (that's a really good reference for an excellent brand strategy).
- Do you ever consider the theories related to design (colour theory, psychological etc) when designing it, or is it just mainly focused on aesthetics?
Hmm, yes I suppose so. We all have good knowledge of typography and the meaning behind certain typefaces, and we also think about semiotics in our designs and logos too. If we can design a logo that has hidden meaning or something to discover then that's great. For example, we recently designed a star logo for a brand and the star is made up of the letter 'J' because the brand name begins with a 'J'. It helps their icon feel ownable to them and not just another generic star. We'd also think about what the colours mean for our brand, but it tends to be a mix of what looks good and feels right, vs. what it means on a deeper level.
- How much do you compare / copy similar brands? Do you try to stand out or stick with the norms?
You never try and copy other brands, it's important to really try and think of original ideas as far as possible. But yes, being realistic, to some extent I suppose we're always influenced by what other brands are out there.
Most brands tend to want to 'stand out but fit in'. It sounds like it doesn't make sense but what they mean is that they want to sit comfortably in their category, but they also want to stand out from the competition. So for example, whisky brands have to be careful when choosing a bottle shape because they want to be instantly recognisable as a whisky to consumers. If you put it in a wide, short curved bottle people often think it's a cognac. Equally you'd probably never put neon pink on a whisky because it would totally alienate the typical whisky drinker. But you might push the boundaries a bit more than usual and put it in a navy and copper bottle like Haig Club. It challenges the norms and stands out from the competition, but it doesn't totally alienate people and lose credibility.
- What has been your favourite product to work on and why?
My favourite product to work on recently is a new skincare brand for teenagers that hasn't launched yet. They're trying to go against the grain on instagram perfect, filtered, flawless faces and offer something a lot more real and honest for teens growing up. (Essentially it's going to be the Glossier for tweens instead of millennials). The reason I love it is because they're trying to shake up the category and they have very good ethics as a company. We're looking at fully recycled plastic going into their bottles and soya inks, vegan formulas etc. We're trying to create packaging formats that feel desirable and meaningful (i.e. something like glossier cloud paint tubes. Blushers that come in tubes that look like gouache paint). It's really interesting to create something with good morals and smile in the mind ideas, it's not just about selling people stuff.
Hope that helps!
Anna :)
No comments:
Post a Comment