In this workshop for in-house B2C leaders, our experts shared the latest innovations in product design and packaging, including best-practise examples of outstanding packaging, along with the do's and don'ts for your own creative refresh.
With brand authenticity, sustainability, and transparency at the forefront of every consumer’s mind when it comes to supporting or purchasing a product - how could your packaging reinforce its brand values and help standout amongst competitors?
In our latest workshop, ‘Design that Delivers - Reinforcing your Brand through Creative Packaging’ our experts discuss the latest trends in product and packaging design across a range of sectors, the key relationship between your wider USP and physical products, and how to tackle some of the largest challenges when it comes to refreshing your own packaging and visual brand.
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Jon-Paul says, “within the FMCG market it has become standard that bottles are almost 100% recyclable for a more environmentally friendly approach to packaging, but what’s interesting to see is how brands take this further to make bespoke plastic bottles and emboss their own identity within them.
Actimel recently announced they got rid of the PET label around their bottle and instead opted to deboss their branding into the small yogurt pots themselves, which make it more recyclable yet ownable to them – as even when you take a bottle out from the cardboard wrap, you still see that branding.”
Read our article: Where to Get Started with a Branding and Design Project
With the rising demand of environmentally friendly packaging, Jon-Paul highlights, “you start to see things like shrink wraps replaced by cardboard, which may be a more complex and costly process from a manufacturing perspective but it's certainly a much friendlier approach to the environment.
Carlsberg did it a few years ago with little adhesive dots on the cans, replacing the plastic loops that hold multiple cans together. It seems so obvious, but it's a huge manufacturing process that takes time to work its way through and take the brand in the right direction in terms of a reduction in plastic use.”
Antonio says, “around the usage of plastic bottles, most cleaning products are around 98% water, meaning you’re essentially bottling up water in plastic and bulking it on the shelves, now there's a big movement to refills – one beautiful glass bottle for your bathroom with refills that may come on subscription.
There's a lot of brands trying to disrupt the space this way, so the bigger brands like your Unilever's and the P&Gs are having to react to that. Meaning when you go down to the supermarket to that cleaning aisle, there's a lot of innovation in packaging format, trying to get people to change how they buy bleach.”
Read our article: 7 Ways you Could be Harming your Visual Brand Identity
Richard says, “I think you should try and force yourselves to think about what's going to happen with your packaging when it gets home? And how might it be interacted with?
For example, people love Aesop packaging, it's simple, elegant, refined, and people know it's luxury. It's a piece of interior design – consumers may only buy one and refill it with cheaper alternatives but that demonstrates the point beautifully, it's not just a piece of packaging for a product, it’s designed to make your house look better.
Ultimately, the brands we buy reflect ourselves, and our homes are a curation of what we like and what we don't like.
Therefore, all packaging falls into two categories, stuff that you're happy to have on display in your house and stuff that you hide away. So having that objective of packaging that you're proud to display is where your focus should be – but obviously, this doesn't apply to all categories.”
Mark says, “Trident Xtra-Care is a sugar free chewing gum that took an innovative, humorous approach on packaging gum. Their creative design used the little pieces of gum – which were shrink wrapped - as teeth that you could see through a cut-out on the exterior cardboard packaging of various mouths.
There was also an interactive element to the packaging as by holding it up to your mouth, you create a smile on your face.
Now, they're incredibly niche, so they're not going to outsell some of the major brands within that market. However, you can imagine the sort of online following and consumer engagement that packaging idea would generate – it really draws attention to the power of being creative truly has.”
View: Trident Xtra-Care’s creative packaging and Vinho do Mar’s storytelling product design
If you're investing in a packaging/branding strategy this year, make sure you're getting the most from your time. GO! offer cost-free agency recommendations, pitch management, and more - get in touch to get started.