2_DiscoverBenelux_Issue21_Sep_2015_Q9_Scan Magazine 1 28/08/2015 20:45 Page 20
Discover Benelux | Product Design & Packaging | dBOD
Moving brands forward, one iconic package at a time Iconic packaging – every brand wants it. In fact, some brands spend years, not to mention millions, rolling out radical new packaging designs year in, year out. But according to dBOD, one of Holland’s most successful design agencies in the past two decades, the best brands treat their packaging as a slow evolution. TEXT: BERTHE VAN DEN HURK | EDITOR: JOHN WEICH | PHOTOS: DBOD
“Consistency may be the most overlooked word in branding today,” says Remco van der Sluis, managing director of du Bois Ording Design, or dBOD for short. “We advise all our brands to approach change very tentatively. Brands want to remain contemporary, but consumers are more conservative and often don’t want their favourite brands to change at all. Products are constantly changing, packaging is more of a slow evolution.” For the past 35 years the Amsterdambased full-service design agency has been creating packaging, digital media and retail designs for some of the world’s largest brands. Its client list reads like a who’s-who of Dutch success stories – Heineken, Schiphol Airport, Albert Heijn and others. The agency works around the globe and
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has won numerous awards with them, but perhaps most impressive is how long their clients stick around. Van der Sluis: “That’s a point of pride: most of our clients have been working with us for many, many years.”
by introducing them early into the process, they are every bit as important as strategists and consultants. We’ve learned that brands that invite designers to the table early are often more successful than those that don’t.”
Design matters
As dBOD continues to operate at full capacity thanks to a continuous stream of new clients in Europe and Asia, they are constantly on the lookout for young talent. Van der Sluis: “Unfortunately, there isn’t really a packaging design school you can simply pull bright young talent from. But even if there was, a specific type of designer works at dBOD. They are great designers, but also warm and human. We hire the type of designers clients feel good around. Anyone working in the design world knows that’s easier said than done.”
According to Van der Sluis, over the past 35 years packaging has become a vital part of brand communication strategy. Sometimes packaging is even more important than the product. For this reason, dBOD asks to be present during its clients’ strategic branding meetings. “When designers are at important strategic meetings you can literally see their minds churning,” says Van der Sluis. “They see and hear things no one else notices. And