THE ART AND SCIENCE OF PACKAGING

Designing.Packaging.Branding.

mini encyclopedia

THE ART & SCIENCE OF

PACKAGING

Bright Media Corporation SCAN ME

© 2021 by Bright Media Corp.

Digital Edition published in 2021 All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without written permission of the copyright owners. All images in this book have been reproduced with the knowledge and prior consent of the artists concerned, and no responsibility is accepted by producer, publisher, or printer for any infringement of copyright or otherwise, arising from the contents of this publication. Every effort has been made to ensure that credits accurately comply with information supplied. We apologize for any inaccuracies that may have occurred and will resolve inaccurate or missing information in a subsequent reprinting of the book.

Designations used by companies to distinguish their products are often claimed as trademarks. All brand names and product names used in this book are trade names, service marks, trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners. The publisher is not associated with any product or vendor mentioned in this book. This publication is designed to provide accurate and authoritative information in regard to the subject matter covered. It is sold on the understanding that the publisher is not engaged in rendering professional services. If professional advice or other expert assistance is required, the services of a competent professional should be sought.

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Another book on package design? This one is different, we promise. This book is about all the lessons we’ve learned in over a decade of experience designing a wide variety of packages. But this is also about our peers, the designers and strategists who create thoughtful packaging solutions with style, panache, and ingenuity in engineering. We wrote this book because we’re passionate about this part of our CPP studio practice and we’re continually inspired by the work being done in this sector of our industry.

We see this book as a resource for young packaging designers or for veterans looking to expand their expertise. And, of course, we are thrilled to feature some of our favorite clients and many of our admired colleagues.

Package design is perhaps the most evolutionary corner of the entire design industry. While most disciplines swing to the ebb and flow of trending color, type, styles, etc., package design has a literal and figurative z-axis that is the physical form itself. Combined with rapid advancements in materials, and a greater understanding of the psychology of purchasing, we could argue that packaging is the most engaging and challenging work out there for designers.

On the following pages you will find curated project case studies with behind the- scenes anecdotes, technical details, perspectives from different packaging designers and vendors, and lessons learned. (Ahem, there’s also a lot be learned from packaging mishaps or unforeseen obstacles in manufacturing. We’ve included these stories as well, with a few words of advice, in hopes that you will avoid the same costly mistakes.)

While we certainly won’t claim this to be the definitive guide for package design, this book intends to put some real case studies before you that solve real-world problems. We hope you find the book resourceful, entertaining, inspiring and, duh, well-designed. Let’s get started!

Expert Words Packaging, the only brand medium experienced 100 percent by consumers, provides a higher ROI than any other branding strategy.

- Kondaiah Chowdary P Managing Director, CPP Group, India

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ANCIENT PACKAGING – 01 INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION PACKAGING – 03 THE FIRST CARDBOARD BOX – 06 PACKAGING IN THE LATE 1800S : EARLY 1900S – 07 THE FIRST CARTON – 08 THE FIRST CEREAL BOX – 08 MODERN PACKAGING – 10 1890s, 1900s, 1910s BUILDING BRAND IDENTITY – 11 PACKAGING SHAPE AS AN IDENTITY – 12 1920s, 1930s, 1940s: THE ERA OF “SILENT SALESMAN” – 12 SHIFTING SHOPPING BEHAVIOR : PIGGLY WIGGLY – 13 INCREASING VISUAL APPEAL : FLEXOGRAPHY – 14 1950s, 1960s, 1970s: Convenience As The Motivation – 15 MEDICINES IN BLISTER PACKS : ENOVID – 17 Explosion of the Toxins : Plastics -17 1980s, 1990s, 2000s: The Rise of Digital – 18 HISTORY SECTION CONCLUSION – 19

……………………………………………………………………………………GOOD WORDs Packages are brands that you trust enough to take into your home. We are continually comforted and cajoled by packaging shapes, graphics, colors, messages, and containers. The shelf is probably the most competitive marketing environment that exists. From new brands to extending or revitalizing existing product lines, considerations of brand equity, cost, time, and competition are often complex.

Packaging design is a specialty, and it routinely involves collaboration with industrial designers, packaging engineers, and manufacturers. In the food and pharmaceutical industry, it is regulated by the government. Package design is only one part of the puzzle involved in a product launch. Timetables include packaging approval and production, sales force meetings, manufacturing and distribution, and advertising.

THE HISTORY OF PACKAGING The need to contain, store, and transport materials has been around since the early days of humanity. However, overtime, packaging has transformed from simply fulfilling a need to becoming integral to a brand’s messaging as well as consumer experience.

Let’s take a moment to step back in time and observe the major technological advancements throughout history that shaped the packaging industry into what it is today.

Early Packaging Packaging, as a concept, grew out of the basic need for early humanity to store and transport their food from place to place.

While there is no record of when the first packaging materials were used, historians believe that during the nomadic hunter/gatherer days, materials such as leaves, animal skins, nuts or gourds were used to store and transport items.

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Ancient Egyptian Packaging Techniques In Ancient Egypt, glass was costly and regarded as a precious stone typically reserved for royalty. However, it was this obsession with glass that eventually lead the Egyptians to discover glass blowing technology of which could mold glass into containers for food and water storage. This ancient glass was not transparent however -- that wouldn’t be discovered for another 500 years.

Ancient Chinese Packaging Techniques

Ancient China is credited for inventing flexible packaging due to their innovations in developing paper – i.e. the oldest example of flexible packaging.

Historians believe that in the first or second centuries, the Chinese began to use treated mulberry bark to wrap foods. In later centuries, when the Chinese perfected their paper-making techniques, paper also began to be used for packaging items such as medicine and parcels of tea.

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Medieval Packaging The middle ages saw a rise in popularity in using wooden barrels and wood boxes as storage and transportation devices. Barrels were typically used for travelling across oceans to store items such as rum, dried food, and fresh water.

Fast forward to the Industrial Revolution: this era (starting from about 17601840) gave way to major technological advancements, as the demand for better quality packaging increased. This demand for quality was fueled by a sudden surge in new products that were now available for the masses to consume. However, it should be noted that many of the packaging materials that arose in this era were expensive; meaning that the use of these materials were typically reserved for storing and transporting luxury goods.

Industrial revolution created a sudden demand for better products as trade flourished and more goods became available to consumer. Since materials were expensive, packaging was limited to luxury goods only. The period during and after WWI saw a remarkable number of packaging innovations like molded glass, cardboard boxes, metal cans, and cellophane that made packaging commonplace. This pushed manufacturers to establish an identity to sell to consumers.

The Great Depression marked the rise of supermarket culture and it drastically changed distribution and consumption patterns worldwide. This behavioral

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change of self-service model called for packaging to assume the role of a ‘silent-salesman’.Post WWII consumerism enjoyed the conveniences offered by the single use-and-throw materials that heralded with the discovery of aluminium foil, and plastics.

The rise of digital technologies in later half of 20th century allowed businesses to scale rapidly and become global. With unprecedented competition, packaging came to be the way of differentiating product on the shelf. As much as packaging has become essential to the business, it is also recognized as a threat to the environment. And hence much research continues not just to find new materials, but also to find optimal and sustainable solutions.

In last couple of decades, advances in personal computing, and mobiles have significantly transformed consumer behavior and thus their expectations. With access to information every time, everywhere, they value engaging experiences that provide a utility or novelty. Since the birth of barcodes, many digital technologies have continually been tested to bring reforms to retail experiences. And once again product packaging is at the center of these developments.

With the rising notion of the Internet of Things, coupled with advances in mobile computing, RFID, Augmented Reality, and Biosensors, we are at the tipping point where delightful digital experiences will position product packaging as an ESP or Emotional Selling Point.

Here are some of the more notable packaging advancements that occurred during this era:

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Napoleon’s Food Preservation Prize (1795) In 1795, Napoleon offered a prize of 12,000 francs to anyone who could invent better methods of food preservation. This push for innovation was due to Napoleon needing to find a way to feed his army who was in the midst of a war.

However, it wouldn’t be another 15 years until this prize was claimed by a man named Nicolas Appert. Nicolas Appert, also known as the father of canning, invented a method to preserve food for an extended period of time by boiling then sealing food in airtight glass containers. We still use this method today with canned foods!

The Rise of Tin (1810) In 1810, Peter Durand, an Englishman, patented the use of tin-coated iron cans instead of bottles to preserve food. Over the next 20 years, tin would become one of the most popular packaging materials for packaging things like cookies and tobacco.

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 In 1690, first paper mill in the U.S. was built near Philadelphia. At that time paper was hand-made out of parchment and rags, both of which were expensive and limited in supply.  In 1796, Lithography was invented Alois Senfelder in Munich. This enabled printing of black-and-white illustrations on printed labels. Onecolor lithographed or letterpress labels were widely used on glass bottles, metal boxes and early paperboard boxes. Color printing or chromolithography was invented in 1837 and became popular soon after manufacturers realized its potential.  First paper making cylinder machine was installed in 1817 by Thomas Gilpin in Delaware used to make paperboards and other forms of paper used in packaging. This gave birth to ‘flexible packaging’. Mechanization made paper plentiful but cost limited its use until paper could be made commercially from wooden pulp in 1850s. The invention of paper bag making machine in by Francis Wolle in 1852 further pushed use of paper in packaging.

Though cardboard itself had been invented several hundred years earlier in China, the cardboard box wasn’t created until 1817 by Sir Malcolm Thornhill. Note: these boxes weren’t corrugated yet, that wouldn’t be 6

invented until 1871. Cardboard boxes were popular among silk manufacturers to transport moths and eggs from Japan to Europe.

The First Paper Bag-Making Machine (1852) Several years after the first commercial paper bags were created in 1852, an American inventor Francis Wolle invented a machine capable of mass-producing paper bags. He spent a lot of time in his father’s grocery store to help customers carry stuffs from their shop.

Note: the paper bags back then didn’t exactly look like what we’d think of as paper bags today – they resembled large mailing envelopes.

In 1871, an American, Margaret E. Knight designed another machine that can produce flat-bottom paper bags. The machine eliminates the envelope and Vshape-bottom-making machine, and we can put many things into the paper bag in our arms or hands.

In 1883, an American, Charles Stilwell invented a machine that can produce square-bottom paper bags with pleated sides making them easier to fold and store.

In 1912, an American, Walter Deubener used cord to reinforce paper bags and add carrying handles.We can slip the bags over our arms with much more stuff and get better shopping experience.

The normal Kraft paper bag, it can hold even up to 8kgs , easily to be folded and stocked, and the paper bag handle allow us to slip the bags over our arms.

Now we can find this kraft paper bag everywhere, like many shopping bag and take-out bag, but do you know the evolution of it?

Most inventions are refined over time by myriad people, and these four people play the most important roles in the paper bag machine’s evolution. Thanks for these four inventors, We can enjoy the convenient and happy shopping, we can use the biodegradable, environmental and recycled paper bag instead of

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the plastic bag. As we know, the plastic bag will cause irreparable white pollution. They contribute the protection of the world and the convenient of our daily life.

Francis Wolle, Margaret E. Knight, Charles Stilwell, Walter Deubener play very important part in the evolution of paper bag machine. The paper bag machines they made contribute the protection of the world and the convenient of our daily life.

Paper box of Charles E. Bolchini, 1879. Warshaw Collection of Business Americana, Series: Boxes. Photograph courtesy Alison Oswald.

Robert Gair, a Brooklyn printer developed the first carton by accident! Gair was the owner of a paper bag company. One day, one of Gair’s machines malfunctioned by slicing through (rather than creasing) a stack of paper bags. It was then that Gair realized that cutting and creasing cartons in one operation could make prefabricated cartons.

The Kellogg brothers, known for the invention of Corn Flake cereal in 1877, began using cardboard to distribute and market their cereal as early as 1906. Initially, the cereal box was wrapped in a heat-sealed bag, with the cereal loose on the inside of the box. Eventually, however, a plastic bag was placed inside of the cereal box to contain and protect the cereal.

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The Invention of Cellophane (1908) Jacques E. Brandenberger, a Swiss Chemist, is credited for the invention of cellophane after he decided to create a cloth that wouldn’t absorb liquids.

His original formula was created using wood cellulose. In 1912, Brandenberger built a machine to manufacture cellophane film.

Cellophane had a major impact on the packaging industry as its transparency made it the material of choice for wrapping in the 1950s and 1960s. Cellophane also laid the foundations for plastic packaging in the following years.

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The Invention of Saran Wrap (1933) The discovery of polyvinylidene chloride (PVDC), what saran resins and films are made of, was discovered accidentally by Ralph Wiley in 1933. Wiley was a lab worker at Dow Chemical who was responsible for cleaning the lab’s glassware. One night, Wiley came across a vial he couldn’t scrub clean. He originally called the substance “eonite”, but the name was changed to Saran

by Dow Chemical’s researchers who then remade this substance into a dark green film. This early iteration of saran was sprayed onto military planes in order to protect them from the elements. Later, researchers were able to remove saran’s green colour, which allowed it to be approved as a food packaging material following World War II.

The Invention of Bubble Wrap (1957) Bubble wrap was invented in 1957 by Sealed Air’s founders Al Fielding and Marc Cavannes, but it was not first utilized as the protective packaging material we know it as today. Initially, Fielding and Cavannes were trying to create textured wallpaper by sealing two shower curtains together to make air bubbles -- however, this interior decor trend didn’t take off. They later decided to market the material as greenhouse insulation, though this proved to be an unsuccessful endeavor as well.

Three years after bubble wrap was invented, Frederick W. Bowers (a Sealed Air marketer), made a pitch to IBM to use bubble wrap as a protective packaging material for their computers. The pitch went well and IBM began purchasing bubble wrap for all of their fragile products.

The Invention of the Pop Tab (1959) The pop tab was invented by Ermal Fraze, founder of DRT Manufacturing Company. After forgetting a can opener at a picnic (also known as a church key), Fraze embarked on a quest to design a can that didn’t need a separate opener.

In the following years, after some trial and error, Fraze had finally developed a can where the user only needed to pull a removeable tab to access the drink. By 1965, over 75% of brewers in the U.S. were using Fraze’s can.

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In 1977, after pop tab waste began to increase, Fraze patented the pop tab we use today – a push-in and fold-back tab.

The Invention of PET Plastic Bottles (1973) Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) bottles were first patented in 1973 by chemist Nathaniel Wyeth. At the time, these were the first plastic bottles capable of containing carbonated drinks and they soon became the material of choice for manufacturers who wanted a cheaper alternative to glass.

Packaging Today With sustainability having become a major concern in recent years, today’s packaging innovators are continuously coming up with new ways to reduce the packaging industry’s impact on the environment. Recent eco-friendly innovations such as biodegradable and edible packaging not only reflect the state of our society today, but it also demonstrates the packaging industry’s ability to adapt to the ever-changing needs and concerns of consumers.

With rising trade, the phrase “let the buyer beware” became popular since inferior and impure quality products were disguised and sold to uninformed customers by counterfeits. This posed serious threat to original manufacturers and they began to mark their product with their identification to alert potential buyers. But that was not sufficient, so manufacturers turned to use packaging in innovative ways to establish their brand identity.

Branded Packaging — Uneeda Biscuit In 1896, National Biscuit Company invested $1 Million in creating an identity for Uneeda Biscuits to take on its rival Cracker Jacks.

Uneeda Biscuits were wrapped inside a waxed paper liner inside a tray-style paper carton, and the colorful brand-printed wrapper featured a boy in a raincoat to emphasize the moisture barrier. This allowed preserving biscuits for longer periods and they can now be transported easily in a clean unitsize package.

| Nabisco used a boy in yellow raincoat in its advertisements and packaging cover of tin boxes to emphasize the moisture barrier. Ever since 1896, the boy in a yellow raincoat has become synonymous with Uneeda Biscuits. |

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The Uneeda Biscuit package is often cited as the birth of consumer packaging because of its widespread distribution and the dramatic effect that folding cartons were to have on retailing business in the century to come. The carton packaging also represented the power of brand advertising that relied on packaging as a sales tool tied to an easily recognizable identity advertised in magazines, and on the billboards.

In early 1900s, Coca Cola found that a straight-sided bottle wasn't distinctive enough and that Coca-Cola was becoming easily confused with ‘copycat’ brands.

Glass manufacturers were approached to come up with a unique bottle design for Coca-Cola. The Root Glass Company of Terre Haute, Indiana, designed with the famous contour shape, which won enthusiastic approval from Coca-Cola in 1915 and was introduced in 1916. The new bottle design instantly became an integral part of the brand identity and is today one of the most recognized icons in the world — even in the dark. | Coca-Cola ad featuring the unique bottle design to promote the drink.

The bottle was an integral part of the brand identity until 1970s. Even today, the shape of the bottle is synonymous with the brand.

Source: Adflip |

More innovations during this period:  1890 — Michael Owens invented first automatic rotary bottle-making machine. Suddenly, glass containers of all shapes and sizes became economically attractive for consumer products, and from the early 1900s until the late 1960s glass containers dominated the market for liquid products.  1894 — Thompson and Norris produced the first double-faced corrugated boxes that prevented material from stretching during transportation. Corrugated boxes played an essential role in developing mass distribution throughout the 20th century.

In the early part of the 19th century, retailers played an important role in making a trade happen. Food items were sold in loose, and needed wrapping and weighing. This meant that consumer had to wait while their orders were made up. But the rise of cheap and clean packaging solutions had solved this problem to a large extent and retailer’s role in facilitating a trade started to 12

marginalize. This allowed for huge retail chains to come in where products were displayed on the shelf, and consumer themselves had to make a purchase choice. The big chains had a price advantage, and were slowly gaining momentum.

But immediately after The Great Depression, supermarkets became a dominant force and marked a major shift in the consumer behavior. Manufacturers once again turned to product packaging to be the silent salesman — differentiating from competition and affecting a sale.

| Interiors of a Piggly Wiggly store in Kentucky in 1920s. Piggly Wiggly was the first true self-service grocery store founded in Memphis, Tennessee in 1916. Source: Ipernity.com |

Shifting Shopping Behavior — Piggly Wiggly Clarence Saunders’ Piggly Wiggly stores are widely credited with introducing self-service shopping chain in U.S. in early 1920s. Consumers were given shopping baskets and asked to pick what they needed. This was a little bewildering, but the 4.5%-14% price advantage made it an immediate success.

The rise of automobiles fueled its growth further as housewives could now travel miles to get the deals.

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After the Depression hit U.S. economy in 1929, a sharp demand for low prices encouraged chains like Kroger, A&P, Safeway and others to open giant superstores that offered everything under single roof at very prices up to 14% lower than most chains.

| Print ads in magazines promoted the idea of Self-service as the modern way of shopping. |

Increasing Visual Appeal — Flexography Most packaging till this period leaned on distinct typographic treatments to create a visual identity. Due to limitations of letterpress printing, product packaging could only be embraced with illustrative painted imagery to define the contents, it was not truly an interpretation or an honest impression of the product contents. It was after the invention of aniline printing technology in late 1920s that packaging materials afforded visual information with a higher degree of accuracy, reproducing impressions of actuality realistically. The aniline printing used aniline dye on rubber blocks and the technique allowed printing on any kind of substrate including corrugated boards, milk cartons, paper bags, folding cartons and metallic films. This technique later on came to be known as Flexography, and is now the default for package printing.

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More innovations during this period: 1920s — Nutritional value of canned foods gradually approached that of the fresh product. For consumers, the choice between fresh or canned food increasingly became a question of taste, preference, and convenience.

1924 — DuPont bought licensed exclusive rights to make and sell Cellophane in U.S. The cellophane sheet was a clear, transparent protective layer wrapped over primary packaging, to prevent product from moisture and extend its shelf life.

1931—Aluminum foil was packaged in appropriate sizes and thicknesses, in both rolls and sheets a decade after first aluminium foil laminated carton was produced. It started being used as an institutional wrap primarily for use by hotel, restaurant, and hospital kitchens.

1930s and 1940s — The years preceding World War II, amidst a climate of escalating industry consolidation, were also a time of tremendous innovations for synthetics like vinyl, ethylene, and acrylic. U.S. government massively invested in building industrial infrastructure for this new sector. And these innovations lead to discovery of PVC, Nylon, Teflon, Polystyrene, Polyethylene, each of which transformed several industries and heralded the rise of Plastic Age in years to follow.

1950s, 1960s, 1970s: Convenience As The Motivation Post World War II, U.S. experienced massive economic growth over next three decades as its gross national product grew more than nine times the value of $100 billion in 1940. During the time, even the poorest Americans were affluent compared to world standards. As a result of this, everyone was able to afford most luxuries available at the time. This lead to an exuberant growth in consumerism, and everyone wanting to have a modern and convenient lifestyle.

Most development of the moldable metals and plastics, happened much earlier than this period, but its exploits were primarily limited to military use. But after WWII, the consumer market exploded with the continuous innovations in aluminium and plastics. Owing to mega efforts of giants like DuPont, Dow Chemicals, and the likes — shinier, sturdier, cleaner, more flexible, and modern looking materials were available at cheaper price compared to traditional materials. This provided impetus to re-invent existing packaging solutions and plastics and metal cans took over majority of consumer packaging, while paper was limited in use and glass reserved for high value products only.

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| Many see the TV Dinner as an icon of American culture. It represents a moment when pre-processed, precooked food was still novel. It also symbolizes shifting definitions of “meal time,” and our nation’s enthusiastic embrace of the television. |

Convenient Lifestyles — Swanson TV Dinners Soon after invention of aluminium foil in 1954, Swanson introduced TV Dinners that offered busy consumers, the conveniences of pre-processed foods requiring minimal preparation. The original dinner tray was made out of aluminium, carved into three compartments to neatly house frozen foods. The frozen dinner could be heated in an oven and easily consumed. TV Dinners

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fulfilled two post-war trends: fascination with television, and lure of time-saving modern appliances. While these trends encouraged buying behavior, disposable or use-and-throw packaging materials became increasingly acceptable.

Medicines in blister packs — Enovid In 1957, when Enovid was introduced to treat menstrual disorders and infertility, the idea of medicine pills was born. In 1960, the same pills were rebranded and repackaged in blister packs as oral contraceptive pills. The unique blister pack was conceived initially as an aid to patient compliance. The popularity of “the Pill” created a new market for pharmaceutical companies.

For the first time, healthy women would be taking medication for an extended period of time. The advanced Enovid-E Compack packaging from 1976, had 20 pills in a blister pack with days of the week written around the rim of a plastic case as a ‘memory-aid’ to assist women in tracking their daily pill regimen. The styled cases also allowed pills to be discreetly carried in bags and purses. Continuing the trend, pharmaceutical companies developed unique packaging in order to distinguish their product from those of their competitors and build brand loyalty.

| G. D. Searle and Company of Chicago, Illinois, produced this Enovid-E brand oral contraceptive in 1976. The 20-pill blister pack is in a trademarked Compack plastic case. The days of the week are written in gold around the rim of the Compack, with three pills descending to the center under each day except Friday, which has only two pills |

Explosion of the Toxins — Plastics DuPont and Dow Chemicals heralded the rapid rise of plastics as they were used for textiles, tires, toys, paints, electronics, and as packaging material, affecting all aspects of life. Alan Pendry captured the versatility of plastics in his award winning short film The Shape of Plastics, in 1962.

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While the widespread use of plastics made a lot of economic sense, its environmental effects were soon apparent. In absence of regulations, it was difficult to keep a check on manufacturers.

U.S. government passed National Environmental Protection Act in 1970 and form EPA as an authority to tackle environmental issues and form necessary regulations.

More innovations during this period: 1950 — Polyethylene was invented to be used as cable shielding material, but soon it outgrew its original use and was used to make products such as food and garbage bags, This hideous advertising from DuPont reflects consumer packaging films, and milk |aspirations at the time and the deep impact of Cellophane.| containers. In less than a decade, the demand for PE grew from 5 million pounds to 1.2 billion pounds at the end of 1960.

1960 — Reynolds and Alcoa made all-aluminium cans out of one piece of metal.

This solved the problem of weights of cans, now only a lid needed to be attached. This provided impetus for invention of rip-off closure and the pop-top lids on aluminium cans.

1977 — Polyethylene Terephthalate (PETE) invented as material for beverage packaging is today one of the most commonly used plastics.

1980s, 1990s, 2000s: The Rise of Digital This era was marked by the rise in computing abilities and the evolution of printing technologies as a result. Digital printing technologies, coupled with innovative transactional capabilities provided an unprecedented speed of execution and rapid scaling of business became possible.

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While the growing fascination with plastics lead to innovation in packaging shapes and materials, it meant other materials like paper and glass found themselves limited in its use for packaging. This widespread adoption of plastics paved way for useand-throw behavior, and nondecomposable packaging waste became primary constituent of landfills as a result.

In early 2000's, EPA created stringent laws for businesses to control and reduce environmental impacts. As a result, finding sustainable materials and optimizing waste became a prime agenda, heavily influencing the package design. Now a days, it is a business imperative to reduce the amount of packaging for products not just for its financial benefits, but the emotional connect it offers for consumers — making them feel good about their choice.

| Cover of Mad Magazine April’78 issue highlighting the emergence of UPC Barcodes|

Rise of Barcodes Barcodes have existed since 1950s, but the first commercial U.P.C. scanner was installed in 1974 at a Marsh’s supermarket in Troy, Ohio and the first product to have a bar code included on packaging was a packet of Wrigley’s Gum. Since then, barcodes have become the default checkout processing technology and have revolutionized the retail industry. While barcodes made supermarkets a convenient place to be in, they also hastened the demise of public markets and independent grocery stores.

History Section

Conclusion by CPPian

Aaron L. Dennison (1812-1895), a Boston watchmaker and jeweler, and his brother Eliphalet Whorf (E.W.) Dennison (1819-1886) were early contributors to the manufacturing of set-up boxes in America for jewelry items. The Dennison’s sought to mechanize the process of set-up boxes and, “worked out the first paper-box machine, which was promptly set to work.” (Minson, page 25). Their company, Dennison Manufacturing Company, founded in 1844, expanded under the leadership of E.W. Dennison to include other paper goods such as merchandise tags, crepe paper, and wrapping paper. By 1860 more box-making plants were emerging in America and those manufacturers

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developed specialized equipment to speed production and reduce costs.

Mechanization only increased the demand for boxes and the folding carton, a more efficient type of box for packing and shipping goods emerged on the market.

Advertisement, Robert Gair Company, undated. Warshaw Collection of Business American, Series: Paper Products (AC0060-0003110) Attributed to a factory mistake, the folding carton came on the scene in 1879, courtesy of the Robert Gair Company of Brooklyn, New York. Founded by Robert Gair (1839-1927), an inventor, printer, and paper manufacturer, Gair’s folding box, “would be the ‘fit survivor’ to the set-up box” (Bonner, page 595) and was enthusiastically received by the paper industry and consumer.

According to an issue of Gair Today, in 1879, a machinist working for Gair, “allowed a rule on his printing press to stand up a little too high. It cut neat, but ruinous slits through several thousand paper seed bags before the mistake was discovered. Gair deliberately and experimentally raised the whole pattern of metal strips too high and saw his press cut out the perfect pattern of a folding box.” There is no evidence that the process was patented in 1879, but this observation by Gair and his implementation of the process helped the packaging and merchandising industries by ushering in a box cut from a single piece of paper.

In 1891, Matthew Vierengel, a “practical machinist, inventor and draughtsman” in New York assigned his patent (US 463,849) for a machine for making plaited boxes or similar articles to the Robert Gair Company.

Viergenel’s intention was, “first, to form a blank into a box, cup, cap, or similar article and fold or gather the sides of the same into plaits by one operation; secondly, to transfer the article after being formed and platted to edging, pressing, and embossing dies, so that the successive operations shall be performed on the article automatically.”

Using less paper, the folding carton was shipped in its folded state, saving on shipping and storage costs. Items formerly packed in tin or wood could now be packed in paper that offered similar strength and protection.

Gair held several utility and design patents for boxes.

| Advertisement, Robert Gair Company, undated. Warshaw Collection of Business American, Series: Paper Products (AC0060-0003110) |

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In 1893, he patented a sample box (US 493,921) “usually made from a blank cut-out of a single piece of paper, card board or other material and folded up and secured by glue, cement or other adhesive.” In 1894 his paper box (US 519,451), “related to that class of boxes, which are formed from a blank cut in a single piece from paper, card or straw board and like materials and arranged to be set up and secured by causing the end flaps to engage slots in the turnedin portions of the sides.”

| Paper box of Charles E. Bolchini, 1879. Warshaw Collection of Business Americana, Series: Boxes. (AC00600003103-06) |

| Paper box of Charles E. Bolchini, 1879. Warshaw Collection of Business Americana, Series: Boxes. Photograph courtesy Alison Oswald. |

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After seeing the prototype, we felt compelled to make Bolchini’s prism-shaped box. Following his pattern of folds, and with some minor adjustments, we succeeded. We’ll gladly share our boxed up collections.

| Souvenir coal box, undated. Lehigh Coal and Navigation Company Records. Photograph courtesy Alison Oswald.|

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                         

THE ART OF PACKAGING – 23 PACKAGING EVOLUTION – 24 THE POWER OF PACKAGING FOR THE BRAND – 26 BRAND IMAGE PARADIGM – 26 PACKAGING'S ROLE KEEPS CHANGING – 27 MEASURING PACKAGE DESIGN'S RETURN ON INVESTMENT – 29 THE ART AND SCIENCE OF PACKAGE DESIGN – 35 CREATING THE RATIONAL AND EMOTIONAL CONNECTION - 36 BRAND STORY – 38 CREATING REAL AND LASTING CLIENT-TO-CUSTOMER CONNECTIONS – 39 PACKAGING DESIGN TEAM JOURNEY – 41 THE VALUE OF PACKAGE DESIGN – 43 WORKING WITH….. BIG BRANDS VS. SMALL BRANDS – 46 SHELVING, DESIGNED TO SELL – 48 WORKING WITH A BUDGET – 50 PRIMARY + SECONDARY PACKAGING – 51 BRAND REFRSH – 54 BRAND FORCE – 55 MAKE IT GIFTABLE -56 PACKAGING - METRICS FOR ISOLATED TOUCHPOINTS – 57 PROCESS: PACKAGING DESIGN - 57 PACKAGING TRENDS – 58 THE SIX KEYS TO SUCCESS– 60 SIX PURPOSES OF PACKAGING – 62 PACKAGING PROJECT KICKOFF MEETING QUESTIONS – 64 CREATING EFFECTIVE SHOPPING SYSTEMS – 66

 PACKAGE PRODUCTION: LOOKING BACK AND LOOKING AHEAD – 66  HOW TO READ A DIELINE – 69  QUALITY CONTROL OF PRODUCTION ART/FINISHED FILE – 70  PRINTING PROCESSES – 73  PACKAGING BASICS -76

ICONIC ASSETS OF THE BRAND

Now more than ever, packaging has a huge opportunity to prove itself as a brand's most valuable consumer touch point. For designers, it's a time of newfound awareness of the power of design. This attention brings with it responsibilities for each of us to present and represent our talents in ways that build and establish permanence to design's valued role in business.

We at guide and train strategical packaging concepts for our designers that is also informative to the many other professionals involved in the process, providing understanding and value for all. Packaging requires the expertise of many disciplines: marketing, strategic planning, research, psychology, art, industrial design, graphic design, logistics, engineering, production, manufacturing, distribution, and retailing to name just a few. This complexity means package design doesn’t happen in a vacuum.

Many factors influence a final piece, and our strategical packaging concepts reflect that truth as we take you on the creative journey to successful packaging.

With the fragmentation of traditional advertising, due mainly to the overwhelming number of media delivery options, more companies are looking to a product's package to deliver the brand message to consumers directly. After all, every package is seen by 100 percent of a brand's consumers. As a result, the retail experience is in a constant state of evolution as brands and products are continually positioning themselves in new and innovative ways.

As cultures evolve, so does the visual language that expresses this moment in time. As conceptoriented packaging designers, we are creators and adopters of new aesthetic paradigms, shaping and molding human information. It has been proven in case study after case study in product categories from computers to soda that great design sells. If you look at these success stories closely, as we do in this book, you'll see that design is always founded on innovative positioning and solid, consistent

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brand strategy. This is what we mean by art plus science in packaging: the ability to take sophisticated research and analysis and convert it to visually stimulating design. This collaboration of opposite’s rational science with

emotional, artistic thinking-can and does make for unpredictable situations and solutions. How we manage them, and who is in charge of the process, can seriously affect the product outcome.

We analyze the steps and processes needed for success-from the preparation of strategic briefs through creative development to prepress and completionevery step has its purpose and value. During the creative journey, we give examples that provide inspiration as well as templates for your own triumphs.

Companies assessing package design firms look beyond creative talent; they seek designers with a real ability to understand human behavior and target consumers in a compelling, fresh, and entertaining way.

-. Kacharagadla, Packaging Expert | Sr.CPPian CREATIVE PRINT AND PACK

In today's market, we could broaden our definition of packaging to include the packaging of entire brands, not just specific products.

Leading companies such as Target, Nike, Whole Foods, and Starbucks are brands whose packaging extends to the entire retail experience. For them, the idea of What we consider a package something that holds, protects, and stores its contents-occurs naturally, as in the protective covering of a banana, the cocoon of a butterfly, and an oyster, with its hidden treasure. These all perform the functions of a package.

Humankind's creative curiosity has led to the adoption of many of nature's examples. In 100 B.C., the

packaging goes beyond the container to the total package of the store. This is a real brand experience. And it is the packaging of this brand experience that allows us to become enchanted and entertained. Consumers connect on a whole new level with the complete concept of packaging.

Chinese used sheets of treated mulberry bark to wrap food.

Containers made from clay, shells, animal skins, and leaves functioned as they did in nature. As societies and cultures grew, communication and clarity became important; therefore, icons and words began to grace the surface of containers.

Evolving over time from basic utility to marketing vehicle, the simple

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package has become complex. It still functions, of course, but now it's made from a host of high-tech materials and has taken on unconventional forms and shapes. It features delivery systems such as pull tops, self-cooling devices, biodegradable inks, and date codes that change color when expired. All of these innovations improve and expand on the functionality of the package while giving the manufacturer an edge over its competition.

Even the term packaging has evolved, from package (a container) to packaging (a container that has written communication about its specific contents).

This transformation occurred in the nineteenth century and segued into the development of brands.

Branding has grown to become the most important marketing tool, with packaging as its most ardent

companion. The evolution of packaging has played an important role in the advancement of humankind. Today many of us take for granted how products are brought to the shelf and how they are manufactured and packaged to protect against damage or spoilage.

We now live in a society that looks beyond the functional aspects of packaging to how it makes one feel, look, and speak. Image has become the driving force behind packaging and branding. From utilitarian function to emotional billboard, the package now serves two masters: It hosts the brand, and it entices the potential buyer through inviting graphics and entertaining visuals.

The functional qualities of packaging are seen through distinctive delivery systems of convenience and portability.

Packages must keep up with consumers' changing lifestyles.

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In the mid-1900s, manufacturers saw the value in developing marketing strategies for their products. Many changed their focus and developed brands and packages with such effectiveness that consumers saw them as one and the same. What was Coke without its bottle? Or ketchup without the Heinz label?

Or Campbell's soup without the red label? Some products became so synonymous with their brand names that their names were the very words used to describe the entire category of competitors-Thermos, Kleenex, Band Aid, and Pop-Tarts, to name a few.

Increased Competition Brand image was developed in the early 1960s as a way to further differentiate products from their increasing competition. Packaging was, and still is, the perfect communication vehicle to showcase brand image. In today's cluttered marketplace, packaging continues to evolve and become even more sophisticated. Research shows that different brand images delivered via packaging appeal to different consumer demographic segments. Market research into consumer behaviors, along with demographic and psychographic analysis, is all used to position brands and refine product packaging. The resulting designs catch consumers' eyes. Packaging can be so strong that it makes a brand instantly recognizable.

Does the package live up to the brand image?

CONSIDER THIS: a) 75 percent of a purchase decision is made at the shelf. b) 100 percent of your buyers see the package.

No other form of communication can claim such impact.

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Packaging Preferences

Packaging design is an exciting field that continues to evolve. More than just devices those enclose and protect products for distribution, storage, sale, and use, packages work hard to attract and convince consumers to purchase. The role of packaging continues to grow and change. New innovations in materials, manufacturing, and printing are developed as technology advances in the marketplace in response to changing consumer needs and lifestyles. Watch for packaging to take on additional responsibility in marketing to consumers.

More and more brand managers and marketers are recognizing the strong effect great packaging can have on purchase intent. Not surprisingly, we see store brands or private-label products embracing new trends and taking risks

Let’s face it, consumers today are a moving target. Marketers get only a few seconds to attract them, hold their attention, and tum casual browsers into serious buyers. Many factors contribute to maneuvering consumers into a retail environment, but once they are there, ifs the job of packaging to prompt sales. A package not only delivers the product to the consumer, it brings the consumer to the brand.

Here are ways design can affect consumer's preferences: • Attract the eye with greater impact on the shelf.

• Cause the belief that a product is better than its competitors.

• Provide clear and relevant information.

• Appeal directly to the senses.

• Link consumers to communities.

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more readily than the large global brands. This has given rise to consumers involving themselves with store brands more often, as they feel the packaging is entertaining and engaging. Knowing that design has made the difference is something all designers can use to argue in favor of using package design as an effective tool that can help boost the bottom line. Because corporations have seen how creative packaging and brand identity have positively impacted the sales and growth of certain products, design is now being considered a real player in marketing. Designers must step up and articulate their designs' results, not just talk about the wonderful aesthetics, in order to capture these new opportunities.

Advertising Advertising is public communication, paid for and controlled by a brand that is distributed via a variety of media delivery methods, including television, radio, movies, the Internet, newspapers and magazines, and outdoor vehicles like billboards and bus shelters. Its primary role is to draw attention, spark awareness, and create desire.

Promotions With a primary goal of furthering a brand's popularity, promotions can be "above the line," by communicating paid messages through the media, or "below the line," by means of sponsorship, product placement, endorsements, and public relations. Promotions also work to increase sales, boost acceptance, enhance brand image, and create trial.

Packaging Packaging is primarily the containing device for products, but it also works as part of the marketing mix of tools by delivering graphic communications and brand messages along with the product itself directly into the hands of the buyer. It delivers the brand idea.

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An interview with , Managing Director of Creative Print and Pack (CPP), Hyderabad, Telangana. India.

BRANDING, PAPER PACKAGING DESIGNS RELATED Q Shall we discuss about branding, paper packaging designs?

A. Yes. We will…

Q. What is your and your company background?

A. We have over 25 years’ experience in package industry, and I'm the Managing Director of Creative Print and Pack, a concept-oriented print and packaging firm. We are the world’s first concept-oriented print and packaging company, started in 2007. We do manufacturing Paper Hang Tags, Barcode Tags, Mono Cartons, Corrugated Boxes, Rigid Boxes, PP/PET Boxes, Paper Shopping Boxes and other branded packaging materials Q. What do you focus on in your ideology about package design and patterns?

A. With our concept-oriented package pattern’s play preeminent role in communicating the brand's core identity, its emotional essence, and its primary connection to consumers. We've shown that, if brought into the strategic marketing process early and given the chance to set the visual platform for all brand communications, our package patterns can affect unprecedented results.

Q. Hasn't it always been advertising that leads the way, not packaging?

A. We believe package design and patterns are the single most sales-effective and cost-efficient marketing tool. Many corporations have elevated the term package design to brand identity design. Smart corporations are taking advantage of the increased role packaging can play in their brand's success.

Good packaging can promote a fantastic level of interest in a product. It can go beyond loyalty; great packages can create brand advocates. It is the single most compelling vehicle a marketer can use to connect with consumers- 100 percent of a product's buyers interact with its package.

Q. Are corporations recognizing the power of package design and patterns?

A. Many corporations still don't engage in brand identity until well after brand strategy has been established, and only a precious few actually validate results that brand identity generates. Because packaging designers have talked to their clients' executive management in terms of creativity and not process,

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they are not addressing an audience that believes, "If you can't measure it, you can't manage it." As designers, we need to start speaking about return on investment (ROI) when we talk about packaging.

Q. Is packaging ROI possible?

A. Yes, We are confident that ROI is real and measurable. We've done it at our Creative Corrugated Box LLC in conjunction with statisticians from CPP Lab for some of our clients. Unfortunately the results are confidential, so I can't share specifics, but we have been able to obtain empirical proof of a design's direct impact on the bottom line. Handled properly, this information points directly to design's value. We are working on bringing our methodologies into industry wide practice.

Q. What are some of the ways packaging designers can talk about a quantifiable ROI? A. Talk about efficacy. Research shows that well over two-thirds of consumer product purchase decisions are made at point of sale. In some categories , impulse purchasing at shelf accounts for 85 percent of sales. It is quite evident that brand identity and package design drive this all-important dynamic. In terms of recall, also known as "brand equity" cross-category studies show that in unaided awareness tests consumers remember more about the package than they do about advertising or promotions. Hundreds of equity studies confirm that consumers recall the color of a package first, the shape or structure second, and the style of a brand's logo third. This proves the most recognized components are design-related. Also address impressions. One hundred percent of a brand's current and potential audience is exposed to a product at retail when encountering its package. A package's influence continues well after purchase is made.

Q. Can packaging ROI really be measured?

A. It's an evolving concept. In the past, measurements have been largely subjective. As we move forward, technology will allow corporations to track data from all aspects of a product's lifecycle. We will be able to look at various data from inventory through sales and analyze the impact of whole brand communication programs to evaluate ROI. It's definitely something creatives and brand experts agree would be very useful in the fight for the budgets and resources needed to optimize the brand identity process.

Q. What does the future hold for brand identity and ROI? A. In the end, it's all about brand identity being involved in the first five minutes of marketing, not as an afterthought. Packaging Designers need to understand the marketing process and how their decisions affect their client's

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business. Clients need to understand that brand identity design belongs as the cornerstone of all their marketing efforts.

Q Shall we discuss about your firm procedure, you know like pricing, processing and dispatches?

A. Yes. Q. How do we receive a quote?

A. The best and quickest way to get a quote, you should accurately provide the following details: 1) Product Specifications 2) Box Dimensions 3) Type of Material (Folding Carton, Corrugated, Rigid or tag) 4) Quantity of boxes 5) Location 6) Image reference link or attachment (helpful but not necessary) 7) Other details (if needed) You will typically receive your quote within 1-2 business days after submission.

Q. Do you have price breaks?

A. Generally higher quantities will always result in lower cost per unit pricing.

Please submit a quote or consult one of our Product Specialists for more details.

Q. What is the process of getting my boxes made?

A. Our general custom box process typically consists of: Specification & Project Consultation 1) Quotation 2) Payment 3) Pre-press 4) Sampling and/or Production 5) Shipping & Fulfillment.

STRUCTURE RELATED Q. What types of boxes do you manufacture?

A. We offer a wide range of box options such as paperboard (folding carton), corrugated and rigid boxes with fully customizable options.

Q. How are dimensions measured?

A. Generally, measuring a box for packaging is based on the inner dimensions of the structure. This guarantees your product will fit properly

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within the box regardless of stock If you are looking to duplicate a box and provide outer dimensions.

thickness.

Q. What is a dieline and why is it important?

A. A dieline is the template/outline needed for the design/artwork of the box.

It is essential to the cutting and creasing process giving the appropriate information to our machines to precisely cut and fold areas where needed.

Q. Can we order multiple artworks with the same type of box simultaneously?

A. Yes! This is typical in many packaging production projects.

PRINTING RELATED Q. What is CMYK and why is it important for printing?

A. CMYK stands for Cyan, Magenta Yellow and Black. These colors are used for generating print outputs. Before boxes are sent for printing, it is important that the artwork (on illustrator) is converted from RGB to CMYK Not converting the color mode will result in color variance between what you see on your display compared to the final product Q. How do I place my artwork in the dieline?

A. You can check out Creative Print and Pack's Step-by-Step Artwork Preparation Guide on how to place your artwork onto our dieline templates.

Q. What is the requirement for the artwork before production?

A. You can refer to the General Artwork Guidelines for the required instruction needed for box printing.

Q. Can I print on both sides of the box?

A. Definitely! We are able to print on the outside (1-side) and the inside of boxes (2-side). Extra fees apply.

Q. What is PMS and does it require extra cost?

A. The PMS (Pantone Matching Color) is a standardized color matching system that ensures accuracy according to a specific type of color and is coded through a numbering system (also known as Pantone). It widely used in packaging, printing, fashion, graphics and interior design. Yes , PMS colors do add to the cost of printing.

Q. What are additional processes?

A. Additional Processes refers to elements you can add to give your packaging even more brand personality. We Offer:  Window Patching,  Foil Stamping,  Embossing,  Special Diecut,

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 Drpp off UV

 Spot UV

Q. What print coatings do you offer?

A. We provide several types of coating from AQ & UV to Lamination. Speak with one of our Product Specialists to learn more!

PRODUCTION RELATED Q. How can I save on shipping with very large orders?

A. There are two ways you can save on shipping: 1) Minimize the size of your packaging and/or use standard structures 2) Consider sea shipping. It can take up to 40-60 business days.

Q. Where can you ship to?

A. We ship internationally, with minimal restrictions. To find out if your country is eligible, please contact one of our Product Specialists.

Q. How do I get started with getting my boxes produced?

A. You can request a quote and get started by doing the following: 1) Providing your specifications in one of the product page 2) Sending us an email regarding your project 3) Giving us a call and speak to one of our product specialist Q. What is the turnaround time for the project?

A. After artwork approval, we started further procedure.  For custom sampling (New Product Development) Processing lead timefrom 5 to 7 business days.  For folding carton & corrugated boxes processing lead time from 10 to 15 business days  For rigid boxes processing lead time from 25 to 35 business days Q. How can I get a sample?

A. We offer both existing and custom samples. For existing samples, you can contact one of our Product Specialist to check if we have a similar box style instock to send you as a sample.

For custom sampling, you will need to provide all the specifications needed, along with a dieline with the artwork and then a product specialist will help you get your sample produced. Production and delivery times will differ based on the type of sample you require. Please contact one of our Product Specialists for more details!

Q. Can I order separate artworks in one order?

A. Yes you can! More than one artwork in one production work is subject to additional charges.

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Q. What is the minimum order?

A.  Our minimum order for paperboard (folding carton) and corrugated is 10000 units.  Rigid boxes have a minimum of 10000 units.  To take advantage of our lowest price, the suggestive minimum for paperboard and corrugated are 10000 units & 15000 units respectively  For special requests, please check with marketing executive.

Q. How much is shipping?

A. Since all orders are custom, shipping costs will vary depending on many factors.

Q. Do you offer rush order?

A. Rush orders may or may not be available for certain periods of time in the year. Please speak to a Product Specialist for more information.

Q. What is the approval process before production?

A. The approval process before production consists of artwork approval by our designer, by the client, CTP approval from production and 3D rendering (if necessary) Q. Where are you located?

A. Our Production units are located in Hyderabad; Marketing offices are located in all metro cities in India and Agency offices located in North America and Canada.

Q. What is prepress?

A. The prepress is the stage (or process) in which digital files are prepared for the printing press. Prepress turnaround time typically varies depending on the complexity of the project. It can take as quickly as several hours or several days.

Q. How are boxes shipped?

A. Most of our boxes are shipped flat. Special structures, typically rigid box styles, usually need to be shipped as they are.

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SCIEN AGE

SIGN

Bridging the gap between business strategy and design There are two different ways to look at the packaging design process.

Packaging can be an afterthought as a means to an end: getting a product from Point A to Point B. Packaging can also be an integral part of the new product development cycle. One of these methods simply checks a box, while the other brings about opportunities for massive cost savings and a transformational customer experience.

When packaging is built into the foundation of the new product development cycle, changes can be made to the product itself early on in its composition to be compatible with the package. These changes can help reduce the cost of the package after the product is in production. For example, by adding extra braces to a product, such as a computer, it may not break as easily when dropped.

This means the product needs less protection during distribution. Rather than considering packaging in a one-dimensional light, try thinking of packaging as an integral part of the product. This can lead to great innovation and success.

However, when considered too late, it may no longer be possible to increase the durability of the product, causing the price of packaging to skyrocket unnecessarily. Therefore, it is obligatory to incorporate package design early and often in the product design phase.

While thinking of package design early can help save costs, the mission of a designer is multi-faceted. Once a product makes it safely from the manufacturing site to the store, there is a great need for the package to be attractive to possible consumers. A company can have the most efficient packaging system in the world but be completely unsuccessful due to aesthetic deficiencies. Any given grocery store has roughly 10,000 items on the shelves.

Of those 10,000, the average consumer notices only 100. As if the odds weren’t stacked against the producer as is, consumers spend less than seven seconds examining a package before making a purchasing decision. Quite clearly, it is imperative that the design of the package encompass protective

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features, but also look appealing to the target consumer. In order to accomplish this goal, much like a scientist, a designer must analyze the trends and wants of the perceived consumer and craft a design that will cause this consumer to initiate a purchase.

It is incredibly tempting to look at packaging design from one angle. However, any veteran packager will tell you the science of design and the aesthetics of design are dependent variables. One cannot survive without the other, thus,

the importance of understanding packaging design as a whole.

If you eliminate the emotional guiding factors, it's impossible for people to make decisions in daily life."

Every day, we are faced with making both rational and emotional decisions.

People are drawn to the rational because it is explainable, measurable, and finite. However, rational thinking does not always play into consumer behavior. Sometimes it's all about emotions. Whether you are a package designer or a product marketer, it's critical to understand both the emotional and the rational drivers that affect product success in the marketplace. To do this, you must examine the influences of both the left and the right brain.

Right- or Left-Brain Thinking Although the two sides of the brain are similar in appearance, the function of each cerebral hemisphere is different. The left side governs linear reasoning, rational and analytical thoughts, while the right side deals with holistic reasoning, the emotional, and the artistic. This is a broad generalization, but research does support the notion of specialized areas of brain function.

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Apparently individuals do have a preferred method of approaching the worldrationally or emotionally, using left- or right-brain thinking. By recognizing the existence of "right-brained people" and "left-brained people," theory becomes practice when objectives to satisfy both or either are woven into the design process. This is especially significant in the early planning and strategy phases of development.

Packaging Calls for Both Design taps into both modes of thinking to make lasting connections with consumers. Successful package design plays both sides of the fence by integrating left-brain strategies with right-brain creative vision. Although these two forces often seem at odds, in the hands of a skilled team, design provides a balance that motivates purchase. A package can be pleasing to the eye while offering precise product information, for example.

Effective design is a vital ingredient for building successful brands. Here, again, the impact of both right-brain and left-brain factors is seen. All too often, strategic issues, operational concerns, logistical tactics, and entrenched marketing attitudes can overshadow design, cutting off its full potential to 37

contribute to the bottom line. Design can be a powerful emotional language, but it's also a highly effective means of clarifying and organizing messages.

That is why it is key to translate scientific knowledge, marketing research, and other left-brained pursuits into unique right-brain solutions. The services of a skilled package designer are not purely about creating a beautiful design; they're about an intuitive understanding of what motivates consumers to purchase a product or service.

“LET THE BRAND DO THE TALKING”

The brand story in 2021 will be an essential aspect, and it acts as the backbone of the entire brand identity through packaging design. An excellent brand story will focus on the central message in every visual piece of business branding.

Make sure of the brand positioning before building the brand story. Include values, culture, what brand stands for and emotions which will evoke customer desires. The un-boxing experience is also an upcoming trend which is part of the brand story. The brand story will drive by data in 2021, which will include customer’s preferences, desires and beliefs. Human brain processes image 60,000 times faster than data; text hence visualizes your brand story in the mind of the audience through images as visually compelling stories will cut through the clutter. Example: The Maggi brand of nestle have successfully built their niche in the storytelling and conveyed brand messaging through various campaigns such as “Me and Meri Maggi” focusing on everyday routine storytelling.

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The coming year will not restrict un-boxing experience up to e-commerce. Even offline brands will focus on this as it’s the best way to surprise and create a memorable experience with consumers. The online retailers have a fewer point of contact to provide pleasure compared to physical retailers; hence, they will focus more on providing incredible, memorable un-boxing experience and get profit also.

The year 2021 will break the myth of associating the experience with only luxurious and premium products; in fact, sometimes a simple note is enough to thank or to bring a smile on the face of consumers.

The un-boxing experience will be a boom because all companies are providing the same product with the same quality, quantity what will differentiate your brand over others includes “un-boxing experience”.

Examples: Brand can include a discount coupon, and in passing, you favour the recurring purchase and loyalty to the user. You can even offer an additional discount to the user who uploads their unboxing.

Using the Art and Science of Package Design People are bombarded with countless marketing messages every day. With the average retailer stocking 40,000 products, it's no wonder consumers have learned to tune out and filter. Product parity and price competition have led marketers to seek new directions for differentiation. Designers and their clients are seeking new ways of communicating with and ultimately connecting to consumers.

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Packaging keeps evolving, and so do the people who create and market the products. Technology has changed how we work while retailing has changed the way we buy packaging. Lifestyle and value shifts will always influence the face of packaging. It is a reflection of our culture; it defines us, just as we define it.

Brand Authenticity Consumers are hypersensitive and overexposed to design, so much so that they are critical of its manifestation.

They involve themselves with what keeps them interested and entertained. Today companies must be honest in their endeavors because consumers are skepti- 34 PACKAGE DESIGN WORKBOOK cal. Issues of obesity, health, nutrition, origin, sustainability, freshness, and safety are all critical concerns . While packaging designers often want to go simple to avoid visual clutter, consumers want to learn more from the package. Inherent to all companies that produce a product is the constant quest to innovate for a competitive edge. To add value and convenience, many companies launch new brands or extend established brands into an already confusing marketplace.

Once introduced into the market, these often fail to interest the consumer.

Was the product a bad idea? Or was it poorly presented to the consumer?

Consumer Behavior Understanding how consumers experience a brand and its products is the secret to successful marketing. After all, the brand is more than a well-designed logo. It has personality and an inherent level of approachability. People gravitate toward brands like they choose their friends.

This connection requires more than a pleasing aesthetic.

A brand designed to connect hits the consumer on an emotional level.

The package may be silent, but through design it triggers senses and an emotional buying decision.

Packaging also must appeal to the rational and factual requirements consumers have, proving the product is also the logical choice.

These connections are necessary when launching a new brand or invigorating one with a legacy.

Product Differentiation Designers and marketers need to realize they are not just selling products; they are telling stories through packaging. Package design is the visual expression of the brand's soul. Used effectively, packaging can define, build, and entertain consumers. However, to develop effective packaging that lives up to its potential, both art and science must be considered.

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T

he team is the heart of any project. If the heart is not pumping correctly, the body loses energy, becomes fatigued and sluggish, and can die.

Having the smartest and most talented people on your team is no guarantee of success.

Collaborative Discovery Relationship is an ever-present word in our industry, and for good reason. The packaging design process is highly collaborative. Designers and clients are on a journey of discovery together. For clients, the creative journey is just as important as the final destination or design solution. If they have a bad experience with your team, even if they have a fantastic end product, chances are you won't be hired again. Just as we speak about brand experience within retail setting, our own brand is viewed and evaluated the same way.

User Experience The integration of graphic user interface design and physical product design is converging more than ever.

The successful products create a seamless integration between the screen and the device. Human interaction is now embedded in many products, and interface design bridges the physical and virtual divide. Clients are requesting user interface design at every turn, and our designers excel in understanding the user experience.

At Creative Print and Pack, our packaging experts are concerned with the end user experience, which guides the overall look and feel of the package. They work to maximize the opportunity available on major retailer shelf space and improve the billboard side of the package for consumer convenience.

They defend your brand by ensuring all graphics have exceptional print quality for better marketability and

Client Designer Team Whether you are a sole proprietor working with a small client, a large design firm working with a Fortune 500 company, or an in-house design department working with an internal marketing department, the relationship between you and the client grows and is nurtured through mutual respect. In each of these working arrangements, team synergy is essential. First and foremost, roles and responsibilities, along with team objectives, must be set to form the foundation for ultimate success. All too

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often, projects are started without these basic principles. Creative briefs are lacking in ownable content, positioning is not unique, or the objectives are not clear-all of which lead package design teams down blind paths.

With mutual goals intact, teams can work together to achieve great solutions.

Having bright talent that can look at problems from a variety of viewpoints is imperative, but even more important is how well team members work together.

Improving the Odds If you have a dysfunctional team, it is virtually impossible to reach success. In these situations, you need to look for ways to improve the team's dynamics. Is the problem bad chemistry? Personality clashes? Understand that conflict can be a good thing, as long as it's achieved with respect for others. Conflict can lead to new creative ideas. Within any given team situation, each person must understand the game plan for the project. Who is making the decisions? How far do they want to push the project? This should be in the brief. The larger the group, the more room there is for watering down a good idea. Designers must keep the team on track by reviewing and clearly communicating objectives in relation to the creative. Large or small, teams need good leaders with focused goals.

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A broad array of talent, skill, and knowledge is required for the development of any package. Many people and factors contribute to a product's success. The chart, (left), identifies many of them. Marketers occupy a central role and ultimately are held responsible for the success of a brand or product. They must have a keen sense of timing, consumer insight, and intuition to launch or revitalize products for their respective brands. Within a design firm, the creative director plays a key role in fully understanding the brand and the products it represents. He or she is the leader, guiding both client and design teams to targeted solutions. The creative director must possess an innate ability to evaluate consumer behavior, project goals, as well as applicable aesthetic and cultural trends and the further ability to turn this knowledge into creative solutions that are stimulating and effective for the market.

An Interview with Bheemesh Chowdary Kacharagadla, Director of Brand Design, Creative Print and Pack (CPP), Hyderabad, Telangana. India.

Q. As the Senior Director of Brand Design, what is your role at CPP? A. My role is two·fold. First, it is my responsibility to create or have the vision for how design can influence the success of our clients brands. Secondly, for each brand, my team and I are asked to identify what opportunities exist for a specific marketing and design problem on a project-by-project basis.

Q. How do you view branding in its relationship to packaging?

A. Branding is the expression of a brand -how it appears and is expressed across all the customer and consumer communication channels. One application of that brand expression is on the package.

Q. In the marketing mix, what value does packaging play?

A. Every part of the marketing mix has value and is important. But the package is the only vehicle that is considered alongside its competitors and is evaluated by the consumer at the point when they use and experience the brand. It most closely reflects the brand and what it stands for or promises.

Q. What makes a successful package design?

A. We believe there are four criteria that help to make a package successful: First, it must be consistent with the brand positioning and what the brand stands for-the design should express the brand story accurately. The second aspect of a successful package is that the design is relevant to the specific consumer the brand is targeting. Third, the package has to be clearly differentiated from the other options available to the consumer. And lastly, the design has to be well-integrated with the other communication vehicles. The 43

brand will be expressed online, in advertising, in-store, etc, so a package is only successful if it works effectively with these other communication vehicles in a unified way.

Q. What do you see as the biggest challenge for designers?

A. The dynamics inside a corporate environment are very complex. There are many priorities and a constantly shifting balance of demands. This dynamic is the most difficult for us to communicate to our agencies and for the agencies to truly understand. The result of this is agencies periodically have a hard time adjusting to those shifting demands, leading the creative process in the context of those challenges, and coming out the other end with a design solution that meets the demands of the business.

Q. If you could change one thing within the branding and packaging industry what would it be?

A. If I had that kind of influence, I'd like to see greater integration of what happens on the package with the other customer and consumer communication elements. I'd like to see the design for our brands be more holistic and unified. When a brand is well integrated, then all elements are more effective (including packaging) and the brand benefits more. Some of our brands do an outstanding job of that. Others can do better.

Q. What is the single biggest obstacle you see with package design?

A. I think the environment that our brands compete in is very complex and therefore filled with a variety of challenges. But one problem that we consistently see is a lack of a strong creative vision. That vision must come from the brand team, (my staff, marketing, R&D, etc), in order to stimulate the creative process. When that doesn't happen, the effectiveness of the final solution can suffer. On a more executional level, another challenge is the desire and request to put too much information on our packaging. We typically want to say many more things than the consumer is interested in hearing. The result is the information that could influence their decision to buy a brand is more difficult to find and, in fact, may not be seen. It is a classic example of less is more.

Q. What is the biggest challenge facing your clients?

A. The need to understand the role of design and harness its power. Brands are all about meaning that transcends mere commercial transactions. Clients need to create products that are riveting, compelling, and instantly appealing. They need design to help achieve this. The role of design is to tell rich stories, to go beyond the decorative, enliven the senses, and captivate us all.

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Q. What role does research play in developing branding and packaging?

A. The right research is every designer's friend. Research that is more symbolic and projective engages consumers, and they really tell you stuff. By activating consumers' imaginations, we get research that is exciting, new, and highly reflective. It tells us where a brand could go. It helps us see potential.

Traditional research tells us all about the familiar. Really new concepts seem like crazy ideas and never gain acceptance or validation through old research methods. The old protocols are definitely risk averse. In any case, research should be used as a gut check and not dictate the final decision.

Q. In the marketing mix, what is the value of packaging?

A. Packaging is totemic. It encapsulates the essence of the brand and lets people hold it in their hands. If branding is a story, packaging is the consumer experience of that story. For many, the package is the product. They are totally connected. Thus, I think package design should be more respected and valued.

Advertising casts a wide net to attract and appeal, but packaging closes the deal. Design is in a transitional phase. More corporations are aware of design, but they aren't all sure what to do with it yet.

Q. What makes a successful package design?

A. It is an object that is intriguing and compelling. It makes people love it and pull it off a shelf. Good design reconnects us to our humanity by giving us excitement and pleasure.

Q. What do you see as the biggest challenge for designers?

A. Designers need to keep talking about the power of design, how it is of cultural significance; they should not just exist to support a functional, transactional purpose. Designers should also be the ambassadors of green thinking. They should address sustainability in a serious fashion for the good of the planet and all humanity. Business, with the help of designers, should solve the problem and be our salvation. It's a big challenge.

Q . What do you see as the biggest challenge for marketers?

A. Companies have got to transcend their concern for the bottom line.

Q. Being a forecaster, where do you see branding and packaging going in the next five years?

A. We need to look at a longer time horizon and take a wider view. It's up to us to embolden and push our clients. We need to encourage change and resist fear.

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"You now have to decide what image you want for your brand.

Image means personality.

Products, like people, have personalities, and they can make or break them in the marketplace."

T

he fundamentals are the same, whether working for a large brand or a small brand, but the complexity and risk associated with large brands can alter the design development process. Large brands have established equities and brand loyalties that represent a huge part of their income.

More Complexity Understanding consumers' behavior, and how a particular brand integrates into their life, is key to designing or identifying graphic changes for a design revitalization, especially in a big brand. Once the proper evaluation and observations have been done, a strategy can be developed. Working under these analytical conditions is not for every designer. Different skill sets and expertise are required when working on large brands. Specifically, designers need to have a deep knowledge of branding and its effect on consumer buying habits. To serve a megabrand, a design firm needs a team of experts dedicated to evaluating trends and changes in the marketplace. These firms typically offer services outside of design, including strategic planning, market research, and brand analysis. As a result of the added complexity of large brand design programs, design firms typically charge higher fees.

More Flexibility Conversely, small brands, if not owned by large companies, are much more adaptable, allowing them to reposition more quickly, and with less risk. Design, in these situations, is used as a strategic tool. Small brands are more easily able to capture new trends in the marketplace. Also, innovations in structure and printing processes can be launched faster due to smaller volumes. Layers within these organizations are much flatter, resulting in faster approval processes, typically with fewer changes. The downside to working on a smaller brand is often more limited budgets and lower compensation to the designer.

We see private-label or store brands taking advantage of big brands' weaknesses through innovative design. Because of this phenomenon, we see consumers becoming more engaged with their new fresh looks. The successful

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use of design as a point of differentiation is working to convince the big brands that design is, indeed, a valuable tool.

Small Brand Issues  Nimble, able to make changes readily  May be an upstart in a category, having the ability to shake things up  Less risk because of less brand equity, typically  Low-volume manufacturing means high-unit cost per package Big Brand Issues  Often large, multinational corporations therefore, move more slowly  May be the first in a product category, having considerable market share  High risk due to considerable brand equity  High-volume manufacturing means low-unit cost per package

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It is easy to kick back in the rarified air at your computer screen and dream up fantastic package designs. Then it happens. The product goes to production, gets loaded onto pallets, and somewhere an underpaid kid grabs your hard work and throws it onto a shelf. Sideways. Of course, it doesn’t always happen like this, but accommodating imperfect circumstances is one of the most important considerations when designing for the shelf.

Target is well known for a process known as “merchandising in multiples” and the psychology behind it. Essentially, a large rack with many of the same item conveys not only newness (freshness in the case of giant stacks of produce), but also provides a giant billboard for the product.

Increasing the ease of quick purchasing decisions is one key to improving sales. Think about how many times you have been

Eye movement recorders examine how an individual views packaging or shelf displays by tracking eye movements. These devices show when the subject starts to view a picture, the order in which the elements of the image were examined and reexamined, and the amount of viewing time given each element.

reminded that you are out of detergent when faced with a large display, conveniently located at whatever height you are because the entire shelf is a single product.

Target has the luxury of large amounts of real estate that most other retailers do not, unfortunately. What you design needs to convey the brand promise and function quickly, and with a single unit. No small task.

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Another consideration that designers typically overlook is the “pay-to-play” nature of marketing on store shelves. In its most basic form (and there are many, many iterations of how products get placed and how much it costs) a company will pay by the linear foot for premium shelf placement. Small, outward-facing packages with increased depth tend to fare very well in paid environments. The soft drink twelve-pack is a prime example of how to take advantage of shelf depth while minimizing linear feet.

Unique form factors are also critical for differentiation among commodity products. Even saying “bag of Pringles” sounds wrong. In fact, that package is so unique to the category that most people reference it only by product name without mention of the carrier.

Rather than spread throughout the chip section, they tend to be stocked in their own area, further reinforcing how a package can establish a brand.

officially recommend this— either through professional channels, friends who own stores, or just guerrilla style, stock a shelf with fake product.

Why go through all this? Because the psychology of purchasing is very complex and nothing beats having a little ethnographic research, however small the sample size. Do people stop?

Now we have arrived at the moment of truth: the package is designed, production run complete, the pick, pack, ship, and stock have all gone down. There on the shelf sits your finest work. But will anyone buy it? A best practice we regularly employ prior to this moment is to comp and—we can’t

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WORKING WITH A BUDGET BUDGET ABOUT IT. We have all heard the pitch. It goes something like this: “We really want to work with you guys on this, but it cost so much just to get to this point that we just don’t have the budget for expensive packaging.” Sound familiar? There was a time that this type of project would seriously grate on our creative mojo. After a while, however, we learned to embrace the limitations of constrictive production budgets and instead push the boundaries of what is possible with fewer colors, pre-produced boxes, and nontraditional or repurposed packaging vehicles.

TIP No matter your client’s budget, always invoice new clients 50 percent before any work begins—no matter how nice they may be. As a company you need to retain some leverage (e.g., holding on to final files) until the bill is paid. The law is not on the side of the designer when it comes to getting paid. This is particularly important for packaging projects, because you often buy samples during the design phase, as well as materials and supplies before and during the production process.

Those costs shouldn’t be out of pocket for the design firm.

Today, when we see someone create meaningful packaging with very little cost, we are envious. It is easy to appreciate a custom glass bottle with twelve-color printing, but a standard stock bottle with amazing typography on a simple label can be just as effective, and beautiful.

This brings us to the single most important aspect of budget design: typography.

Type is necessary, type is cheap, and type can convey legions about the product positioning. We have done one-color case design with nothing more than a small illustration of a map and loads of carefully set type. To this day, that design stands out in the market, and we continue our relationship with the company.

One of our favorite budget tricks is to look for neutral, mid tone base materials for package design. A great mid tone allows two-

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color jobs to appear as three colors and allows simple black and white to have enough contrast to remain legible.

In some cases, such as clear glass or plastic packaging, the product itself should be considered a color to be worked with and taken advantage of. Of course, this at times may also be a detriment. We have seen all-natural blood orange soda packaged in clear plastic bottles only to have sunlight degrade the color of the contents to something that would graciously be described as deep tan, but in reality was more akin to a bottle of turds. Even budget packages need to take into account the requirements of the product. One final thought about budgets: Amazing work has been created with next to no money, and complete crap has been created with enormous resources. The sole difference is the amount of thought the designer put into the process, and last we checked, thinking was free.

TIP For clients with smaller budgets, the production budget should form part of the initial brief. The solution for The People’s Supermarket was to create branded sleeves and stickers that could be used in conjunction with existing generic packaging. This provided a low-cost solution for branding and packaging. clients with smaller budgets, the production budget should form part of the initial brief. The solution for The People’s Supermarket was to create branded sleeves and stickers that could be used in conjunction with existing generic packaging. This provided a low-cost solution for branding and packaging.

By now we are all familiar with the “not intended for individual sale” that often accompanies case-packed products. This little bit of lawyer copy is liberating to designers who, ultimately, must satisfy the need for a product to be displayed in an environment as personal as a home or office. Everything from hand soap to honey on some level becomes part of the décor of the room or space they occupy. When considered as “objects d’art,” there is not a lot of room for ingredient lists, usage instructions, or lawsuit-protecting legalese. Dial soap made an ease-of-use breakthrough with their foaming hand soap line, but just as important was their decision to let a cardboard sleeve do the heavy lifting of information dissemination while the container itself was kept, pun intended, clean enough to display in a bathroom.

At the end of the day, the most refined environments would prefer to have less branded clutter and more personal attention to detail, and combining the functionality of the foaming soap with an austere form factor was a great way to push design-o-philes into purchasing a disposable product for a room as intimate as a bathroom.

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TIP

We recognize that creating a cardboard sleeve is not exactly primo portfolio material, but in this instance the solution was more about understanding at what point information needs to be conveyed versus how the product will live in an environment.

It is also important to note that providing a disposable vehicle for the required information frees a package designer to highlight interesting techniques in the product itself. Yes, we are blurring the lines between what is a product and what is a package, but the next few years will be defined in part by those “package” designers that can design a package to be as environmentally sensitive as

Doing an off-the-shelf box for a conservative market is challenging because they aren’t created very often, if at all anymore. The design team had to create a memorable package that was as costeffective as possible. To do this, they met early and often with the manufacturers and vendors to create prototypes until they found the most effective use of the paper stock and the production costs.

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possible. Sometimes this will take the form of adaptive reuse, ease of recycling, as well as minimal material requirements. Designers will be able to take a seat at the table of both product form factor and also the required “wrapping” that works to satisfy the overly litigious environment we must consider when making room available for large amounts of text. After years of attempting to battle with attorneys whose sole function is to achieve absurd levels of legal buffering at the expense of beautiful design, we have learned to accept the ridiculousness of their requests and instead design around the unavoidable onslaught of copy. If you are able to make the mental shift away from their requests ruining your design, and instead provide an easily recyclable/disposable option, the end result can be liberating, beautiful, and an honest expression of your aesthetic intent.

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BRAND REFRSH Command-R, Command Cash. When the economic implosion sapped all of the R&D money out of most companies, we noticed a peculiar trend: repackaging and refreshing of legacy brands. Over time we came to understand that, in lieu of spending large sums to launch products, companies were retooling their packages to promote what was currently moving product in a down economy.

Some companies even took advantage of reduced competition to secure more shelf space and worked their packaging systems to accommodate merchandising in multiples. Other firms moved to address value propositions by noting (or inflating) the sense of scale with packaged consumables. At the very least, this trend recognized that changing the single most important conversion mechanism, the package, would be a worthwhile investment. This goes double for those companies relying on fewer products for the majority of their sales. This comes from the Pareto Principle, a common rule of thumb in business where 80 percent of effects come from 20 percent of the causes—in this case 80 percent of the revenue comes from 20 percent of the products.

Just as ties and pant legs go from skinny to wide, so too, packaging needs to maintain a sense of timeliness to retain consumer confidence. While retro packaging has its occasional appeal, it is best kept occasional. Shoppers today are influenced by an unprecedented amount of information hurled at them through many different outlets. To stand out from the crowd, consider consistency among brand offerings of the same category. A consumer whipping through the beer aisle, inundated with countless craft beer brands, is more likely to notice a company if there is some consistency of tone, color, illustration, and typography. Perhaps that alone will be cause for pause, versus the almost certain flyover of the overwrought, over described, text-heavy design that seems to plague most craft beers. Without sounding curt, we promise not to make a brewer drink our bathtub beer if they promise not to make us use their bad-pun beer name and 2,500-word description of what went into the bottle. It’s a good deal for everyone.

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Making a difference has become essential to building a brand. Consumers are shopping their values, and businesses are rethinking their value proposition.

The triple bottom line—people, planet, profit—is a new business model that represents a fundamental shift in how businesses measure success.

Sustainability touchpoints: where businesses can make a difference

Historically, the purpose of business has been to create shareholder value. The new imperative integrates economic prosperity with protecting the environment, and demonstrating care for communities and employees. For many, sustainability will require radical innovation: retooling what they make, how they make it, and how it is distributed. A new generation of companies envisions sustainability as the core purpose of their brand promise.

Authenticity is critical. Social networks quickly broadcast brands that don’t stand true to their promise.

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Compelling brand identity presents any company, any size, anywhere with an immediately recognizable, distinctive professional image that positions it for success. An identity helps manage the perception of a company and differentiates it from its competitors. A smart system conveys respect for the customer and makes it easy to understand features and benefits. A new product design or a better environment can delight a customer and create loyalty. An effective identity encompasses such elements as a name that is easy to remember or a distinctive package design for a product.

GIFTED CHILDREN. Just like with children, we’re not supposed to have favorite projects (or clients). But what designer doesn’t love the project that comes along with that extra budget for special printing and production? Often these projects fall into the “giftable” category—those packages that get extra-special treatment because they are likely to be given as gifts.

The packaging becomes even more critical in these cases, and it’s often an opportunity to use unique printing techniques or unusual substrates. And consider this: gift package projects are also likely to carry a lot of emotional baggage for the purchaser.

Does emotional baggage sound like too heavy a term? Consider this: in essence, a gift represents the gift giver and creates an environment whereupon the recipient will judge the giver based on what was given. Years ago we worked with a theater company to help determine the appropriateness of specific media types— stay with us, this is going somewhere. What we accidentally discovered is that rarely do people go to the theater by themselves, and the act of inviting another couple as guests (consider this the “gift” of tickets) allowed those guests to judge their friends based on the quality of the show they were invited to see. The interesting element to this is that a negative experience discouraged further interaction not just with the offending gift givers, but with theater itself. The lesson to be learned is that while the surface of gift giving is goodwill, the quality of the gift, or at least the perceived quality, is roughly equivalent to the relationship between giver and receiver. Emotional baggage, indeed. So how do you create memorable, highquality, and emotional packaging decisions? Of course, the usual suspects apply here: great typography, personality in messaging, and contemporary color palettes. But there is one element that conveys so much more, and that element is tactility. By tactility we mean more than just surface treatments, but also weight and shape.

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         

Market share vis-à-vis competition Sales change after new packaging Compare sales change to overall project cost Money saved because of engineering and materials Eye-tracking studies, to track what they see first (shelf impact)

          

More shelf space Home usage/observation consumer/field test Entrée to a new retailer Press coverage; buzz Number of line extensions Product placement Sales cycle time Consumer feedback Influence on purchasing Decision

       

Establish goals and define Problem.

Brand equity Competition Existing brands in product line Price point Target consumer Product benefit

        

Competitive (category) Retail (point of sale) Brand (internal, existing product line) Packaging designer Packaging engineer Packaging manufacturers Industrial designers Regulatory legal department

     

Understand brand equity.

Determine brand standards.

Examine brand architecture.

Clarify target consumer.

Confirm need for product— Does product benefit resonate?

Confirm language—how should benefit be expressed?

    

Brand and corporate standards Product-specific Net weight Drug facts

   

Nutrition facts Ingredients Warnings Claims

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      

Product stability Tamper or theft resistance Shelf footprint Durability Usage Packability Fillability

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PACKAGING TRENDS Packaging trends are influenced by a larger set of strategic issues that grow out of a variety of consumer, artistic, business, and media trends.

Understanding trends helps designers entertain, influence, inform, and motivate consumers' product purchase decisions.

Throughout history, trends have affected and shaped society and defined human progress. They mirror our attitudes, values, desires, and dreams. We live in a multidimensional world where fads and trends overlap and collide, all vying for our attention as they speed around the globe via the Internet. We have learned to filter out much of this information, absorbing only what we see as relevant. To help deal with mass market clutter, our society fragments itself into subcultures. Through these groups, we can observe a trend incubate and grow from idiosyncratic idea into mass appeal.

How Trends Work

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A trend's life cycle looks a lot like a bell curve. Typically, it gains momentum as increasing numbers of people adopt it, but once it reaches mass appeal, interest declines or stabilizes as the trend moves into the mainstream, or else it simply dies out as another trend catches on and begins to grow. The process by which a new trend, idea, or product is accepted in the marketplace is called diffusion. Theories abound on the mechanics of diffusion, including the Everett Rogers Diffusion of Innovations Theory, which is widely accepted.

How Trends Work in Packaging Because packaging is so closely linked to consumer preferences, it is here that trends are transformed into functional applications; packages help sell products. However, package design is also where the adoption of a trend can get complicated. If you are too early, you can miss your target consumer; too late, and you are seen as old news. Thus visual concepts that express trends must be applied with careful consideration of the product's brand and its promise. Does the trend actually fit the brand, and will it attract the right buyer?

In packaging, trends tend to grow slowly because longer lead times are required to make changes. We see early adopters and infiuencers coming from small start-up brands, which have less at risk, while it may take years before big brands catch on to a trend.

When we see large brands begin to use a trend, we know this trend is reaching the top of the bell curve. Within the marketplace, it can be challenging to pick out new and emerging trends, as there are many different stages of a trend's life cycle. Also, consumers are at different stages of acceptance within the bell curve of a trend, so it's vital to understand the products' consumer. You must learn the buying habits of specific target audiences in order to better understand their comfort zone and how far the packaging can stretch and motivate them to purchase. It's about knowing how far the brand you are designing for can be pushed.

How Designers Work with Trends It is vital for designers to understand what motivates and establishes visual trends. For the most part, these concepts are directly influenced by the environment, societal attitudes, and beliefs. In spotting and evaluating packaging trends, we have to keep in mind that designers are working with a consistent palette of tools that can be viewed as trendsetting in themselves.

This palette includes color, typography, imagery, structure, form, and materials. Anyone of these design elements can be used to express a trend.

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| Package design that strikes a meaningful chord with the consumer and drives increased purchase intent is great marketing. It requires close collaboration between designers and clients. Success can not happen without trust. These six keys to success help stack the deck in favor of achieving greater results for both marketers and designers. | [1] DON'T REACT PROACT [2] CONNECT ON AN EMOTIONAL LEVEL [3] DON'T SETTLE FOR PARITY [4] FOCUS ON CORE VALUES [5] VALL DATE APPROPRIATELY [6] COLLABORATE The keys to success described here were developed by reviewing numerous packaging design programs, both triumphs and failures. We know success can be measured many ways, so we looked at what drove project effectiveness in terms of both sales and aesthetic accomplishment. All too often, designers and 61

their clients use different criteria to evaluate packaging solutions. To us, that doesn't make sense-all participants in the creative process should focus on both the art and the science of packaging to create breakthrough design.

At CPP, we typically present these keys to success as general points to take into consideration during the preliminary assessment of a packaging project. Not addressing them early and often are major impediments to success. We observe that when even just one of them is not implemented, results suffer.

However, these keys are by no means the only drivers to success. The dynamics of any packaging program include team interactions, product offering, subjective interpretation, distribution channels, budget constraints, and manufacturing capabilities, all of which can and do affect results.

Great packaging finds its origins in a strong and talented team. When we say team, we are referring to both the design professionals involved in the process and the client. The assumption is that these two groups will collaborate on the project. Talent and ideas will flow from both sides. Open-mindedness and mutual respect from both groups is mandatory. Teams must ask these questions as they embark on the process: Are we working well together? Are we capable of working well together? Do we mutually respect each other's disciplines? Are our goals aligned? Positive answers to these questions are vital to success. It's why clients so often work with agencies and designers they know and with whom they are friendly. Often, success is not simply measured by the end product but also by the experience along the way. As a designer, this is your brand experience, and, in addition to your creative skill, it's what you're selling. Service, experience, and talent are a given in this industry. They are the ultimate keys to success.

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This book discusses many of packaging's reasons for being and how packaging has evolved into a strategic touch point with consumers. This vital work and background becomes a vision that ultimately translates into a package on a shelf. To get there, seemingly countless decisions about packaging form and function must be made that factor in product demands, shape, material, marketing communication, and final execution. Every step of the process must be taken with the original objectives in mind. Each package must be executed consistent with brand positioning and must go beyond consumer expectations to delight them.

1. Containment.

How will the package hold the product? Liquids, chemicals, dense solids, perishable foods and pharmaceuticals, exceedingly small or oversized items, and high-tech and high-cost goods all have unique needs and varying demands on the containers that secure them.

2. Security.

Does the product require special tamper evidence or sanitary and freshness measures? From oxygen barriers to holographic security seals, many packages must afford special assurances to both manufacturer and consumer.

3. Protection.

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How easily can the product be damaged in transit or handling? How well can it withstand environmental factors? Damaged or spoiled product is pure material and economic waste. Packages must address strength and protection needs in a product-by-product manner.

4. Convenience.

Can the package make the product easier to transport, display, open, close, use, or reuse? I n many categories that are or approach being commodities, the issue of consumer convenience is paramount. A smart package takes end-user needs into account and provides often unexpected solutions, thus giving the product an edge to the marketplace.

5. Information.

How do you provide the consumer with the knowledge to understand and use a product? Packaging bears the huge responsibility of informing the consumer of what a product is for, how to use it and when, how not to use it, and why not.

6. Marketing.

What means should you employ to elevate the consumer's purchase intent? Speaking the right visual language on-pack that connects intellectually and emotionally with the consumer is vital to getting a product noticed, desired, purchased, and remembered.

Ending consumer confusion, especially when they are shopping brands with a large number of flavor, style, or price-point options, is a challenge for designers and marketers. However, there are a number of ways to help ensure a more effective shopping experience. When designing for increased shop ability, the following milestones must be accomplished:

END CAP

RESOURCES. For all new packaging projects, we have two kickoff meetings with the client. The first pertains to the goals of the project and the second deals with production, planning, timing, and budget. Here are a few lists you can use to plan your next packaging project.

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PACKAGING PROJECT KICKOFF MEETING QUESTIONS QUESTIONS FOR THE CLIENT.  What is your story?  What is the product and concept?  Will the product be one-off or will it be required to work in a system? (If there is a system, is there a clear understanding of the company vs. product names?)  What are the goals, objectives, and directives of the project?  Who is the audience?  What companies or products are the direct and indirect competitors?  What is the time frame? Are there any milestones or events that are driving deadlines? If so, what are they and when?  Is the product the first of its kind on the market? If so, what education does the buyer need?  If the project is a refresh, what problems need to be solved? Is there anything that should be incorporated from the old package to the new?  Where is the content coming from? (Who will provide the messaging, and is there existing artwork or logos that need to be considered?)  Who are the decision makers?  Is the product still in development, and are there samples available?

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QUESTIONS FOR THE STUDIO/LAB.  What items are on the contract? (e.g., product and system naming, messaging, identity, primary packaging, secondary packaging)  How many hours are allotted to this project?  Identify the assigned designer, writer, photographer, project manager, etc. as well as establish who is responsible for each task within the project.  When are the internal and client deadlines?  Who will create or collect the content and assets?  Will the product be photographed, and if so, by whom?

PACKAGING PRODUCTION MEETING QUESTIONS  What is the production budget?  Is the design studio in charge of production, or is the client tasked with that (and billed directly by the vendor)?  What quantities are needed (or required) for manufacturing?  Is there a vendor already selected?  What are the vendor capabilities?  Is any part of the product or packaging manufactured or produced overseas? If so, are transportation and shipping times accounted for in the timeline? Who is overseeing that process?  If a packaging system needs to be created, what are the initial agreedupon products?  Are custom bottles or containers going to be created? If so, how long will it take to produce the needed quantity?  Is there an interim solution if the custom containers cannot be created?  Does the overall production schedule align with the initial time frame? If not, alert the client, present an alternative solution, or revise the schedule.  If the product is food, when will the nutrition facts be finalized?

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Ending consumer confusion, especially when they are shopping brands with a large number of flavor, style, or price-point options, is a challenge for designers and marketers. However, there are a number of ways to help ensure a more effective shopping experience. When designing for increased shop ability, the following milestones must be accomplished:  Create a product box design effect to draw consumers to the brand  Provide clear differentiation in varieties  Show the benefits and appeal of the product  Hierarchically organize competing elements and imagery  Spotlight innovations and features  Connect emotionally with buyers  Design for flexibility and expansion of the line

An Interview with Arjun Krishna, General Manager, Creative Print and Pack (CPP), Hyderabad, Telangana. India.

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Q. What is your role at CPP.?

A. I am a General Manager (Technical Operations) and quality control expert for CPP, the world's first concept-oriented packaging solutions provider. I have over 16 years of experience in the printing industry.

Q. What innovations have changed the role of packaging most over recent years, and how?

A. There have been huge advances in prepress and printing technologies. The most amazing improvements have been in high-speed web flexographic printing. With the development of digital polymer plates, flexography is able to handle projects it's never been able to before. Flexo can hold ever-improving line quality and deliver amazing color contrast; it often can be mistaken for offset or gravure. Of course, you have to properly prepare the designs for flexo to get the best results.

Q. What common mistakes do you see being made that hurt the production of great packaging?

A. The biggest mistake I see is clients cutting corners to save time. Many just don't give themselves or us enough time to do things right. You need enough time for proofreading and making revisions and quality product box/Packaging designs. Another big mistake is clients not telling the designer what printing method is going to be used on a given job. You can't design it properly unless you know what print medium will be used for reproduction. You should hold preproduction meetings early to troubleshoot the design.

Q. What can design firms do differently to get the most out of current print production technologies?

A. They can involve the branding in the design process and consult with us, even before design presentations to clients or official pre-pro meetings. If a designer comes up with designs that can't be reproduced properly, it makes the designer look bad to the client and only disappoints. Designers need to manage client expectations before everyone gets married to a design. Once it's sold to a client, the designer looks foolish if it ultimately can't be printed.

Q. What are your clients' greatest needs that you fulfill?

A. Quality assurance-maintaining the integrity of the design throughout the printing process, all over the world. The brands we serve demand consistency globally, and that's no easy task.

Q. What do you see as the biggest challenge for brand manufacturers?

A. The entire packaging industry is becomming more educated about and sensitive to environmental issues. Sustainability is a very big factor. Producing less waste and getting rid of it is a big challenge with more and more people on

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the planet. We need to recycle and reuse. It's a tough job for designers and their clients to meet these changing demands, but corporations need to address the public's growing outcry for greener processes.

Q. What do you see as the biggest challenge for branding?

A. Shorter turnaround times. There is just no more time left to cut out. If we are continually asked to produce things in less time, then clients need to be satisfied with lesser results.

Q. How do you see the printing and branding industry changing in the next five years?

A. Packaging has a direct link to environmental concerns. Increasingly, consumers will be looking to reduce waste and will frown more and more on excessive packaging. This will create the need for different kinds of packaging, for new, more efficient, or cleaner-to-produce materials, and less of them. I don't know how it's going to change exactly; I only know it must.

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The digital document that contains a precise drawing indicating the shape and structural specifications of a package is known as a dieline. Due to the vast array of packaging formats and media, all dieline or template standards cannot be addressed in singular terms. However, these general features and issues should be identified when reading a dieline.

Scores, Cuts, and Perforations There is a reason why each line in a dieline is solid (cut edge or trim), dashed (often used for folds or scores), or occasionally broken with short gaps (perforations or kiss-cuts). It is also common to find different colors of linework used to delineate boundaries for trim, bleed (a small area beyond the die to which color must extend to allow for slight cut misalignment), and live area (a cautionary zone in which all critical information and visuals must be kept within to ensure visibility).

Glue Areas or No-Print Zones Usually called out in supplemental notes from the manufacturer, certain areas are often kept clear of inks and coatings for proper glue adhesion or for postproduction imprinting of best-before dates or lot numbers. Flexible packaging may also have no-ink or no-live-art requirements in fin-seal and heatcrimping regions.

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UPC Area The position of a UPC (or similar) code is often flexible but may be indicated in the dieline to ensure it is placed at the correct angle or size for optimal reproduction and scanability.

Panel Orientation and/or Press Direction Cartons or paperboard packages with multiple panels or facets may require that art be prepared facing certain directions or with a certain relationship to one another. For instance, many food companies establish a standard that the nutritional panel is always oriented on the immediate leftward panel from the primary display panel (PDP). Print side and press direction may also be called out to prevent inadvertent flipping of a die and as a reminder for numerous prepress considerations.

Eye Marks and Eye Channels or Lanes In the case of flexible packaging on film such as bags, one or two small black (or high-contrast color) marks measuring approximately % x 5fs inch (6 x 16 mm) are positioned along a specific edge, and the space between them must be kept clear. This open space is the eye channel and is used by a mechanical eye that watches for the eye mark as the film passes by for cutting indication.

Other Miscellaneous Markings Dimensions should always be used to verify the scale of a dieline at first use and will serve to confirm actual size throughout the package's development.

Many other dieline specs may be present that are not easily understood.

Separating such elements onto different layers is sensible, but be sure not to discard them altogether because they are there for a reason and may be important to another process.

Need Modifications?

Dielines should be altered only with the agreed consent of the printer, as they usually represent an existing die tool that will have to be altered as well. These changes can be costly and can produce crippling problems later if done without authorization. It is best to leave any modifications to the manufacturer who provided them.

Whether the pre-pro meeting is with a large group of vendors for a complex packaging program or an internal assessment on smaller jobs, it is helpful to have a checklist for review of main points that ensure a clean release of artwork. In general, it is smart to review finished files in the following areas:

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Dielines:  Verify as accurate and implemented correctly. Common mistakes:  Art built on an inverted (flipped) dieline  Art oriented incorrectly on panels (rotation, adjacency, etc)  Bleeds and no-ink areas (often for best before date coding) not accounted for  Eye channels (flexible packaging) not kept clear or eye mark contrast too low  Seals (bags) and/or overlaps (can labels) not allowed for  Packs trimmed with single-knife cuts (shared edges) not built to do so.

What bleeds off one edge must carryover to the other or be framed in a solid.

Print Process  Art is crafted appropriately for given process and within spec. Common mistakes:  Type and other small elements built with unrealistic color builds or too small/fine. Registering two or more screened colors to build complex colors is often problematic on press, especially in flexographic printing.

Minimum type sizes should be observed; 6-point is most common but can be smaller in better processes or larger as a knock-out or in lowerend printing processes.  Excessive number of inks specified in the art. Ink count is limited by press configuration and/or allocated budget.  Gradations, vignettes, or fine tints exceed press capabilities; especially in flexographic printing, Minimum dot requirements and analox ratings plays pivotal role in dictating these tolerances.

Image quality  Verify sufficient resolution, correct color space, usage rights obtained, etc. Common mistakes:  Images linked as RGB rather than CMYK or as multichannel spot color images  Low-resolution images that will not sufficiently support the process. The standard 300 dpi is acceptable, but less can work depending on the application.  Image rights missing or outdated. Un-authorized image duplication is a huge problem and is being dealt with aggressively by those whose rights are infringed. Be sure you have the correct usage rights and/or licensing to print every image.

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Content quality control  A good rule of thumb is to have three individuals from different disciplines-for example, designer, project manager, and technical proofreader-proof the content for accuracy. Common mistakes:  Misspelling: Spellcheck helps, but proprietary vernacular often requires special attention.  Poor use of language. Copy can be spelled right and properly punctuated but still say the wrong thing or be misleading. Missing elements. In the digital world, design elements can drop off a layout for many reasons between the design and production stages. Designers often look to see if what we see is right but forget to look for what we do not see.

Regulatory and legal details Examples: ® versus TM, kosher symbols (which one?) , © and corporate signoffs, certification symbols (used properly?), UPCs (scale limitations, color use, rotation versus press direction, truncation okay?), recycling symbols, NLEA and net weight regulations (minimum type sizes per package size and keepclear areas, etc.)

Annotations  Prepress notes to the separator, color assignments, FPO indications, special treatment notes, and digital file meta data all should be clear.

Common mistakes:  Vague or overly complex annotations that can easily confuse  Poorly placed callouts that make content proofing difficult  Lack of version documentation and clear approval status  Conflicting color assignments via errors in callouts or multiple color swatches for one color  Outdated callouts from legacy/repurposed art that have not been retrofitted for a new line extension

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Future Printing Processes Looking ahead, new printing methods will likely be focusing on bio-friendly processes, increased speed with equal or better quality, and more digital intervention. In addition, high-tech printing technologies in modern manufacturing processes may bring revolutionary track ing and tamper evidence/authentication innovations to packaged product niches. Innovative inks that contain electrostatic properties and the ability to store encrypted manufacturing data and codes, sometimes virtually undetectable to the eye, are being tested and developed. These innovations could affect high-security and high price point product niches like pharmaceuticals, and all products that have a great deal to lose from tampering or piracy.

Beyond specific printing processes are supplemental techniques, such as thermoform or in-the-round shrink pack film, that afford greater flexibility in both the form and function of packaging. The field is exciting, and designers must keep up with new printing technologies in order to leverage these advances for their clients.

One of the greater printing challenges for designers that came with the digital revolution is within the proofing process. Prior to digital plate-making (DTP/CTP), film negatives were produced for each color separation and used to make the proof, typically a Match print or a Chromalin, and again later for the making of plates used on the presses. Provided these two steps were managed and calibrated correctly, you had a largely apples-to-apples comparison from proof to print. When film was replaced by digital postscript files, finding new, cost-effective ways to produce an accurate proof seemed virtually impossible.

Proofing Options Today, several options exist that have become commonly accepted, much like the Matchprint of yesteryear, but designers and their printing partners still struggle to produce reliable simulations of what will happen on press. The technologies used to simulate dot gain, spread, UCRjGCR, and so on have come a long way, but there is still a need for better spot color representation. Many proofing systems do not accurately show dot but are sometimes continuoustone simulations. Good old-fashioned ink draw-downs and color chips are still the gold standards.

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Ink Innovations Another big curve ball, yet opportunity, is the emergence of new ink technologies such as Pantone's Hexachrome, which is the standard four-color process (CMYK) plus orange and green for greater color range, and Opaltone, which is CMYK plus red, green, and blue inks. These proprietary ink systems provide big color-range and ink density benefits but also require custom software, proofing, and separation techniques that can add complexity, a steep learning curve, and in some cases additional expense.

Press Checks Once on press, having accurate proofs on hand becomes critical to having a target and goal for color. Those proofs are usually broadly routed, reviewed, and approved by clients who will not be press-side, so making sure the printed job looks like the proofs is vital in order to satisfy expectations.

It's ideal to have an experienced representative from not only the printer (for example, the pressman or printing sales representative) but also the client and design firm at press side. With all parties present, the compromises that often must be made on press can either be agreed on and approved or immediately rejected-and the run stopped.

When considering options at press side that affect the finished result, it is important that the real end results be kept in mind. Ultimately, it's not whether you matched a proof or not but, rather, what the consumer will actually find on the shelf. Brand stewardship never stops, even when ink hits paper. Color equities, projected value-it all comes down to the final print production. It is at this critical point that decisions made regarding substrate quality, ink usage, print process selection, not to mention the printer choice in itself, can make or break success in the consumer's eyes. Again, don't fumble on the I-yard line.

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The smart infusion of packaging science-things like trend analysis, market research and consumer insights-is critical to strategic design. Designers are naturally emotionally involved in the work, but they must also be intellectually immersed in it. The best package design comes from designers who leverage the science of packaging, and marketers who allow freedom of artistic expression in their brands.  The shelf is the most competitive marketing environment in existence.  Good design sells. It is a competitive advantage.  Positioning relative to the competition and to the other members of the product line is critical for developing a packaging strategy.  A disciplined, coherent approach leads to a unified, powerful brand presence.  Structure and graphics can be developed concurrently. It is a chicken-andegg debate.

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 Brand extensions are always a strategic tug-of-war between differentiation and coherence within a product line.  Consider the entire life cycle of the package and its relationship to the product: source, print, assemble, pack, preserve, ship, display, purchase, use, recycle/dispose.  Devise timetables involving packaging approval and production, sales force meetings, product sell in to stores, manufacturing, and distribution.  Developing a new structure takes a long time and is very expensive, but it offers a unique competitive advantage.  Method: flexo, litho, roto  Application: direct, label, shrinkwrap label  Other: number of colors, divinyl, UPC code, minimums for knockouts    

Design new structure or use stock?

Choose forms (e.g., carton, bottle, can, tube, jar, tin, blister packs).

Choose possible materials, substrates, or finishes.

Source stock and get samples.     

Product name Benefit copy Ingredients Nutrition facts/drug facts Net contents

    

Start with face panels (2D renderings).

Get prototypes made.

Narrow option(s).

Design rest of package.

Simulate reality: use actual structure/substrate with contents.

     

In a retail/competitive environment As a member of the product line Consumer testing Finalize files.

Oversee production.

   

Claims Warnings Distributed by Manufactured in UPC code

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Honestly, the single greatest part of writing this book has been the relationships we have with all of the contributors, editors, and sources we leaned on for help. Some people we knew, some we didn’t, but all are now family. We once listened to a pastor at a big rally here in town whip the crowd into frenzy with the proclamation that, “It takes teamwork to make the dream work,” and never have we believed it more than with this book. Thank you all for your role in our dream.

It would be easy to consider some of the case studies in this book “proprietary” or perhaps even too revealing of internal processes that are used to consistently maintain quality. That so many of you decided to help us and the design community by sharing your knowledge is truly humbling. If nothing else, consider your karma bank loaded.

Our profession has undergone radical change in the past two decades, and keeping up with the new skills required for success is a daunting proposition. It is, however, a challenge made easier by replacing inter-industry competition with inter-industry cooperation. The rapid changes that create the need for new skills also create the opportunity for new revenue streams and compensation structures. We propose that by working together, we have more to gain than by forcing ourselves apart by withholding best practices. At the end of the day, we all enjoy the respect afforded our industry by the individuals and companies that practice the craft at the highest levels. Sharing that knowledge is the key to moving forward. Thanks to all of you, who shared so much with us. Feel free to stop by the studio. The first seven drinks are on us.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR Established in 2007, Bright Media Corporation (A unit of CPP Group) has over a decade of strategic packaging design experience. Servicing clients in a range of industries, our primary goal with every project is to achieve quantifiable results. Through the years this disciplined approach has honed our research skills and maximized the return potential of our clients. Our design team leaders have a breadth of knowledge that spans both online and printed environments. As a full-service creative agency, we constantly strive to add the highest-value communication vehicles to our evolving skill set. That noted, perhaps the most telling statistic about our storied history is that we still work with our very first client.

A CONCEPT ORIENTED COMPANY. We collaborate and drive innovation by looking at a client’s situation and imagining the possibilities from many angles, a 3D approach to problem solving, truly bringing an idea to life. It’s the next level of branding and positioning that stems from shared values with our clients and ultimately results in business growth and evolution. As a Concept Oriented Company, we help our clients create new methods to grow their business, while they are occupied with running their business. Often this employs line extensions or new distribution models, but also takes form in advanced social media strategy and unique merchandising solutions. There is no singular fix, only the most effective blend.

BEL VED MATES Thank you to all of our contributors, the many talented designers and marketers who provided images and told us the stories of their work.

We thank CPPians/Team CPP for their insightful interviews. Additional thanks to some of the best packaging design firms in the world as well as their esteemed clients for their generous cooperation and participation.

The author would also like to extend special thanks to the staff of CPP Group, and indirectly many of our people for their critical involvement in the completion of this book.

Thank you to CPP Groups Managing Director Mr.Kondaiah Chowdary for your support. Thanks also to CPP Designing team for their edits and contribution.

Thanks mostly to our clients. It has been a pleasure and privilege to collaborate with you over the years. You inspire us!

Packages are brands that you trust enough to take into your home. We are continually comforted and cajoled by packaging shapes, graphics, colors, messages, and containers. The shelf is probably the most competitive marketing environment that exists. From new brands to extending or revitalizing existing product lines, considerations of brand equity, cost, time, and competition are often complex.

Packaging design is a specialty, and it routinely involves collaboration with industrial designers, packaging engineers, and manufacturers. In the food and pharmaceutical industry, it is regulated by the government. Package design is only one part of the puzzle involved in a product launch. Timetables include packaging approval and production, sales force meetings, manufacturing and distribution, and advertising.

-Sr.CPPian, Creative Print and Pack, CPP Group, India