Brand packaging: approaches to design

Visual shorthand is the representation of the product on the packaging through a sign that can be:

• Symbolic, such as the representation of a concept, object or action;
• Iconic, i.e. depicting an object or a person in a stylised manner;
• Indical, i.e. using an element that refers to something else, a sort of clue.

The trick is to identify the essential element of the product so that it becomes easy to recognise and project it with a simple sign. Over time, the consumer has learnt to interpret the many symbols on products on supermarket shelves and recognise at a glance those that are part of the broader common visual currency of society, such as the cow icon associated with milk or the ball icon to indicate sport. Packaging designers use precisely this visual currency to provide instantly recognisable opinions on the nature of products, while remembering that context must still be considered as symbols may have a different meaning.

Branding, language and colour

Branding is the entire process around the creation of a product name or image that aims to establish a coherent and differentiated position of the product in the market, capable of attracting and retaining consumers. For the brand to be successful, the qualities that define it must also be transferred to the packaging design: from the external and internal containers to the graphics and the materials used.

How to explain to the potential consumer why they should buy a product? Written language is also an important factor in packaging design. If it conforms to the brand concept, the tone of voice reinforces the brand identity.

Colour is another key element for brand recognition, and buyers of a certain product often use it as a visual shortcut by avoiding reading the labels. The choice of colour varies depending on whether the aim is to conform or differentiate, taking into account the choices of competitors or symbolic meanings linked to cultural factors. Certain colours, for example, are associated with certain flavours or qualities. Think of pink and red for sweetness, or white and blue for purity: the designer may choose a certain colour to instil specific product ideas in the consumer’s mind.

Point of difference

The key point of brand packaging is to create a point of difference from the competition that communicates and highlights a distinctive feature of the product and allows the consumer to establish preferences. In certain cases, the product is not visibly different from that of competitors or does not have a unique selling point. And in this case it becomes almost impossible for the consumer to distinguish one product from another. In the customer’s mind, the real point of difference often lies in the feeling they have for a brand. The purpose of packaging, then, is to confirm and project those positive qualities with which the consumer has already made emotional connections.

Personality

Brand personality has the ability to transform the product into something with which a real emotional connection can be established. It can communicate values such as trust, cheerfulness or seriousness by differentiating it from the competition. What if a brand’s packaging shows a face by establishing a direct connection with a physical person? Whether it is the owner of the company communicating its story or a fictional character expanding the visual imagery, the result is the same: the customer tends to trust this brand rather than others who ‘don’t put their face on it’.

Persuasion

One of the main functions of brand packaging is to guide a purchase decision. The five canons of ancient rhetoric – invention, arrangement, style, memory and enunciation – can be used in packaging design to optimise the transmission of a message to the consumer. Logos, pathos and ethos are commonly used tools to appeal to different aspects of people’s personality in the target audience and establish a connection with them. Packaging communication can therefore be made more specific by using certain rhetorical strategies:

• Logos: persuasion provides logical evidence (real or apparent) how the product is better than the competition;
• pathos: appeals to emotions to create an emotional connection between brand/product and customers;
• ethos: is based on the personality or qualities of the speaker. It is applied, for example, when a star advertises a product, transferring his or her personality onto it.

Irony

Marketing often uses irony to more easily imprint a product or brand in the mind of the buyer. Afunny situation causes apleasant experience that allows the product to be memorised, but often what is considered humorous is subjective. This is why irony must be used with caution: if used effectively, even a simple graphic gimmick can make a funny impression and engage the right customers who will understand the meaning behind the brand message.

Protection and experience

The main role of packaging design is to protect the product inside during logistics, handling and display in shops. The substrates and strength of the packaging can vary widely, and cost affects the choice of materials and specific characteristics, such as overall weight or recyclability. The choice of materials creates a user experience, for example by offering surfaces with tactile qualities to interact with, or parts that can be torn or pulled. Packaging is a three-dimensional object and, as such, when designing, one can experiment with creating shapes that go beyond the 2D approach by interacting with the consumer. It thus becomes crucial to understand what rituals during the use of the product the customer will enact, so as to find solutions that make it more attractive. For example, many people share the pleasure of smelling the coffee aroma when they open the package. But new rituals can also be developed and made familiar: the consumer quickly adapts to an innovative package designed to make his life easier and the use of a product more convenient.