We’ve all done it – made an impulsive purchase in the most random of situations. We are innocently minding our own business while meandering through a store, when our peripheral vision is abruptly caught up by something out-of-place in the usual monotony of this habitual haunt. We stop dead in our tracks and we stare a bit. Then without thinking it through, we take the attractive abnormality to the check-out, remove our wallets from the safety of a pocket or purse, and beg for the person behind the cash register to spare us some dignity by letting us make this purchase as quickly as possible. With the item bagged and a receipt in hand, we scurry off to study in-depth what we’ve just purchased. Unique logos, striking text, bright colors, unusual shapes and textures – these are visual fixations that we can’t resist taking home with us, even if that product doesn’t really fulfill a need we have. We are addicted within a few seconds to the packaging of a product we may know very little about. The allure is all in the design.

To justify the purchase of a brand’s products – and maybe inspire a consumer to make a purchase they weren’t planning on – companies have to pack a punch in their packaging so that a product which may not have much practical value to a consumer’s daily life is suddenly an absolute necessity. Take a look at the packaging featured on The Cool Hunter’s web site and Jessica Stillman’s blog on the new ‘aggressive packaging’ revolution - think about how the packaging shown there ‘speaks’ to you – would you purchase any of those products? Why? Do you even know what most of those products are? Many people would simply shrug and say, “Well … it looks cool.”

The primary factor in how people first choose to purchase a product is the packaging and how it sells the brand’s product in one glance. In today’s multi-tasking society, we don’t always have time to do the research first and shop later – it’s usually the reverse. Packaging is the first-point-of-contact (per se) for all marketable goods, as the packaging is a promotional feature in and of itself. From food and drinks, to hair products and skincare, to office supplies and medicine, aesthetic packaging will usually have the final say on where a potential customer’s money goes. Human nature is inclined to seek and stay within a comfort zone of beauty, professionalism, and/or familiarity – and this can be directly applied to how packaging influences our choice of a particular brand or product. In the end, it’s all about super-hyped eye candy, hopefully with a few other sensate appeals, that has us hooked in one look. A majority of people will shun, without fail, things that do not capture their imagination to at least a small degree. This is where the imagination of the designers behind the packaging comes into play.

When working to design packaging, a designer has to consider a product and the brand’s industry, viable competitors, and the target consumer audience. Any design concepts are tested to determine their appeal and the reaction they will get from potential customers, which allows the designer to refine the details until the desired response is achieved. Colors, lines, symmetry or even asymmetry, text fonts and size, illustrations — packaging details must be cohesive and match up in order to inspire a particular reaction from consumers. Studies show that certain colors will not only elicit consistent emotional responses, but even attract specific age demographics more than others. Textography used — font style for any words printed on the packaging — can impact a consumer’s perception of the type of people that use the product, according to any associations they have with handwriting that may resemble that text, or previous experience they’ve had with other products or brands that used that textography. Illustrations, if used, must either be simplistic enough to appeal to various artistic tastes, or detailed enough to entice those who favor one artistic genre over others.

Excellent packaging isn’t too complicated; it’s sturdy enough to withstand shelf life and maintain the product’s original integrity; and it seamlessly integrates the brand itself into every detail – packaging is a medium for conveying your brand’s identity and playing with various marketing ideas. Packaging can and will define a brand’s positioning in its business industry. It’s not uncommon to have more freedom in packaging than can actually be afforded to have with the product itself. Poor packaging design can literally make-or-break a brand, its product, and the brand’s profit. Take a look at some of the retired packaging of some well known brands at The American Package Museum and consider this – since the definition of what is and what is not appealing in a product’s packaging has evolved over the years, you have to ensure that your packaging is something memorable and distinctive. If packaging is created which can evolve with trends, that can age gracefully through various generations of consumers, or perhaps remain immaculately immortal with little need for adjustment, then the product will have extended selling potential.

The design behind packaging provides a steady base for a business to establish their brand and their products. Numerous details must be evaluated, tested, and proven in order for packaging to be an effective tool in sales. Without designers who are aware of the paradoxical complexity and simplicity necessary for such success, packaging wouldn’t be such a seductive medium. It’s a means of quick ignition for a slow and steady burn – the charm of brilliant packaging design is the catalyst for creating loyal customers … or at least, packaging junkies.

Written by d/visible contributor Ciera Waring

This entry was posted on Thursday, July 26th, 2007 at 1:38 pm and is filed under Business, Branding, link/d, Advertising, Art & Design. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.