Art and science of package design: Here's why it can make or break a brand

If consumers cannot find what you are selling in an overwhelming in-store environment, then you have already lost the battle.

Many of us buy things that we may or may not need based on the packaging, before the pandemic-inflicted lockdowns. We walk the aisles of the supermarkets and pick up stuff that look promising, especially when we all hate up-on-your-face advertising. With the supermarket and malls proliferating, this trend is here to stay. We are all waiting for the vaccination to be over with.

When we do not read newspapers as a habit every morning, or when we do not have time to watch commercials on TV or OTT, how else will we know which brand is good for our money? So, there is no further case for the idea that good packaging sells stuff.

Before this idea that "good packaging sells stuff" is dismissed as a brilliant grasp of the obvious, allow me to explain: Packaging – all types of packaging, whether it is ketchup bottles, boxes, squeeze packs or toothpaste tubes – is at the heart of a perfect storm. It is the epicentre where the consumer, the product and the cash all convene in a spectacular display of “buy it or leave it” situation. Unlike other forms of media, packaging has the power to close a sale in the final critical moments of the purchasing decision. In this way, package design becomes critical to making or killing a brand.

But is that the only job of packaging? I tend to say no. It also must vie for our attention in a cluttered retail store shelf, induce a first-time purchase, even transform impulse buying into the emotional arena of brand loyalty. And this last item may be the most difficult to attain with package design: Attract new customers while keeping the existing ones. The answer is complicated, but it begins with the simple notion that all package designs need to be effective. Meaning, if consumers cannot find what you are selling in an overwhelming in-store environment, then you have already lost the battle. In other words, shelf space is king. Take the oft-cited example of the toiletry aisle. Everyone knows the strategic placement of Unilever or Colgate brand is 5 feet 4 inches off the ground, or, roughly at the eye level of the average housewife who does the shopping for home.

But a new paradigm has evolved in major supermarket chains abroad. The top shelf, a previously undesirable position in most grocery stores, has now become quite fashionable. Why? Because that is where they keep the odds-and-ends items: rare olives, special exotic jams, obscure sauces, single-source salad dressings, and so on. So when a consumer reaches way up to that shelf, she feels she's found something special – something exclusive that not everyone else who shops at that major supermarket chain could find. And when she finds that can of rare olives, what does it usually look like? Often, the package design isn't elaborate. It may not have bright colours, gold leaf design or cartoon character endorsements, because frequently, these little brands do not have the money for all that fanfare. And here is the irony: this simplicity is exactly what makes them stand apart.

Indeed, simplicity is a key factor in the art and science of package design. In fact, it is the job of packaging to create clear, simple graphic messaging that is telegraphic, understandable and memorable. Consumers crave products, services, and ultimately packaging that simplifies their lives. And to this end, simplicity – and ultimately minimalism – will continue to be an increasingly powerful influence in retail.

But the issue is not only about clean design because there are plenty of examples where this is not possible. Take the soap aisle. If you have shopped there recently, you know what you are up against. Trying to ensure that you buy the right one for you from whitening, perfumed, moisturized or simply the mildest one is a task in itself. In this instance, packaging needs to be a billboard for the product.

The conventional wisdom is that you are only allowed seven words on a billboard that is 35 feet long, how dare you use 500 on a box that's 3 inches by 2 inches? Package design is more often entrusted with communicating a myriad of information such as product description, ingredients, manufacturer details, functionality, why is it different from others and so on. So the answer then becomes creating an information hierarchy with clear messaging. And do not forget, you need to put the regulatory mandates and disclaimers in fine print!

You cannot simply sum up package design as the combination of art and science, or the combination of simple design and well-coordinated information. Part of the magic equation is the appeal that will position the design as emotionally moving.