Art of Packaging Awards: The Technical Side of Design
Design is only one aspect of the art of packaging. It takes a skillful team of engineers and suppliers to turn a design concept into a functional package.
We've seen color-changing inks that are heat-sensitive, "invisible" dip tubes for dispensers (as was used in Estée Lauder's Sensuous fragrance bottle), and even cartons that sprout into flowers when planted in the ground. Communicating with a trusted supplier is the best way to keep informed of new technologies that can help spark a designer's creativity.
"The design industry has entered a very exciting time, when new materials and processes are leading to exciting innovations in design, as well as breakthroughs in sustainable packaging," says Lynn Greene, global president of Clinique.
Dave Lyon, vice president of brand design, Bath & Body Works, says that design today is being affected by changing consumer preferences. "Having close ties to the customer helps us deliver packaging and products that speak specifically to their needs," he says.
Consumer preferences are also important when it comes to sustainability issues, and this is affecting design as well. Just about every company is starting to think about ways to design greener packages by using different materials, or less material.
"Consumers are much more sensitive today to overpackaging and the use of questionable materials. This is posing some new issues for designers, because they need to understand changing consumer preferences and incorporate them into their designs," says Henry Renella, senior vice president of global package development for The Estée Lauder Companies.
Renella says that now, more than ever, it's critical that designers and engineers work closely together from the start of a project while still at the concept stage. "In the past, designers almost had carte blanche to design a package they felt met the equity of the brand. Now, there's much more to it than that," he says.
One challenge is shrinking budgets. "Cost needs to be taken into consideration much more now than in the past. There is no point in designing a five-dollar package on a two-dollar budget. Our job is to figure out how to make that two-dollar package as luxurious as the five-dollar one," says Renella.
Collaboration
Without a team of engineers, package developers, model makers, glass molders, plastics experts, and other skilled suppliers, a package concept would never make it off a designer's drafting table.
"Any designer or creative team needs to know that collaboration and the ability to communicate effectively with engineers and suppliers is so important," says Anthony DeMarco, vice president of sales, HCT Packaging (New York City). "Simply making pretty designs doesn't cut it in business today. Choosing a supplier with the technical expertise to match your design capabilities is critical."
A supplier that understands a brand will often prove to be the most helpful.
"It doesn't do us any good to present a design concept to a packaging or creative team at a beauty company if it has no relevance to the brand," says DeMarco. "We rely on the relationships we build with the beauty companies we work with, to make sure we can communicate openly and frequently."
Peter Acerra, president and CEO of SGD North America (New York City), agrees. "Design definitely requires and benefits from an extensive amount of collaboration. Designers and suppliers need to have a very close relationship. Communication has to be close to perfect for everything to run smoothly."
Collaboration can be difficult, however, if a designer feels that an engineer is stripping a design of its creativity—which is sometimes an issue. "Sometimes there's just no equipment in the world that would achieve the right look, so the only solution is to communicate as quickly as possible so that a compromise can be reached. We'll always come as close as possible to a designer's expectations," says Acerra.
"An engineer's expertise should enhance the creative process for the designer. When you have a good team that respects each other's goals, this type of partnership can be very effective," says Renella.