Attention to Detail
Cartons for the African Pride hair highlighting products employ several means of decoration to attract consumers.
With so many brands and shades to choose from, creating a carton for hair highlights that stands out from the crowd can be a challenge. African Pride, New York, NY, opted for colorful, eye-catching cartons from Rex Corp., Jacksonville, FL. "The African Pride line is bold, inventive, contemporary and in your face. It has attitude," says Ollie Johnson, vice president, creative services, Colomer.
To that effect, the cartons chosen for the HiLites Highlighting Kit and the HiLites Color Boost are nothing less than original. Printed with eight colors, the cartons pay close attention to detail. A golden brown background was chosen which is overlaid with lighter gold strands to give the image of hair texture. Overtop of this, is a headshot of a model showing off the color of the highlights. Each of the models used for the various shades has a serious expression. "They have attitude to reflect the marketplace," says Johnson. "They say 'I'm looking good and I know it.'"
The logo is embossed and printed in a rich red shade with a golden shadow. A slogan appears on the Kit's carton across the bottom and is surrounded by a gold metallic box. "What makes these cartons different is how well the eight colors are registered together using our computer to plate system. The metallic gold background and the embossed logo add a nice touch to the carton graphics," says Sam Silcox, graphics and technical service manager, Rex Crop.
The hair-textured background is featured on all four sides of both cartons. On the back panel of the Color Boost carton an outline of the container is ghosted behind the verbiage, representing the actual size of the product. Product information is printed in white and golden yellow on both cartons. But a design of this detail doesn't come without its own challenges.
Overcoming The Challenges
Silcox notes Rex faced challenges when wrapping the background gold around the model shot. This had to be done without leaving trap lines around the image. In addition, Rex had to create proofs for the customer in order to allow them to decide what color of metallic gold to use.
"The cartons have a strong presence on the shelf," says Johnson. The metallic print and embossing help the cartons stand out and give them a sense of fun, he adds. "And the front panel of the carton proved to be a good canvas to work with."