Inside Design: The Appeal of a Tin
TINte's packages, including its lip shine bottles (above) and Painted Lady compacts (below left), feature metal components.The right design elements will convey either a vintage or a modern look.
By Marie Redding, Senior EditorA tin makes a unique, bold statement. These packages can be designed to look either extremely modern or completely vintage—or a combination of the two. Joseph Marlowitz, vice president, sales and marketing, Vincenzo, says, "I have customers who will say they really want a vintage look, and they'll send me a photo of something from the 1970s.
Then, I have just as many people looking for sleek, modern looks--they want products to look like those sold in Japan. It's been half and half—never has everyone been on board with only one of these trends at one particular time."
Designs Inspired by the Past
The tin itself never changes, but the right artwork and design elements will complete it. A new cosmetic line called TINte consists of lip color in a slider tin, a compact called the Painted Lady, and a lip shine in a bottle that resembles a traditional nail polish bottle.
Founder Stacey Provines explains, "Our name is a play on the word tint, meaning color, and since our packaging is all designed around metal, we capitalized the t-i-n." TINte is sold in 30 boutiques all across the United States, and Provines expects the line to be in up to 50 boutiques over the next couple of weeks.
The artwork printed on the compact and lip slider give it an antique look. "I wanted to recapture old times—with the flavors of the lip products, too—like root beer and cream soda," says Provines. The Lip Color is also a true color—with coverage as dense as a lipstick. The tops of the slider tins are all colored metal to match the color of the product. To achieve a metallic look, ink is applied right on the steel without a base coat.
"Colors are being used in a new way—to highlight the tin instead of hiding it," says Marlowitz. "When you use transparent inks, you can still see the metal, so the package has a highly reflective look." Different types of varnishes can also be used over color for a satin, crackled, or pebbled finish.
Combining Nostalgia with Modern Elements
"There were never really a lot of tins used for cosmetics, but now cosmetic companies are definitely using tins more," says Marlowitz. Tarte is one cosmetics company that has just launched a new lip balm in May in a slide-out tin, supplied by Vincenzo. It has been designed to look modern and sleek. Tarte also uses the modern look of transparent color. Purple is the brand's signature color, so the lip tins are all metallic lavender, with a scratch-resistant finish.
Tin makes Tarte's slide-out lip balm container modern and sleek. Tarte's public relations director, Alexis Mezzina, says, "The slide tin is very retro, so many women tell us it reminds them of something they used when they were younger. The nostalgia aspect is something that appeals to a lot of women, but at the same time, we wanted it to look sophisticated and chic." Its simple lines, functional form, and color modernize this tin, as well as the name Tarte embossed on the side. Its sleek, lightweight design makes it perfectly portable. Mezzina adds, "Women tend to cart their lip balms everywhere, which was something to keep in mind when developing this package. Tin is ideal for anything prone to battering."
The Cocoa Trend
Todd Waxgiser, national accounts manager, J.L. Clark (Wethersfield, CT), says, "In some ways, companies are going back to older packaging shapes, but when [integrated] with new artwork and design elements, they are reinvented in a modern way. I'm definitely seeing a combination of the two."
The packaging for Davies Gate's Allspice Powdered Sugar Bath was inspired by a vintage Hershey's Cocoa tin.acqua Girls, the first company to package beauty kits in paint cans years ago, has a new line called the Café Collection. One of its components is modeled after a traditional cocoa or tea tin (see CPC Packaging's March/April issue). However, Davies Gate was the first to be inspired by cocoa. Last fall, Davies launched its Allspice Powdered Sugar Bath, which made Oprah Winfrey's "List of Favorite Things" and was featured on her holiday show. The bath is packaged in the original Hershey's Cocoa tin. "J.L. Clark literally had to dust off the tooling for us," says Jack Davies. "It has the old-fashioned metal-plug closure. "You have to pry it open with a spoon and scoop it out." Its new look combines elegance with a touch of vintage. The metal is coated with a white paint, then varnished with a high gloss.
The Timeless Hair Pomade Tin
When you think of a tin, you can't help but recall the classic hair pomade in a can. Not much has changed about this type of metal packaging for pomades over the past 50 years. "Many companies, particularly in the hair pomade business, want to stay true to their roots—and show customers that the product hasn't changed at all, " says Waxgiser. For this reason, the old-fashioned, legendary brand Murray's has been selling the same waxy hair pomade in the same tin for decades, and it is still adored by the top hair stylists today. According to Murray's Web site, the reason tins were used for old-fashioned types of hair pomade is because men would leave the container on the stove to warm the product, to make it easier to work into their hair. Rubbing a little between your palms is the modern recommended method.
According to J.L. Clark, which is celebrating its 100th anniversary this June (and still sells the same tin to Murray's), there are basically two types of pomade cans—two-piece and three-piece. The newer three-piece can design contains a thermoformed cup inside the can, with an inside hem. The more-traditional two-piece tin has an inner curl on the inside of its lid. This inner curl, however, has raw edges that can rust if the product inside uses a water base. J.L. Clark launched a newer two-piece version several years ago, with an outer curl on its lid to prevent water-based-product containers from rusting. The standard, which works fine for oil-based pomades, is still widely used, proving that a nostalgic look is appealing.
Choosing Tin
"Some items will look great in a tin," says Davies. "It is definitely a stand-out item among the usual PET and glass bottles in any personal care line, and it can add an element of surprise. It would be going overboard for us if we did everything in metal, but it is great for adding a nice touch."
According to Marlowitz, his customers are more willing to mix up different packaging materials now to incorporate different looks into their brands. "I've seen a splurge of originality in the past two years. Years ago, everyone wanted to use one type of package. Now, everyone wants to do different things—which is a great advantage to us. The more we can help a product stand out, the more a company will come back to us."
The key to good design seems to be to always know what's right for your brand. Decide on the image you need to convey—and consider the versatility of tins.