In Closing: A Gem of a Compact
By Marie Redding, Senior Editor
Swarovski crystals have often been used to make beauty packages glamorous. MAC's new holiday compacts are no exception.
The name MAC is debossed on the outside of the mirrored compacts. The Swarovski crystals are precisely placed within the logo. High quality standards were a huge priority for the brand. Having a crystal chip or fall off as a consumer used the compact was not acceptable. Instead, a new patented method of applying the stones to the compact was developed in order to make this design concept a reality, while staying within budget
A transfer label was used to apply the Swarovski crystals to the anodized aluminum compact. According to Swarovski, this process had never been done before on a cosmetic component. "The MAC crystallized logo was produced in the same way a transfer for a dress or a tee shirt is created," says Kim Krikorian, communications manager for Swarovski Creative Service Center. "We offer various methods of gluing application, but MAC's expert packaging team customized its own gluing process for these compacts. We translated their logo into a crystal design, and provided the design to them on sheets of transparent film."
If each crystal had been set by hand, 70 crystals would have been needed to fill in the debossed MAC name. Instead, the transfer-pad-printing process allowed a tiny space to be left between each crystal so that only 56 crystals were needed to complete the logo. This made the design much more economical without compromising its look.
The development process began in August 2003. It involved a lot of teamwork between MG New York, which supplied the compact and created the application process; the technical team at Swarovski; and MAC's packaging development, design, and technical teams. Gary Korba, vice president of global creative packaging for The Estée Lauder Companies, which licenses the MAC brand, oversaw MAC's packaging teams. He closely examined the elements of the compact's production, the gluing process, and the tolerances of each component to ensure success.
Paul Reilly, manager of package development at MAC, explains, "We went through an excessive amount of testing to get the best adherence possible for the crystals—to the extent of determining the measurement of the glue, specific drying time, and application pressure."
It was determined that one part of the application process would be to place a tiny ball of glue exactly where each stone would be set. "As long as there was full glue coverage under each crystal, chipping wouldn't be a problem," says Reilly.
On the design inspiration for the sparkling look, Howard Chang, director of design for MAC, says: "We wanted to create something that looked over the top and resembled a crystallized piece of jewelry. It's our own take on a classic compact."