Inside Design: Compact Designs
Brands such as Too Faced Cosmetics are finding new ways of incorporating magnets in compact designs.
Read up on some of the latest trends in compacts and palettes.
By Marie Redding, Senior EditorColor cosmetic packages often incorporate interesting graphics and unique design elements to attract the consumer’s attention. One major design trend is fitting a lot of different products into a small, portable kit. Another trend is using magnets in packages to add an element of surprise combined with functionality. Read on to find out more about these newest trends.
Magnetic Attraction
The use of magnets has become very popular lately. A few years ago, Vincent Longo Cosmetics used magnets to create a portable, stackable collection of compacts. A lip balm package by Lotta Luv (covered in this issue’s In Closing column) features magnets that allow the package to hang on magnetic surfaces. The new Essence by La Mer package (covered in this issue’s Applications story) also features magnets. In the development of color cosmetic packaging, magnets have also inspired the creative design team of supplier HCT Packaging (Bridgewater, NJ). In the past few years, HCT has used magnets as closures in its cardboard palettes. Now, it has begun using magnets in plastic compacts, in place of traditional clasps.
Too Faced Cosmetics is one of the first brands to use HCT Packaging’s magnetic design concept for its new eye shadow compact launching in March. The magnet is hidden in the beveled edges of the compact’s ABS/SAN base. “Magnets offer a more modern, streamlined look, and still offer that ‘click’ [sound that tells] the user it is closed properly—which is important,” says Jerrod Blandino, founder and creative director of Too Faced Cosmetics.
The compact’s lid is a custom bi-injection molded design, with a clear window that allows the consumer to see the product color. “It has a vintage, very French look, but at the same time, it is designed to be modern and sleek,” Blandino explains. That juxtaposition between vintage and the contemporary is a trademark of the Too Faced brand, according to Blandino.
The lid is decorated with an embossed scroll of the brand’s logo. “The insert molding of a nice, clear window was difficult. There were also challenges faced in applying the embossed decoration, because [the lid] is very thin,” explains Nick Gardner, vice president of sales at HCT Packaging.
Magnetic design concepts have been in development at HCT for the past year and a half. “We were looking for new ways to keep compacts slim. By using a magnet, you can reduce the overall profile of any case, palette, or compact,” Gardner explains. The base of the Too Faced compact is a new stock item for HCT. Some of the challenges in developing the magnetic closure included making sure that it was positioned in exactly the right place. “We also had to experiment with several different types of magnets until we achieved the best balance of strength,” explains Gardner.
Palettes Packed with Products
Hard Candy’s Punk Palette contains multiple products, as well as a user-friendly guide to applying makeup.
Another brand utilizing magnets in its packaging is Hard Candy. Its Punk Palette and Princess Palette were launched as part of Hard Candy’s Fall 2005 Collection. The palettes contain three eyeshadows, two shades of blush, and two lip glosses, all of which are packaged in a colorful, rigid box that the consumer can reuse once the makeup is finished. “When I was in high school and college, putting my keepsake treasures and mementos into cute and cool containers was important to me,” says Wende Zomnir, executive creative director of Hard Candy. “Why not add some value for the customer with the packaging?”
The box contains a magnetic strip that lets the lid snap shut. The magnet runs vertically down the compact’s side edge. The box is covered in eye-catching graphics that were printed using a four-color process on 128-g art paper. The paper has a high-gloss lamination for extra resilience. “The inspiration for this type of box was a premium candy box produced in one of our partner factories,” says Gardner. HCT Packaging supplies this entire package.
Pans containing each makeup product in the palette vary in size and depth. The pans are enclosed in an internal section inside the box made of EVA foam, which was then wrapped in paper and printed on. According to Gardner, the box was a relatively straightforward design, but it was challenging to integrate all of the various-sized product pans in the internal section.
On the inside of the box’s lid is an illustration of a face that is both decorative and instructional. “The diagram helps users create a great look. It takes the guesswork out of using a palette by conveying how the colors work best together. It is a way for us to pass our expertise in makeup application on to the customer,” Zomnir explains.
The Coolest Kits
Besides the use of magnets, a major trend in makeup kits is portability. Sometimes portability is achieved by fitting as many products as possible into the smallest kit.
A stock compact, complete with a sliding tray, allowed Victoria’s Secret Beauty’s Pink brand to provide customers with a travel-friendly makeup palette.
The team at Victoria’s Secret Beauty chose a stock compact by Lombardi Design & Manufacturing (Freeport, NY) for its Show Me Off Portable Color Kit. The Portable Color Kit launched last holiday season and contains two eye shadows, two lipsticks, and two lip glosses. One compartment on the top flips up, while another drawer of products slides out.
The kit is decorated with a pink and white silk-screened design that is meant to look handwritten. Its look was designed in-house. “For our customers, packages have to not only be functional, but they can’t look boring. This deco looks fun and playful, which are qualities that embody the spirit of the Pink brand,” explains Cindy Lin, director of product development, color cosmetics, for Victoria’s Secret Pink.
The compact’s mirror says, “Love Pink.” “Every time you look at it, the brand name is reinforced,” explains Lin. “The illustrative look of the graphics are on trend. It reminds me of a time when you used to scribble on your notebook.” In addition, the mirror is located on the outside of the compact. “This is very useful because girls can check their lip gloss without even having to open the kit,” says Lin.
Despite its small size, Lola Cosmetics’ Lola Go Lightly compact is packed with products, including cosmetic pencils and brushes.
Last November, Lola Cosmetics launched a multiproduct compact called Lola Go Lightly. It can be thought of as a Swiss Army knife of beauty products, containing everything the consumer might need if ever stranded. Its approximate measurements are just 2 by 3 by 4 in., and it is filled with 23 different promotional-sized items, including 10 lip colors, 5 eye shadows, 2 shades of blush, 2 pencils, 1 mascara, and 3 applicators. This kit is a promotional item that will be sold only for a limited time.
“We wanted to provide an economical way for the consumer to try as many different Lola products as possible. We are sure that once consumers try our products, they will become repeat customers and want to purchase the regular-sized items,” explains Andrea Chuchvara, senior vice president and general manager, Lola Cosmetics.
Every product had to be downsized to fit in the miniature kit. “One challenge was making sure that the brushes were a high quality at the small size we needed,” says Chuchvara. Another challenge was making sure the pencils were capped securely enough to keep them from falling too far down into their compartment in the compact. “The pencils had to fall down just enough so that the lid would close properly,” explains Chuchvara.
The package itself is a stock item. Victoria Jackson, founder of Lola Cosmetics, discovered it and knew it was exactly what Lola needed. This launch was accomplished in record time—just three months. One supplier provided the entire package— turnkey. In order to overcome all of the challenges in bringing this product to market, Chuchvara worked with Lola Cosmetics’ director of marketing Judi Meola, and vice president of operations Geri Brown. “It was extremely challenging to coordinate every element coming from all different places, including the filling and assembly of this package. I am extremely grateful for the hard work of my team,” says Chuchvara.
Looking Ahead
Since it becomes more and more of a challenge to get a compact to stand out on a shelf, it is important to keep exploring new ways to incorporate innovative design elements in packaging. In order to predict what types of designs or decorations consumers will be attracted to in the future, it’s important to keep up to date on trends.
Deciding what compact styles will be considered trendy a year from now and still fit with your brand’s image is no easy task. “We travel a lot and are always looking at every new thing out there. We also read trend reports,” says Lin. However, she concludes, “The most important tool any package designer or product developer can have is a good eye and a strong sense of intuition.” It will be exciting to see the next trends begin to emerge.