Applications: New Hair Style
The challenging redesign of the Joico hair care line.
By Marie Redding, Senior EditorJoico, a 30-year-old professional hair care line sold in salons and Ulta stores, has had the same packaging for the past seven years—until recently. The company decided to redesign its entire collection, and the new packaging launched last March. “Over time, everything starts to look dated. Our new packaging makes it easier for consumers to choose the right products without the assistance of a hair stylist,” says Scott Palmer, director of package development at Joico.
Joico faced the huge challenge of creating a new custom bottle shape in just eight months, in time for the launch of nearly 100 SKUs. “Physical samples were needed quickly so our manufacturing center could retrofit its existing machinery. We also needed the samples to complete line trials, compatibility testing, and physical testing for all of the components before going into production,” explains Palmer.
First, unit cavity molds were created for all the new sizes and shapes. “This was a critical step for us, one that allowed us to complete the development phase quickly,” says Palmer.
All of the new packages in the collection, with the exception of the tubes, taper near the top. DieterBakicDesign, the design division of supplier DieterBakicEnterprises (DBE; Munich), created this new look for the collection. “This design element unifies all of the various types of packages in the collection,” says Dieter Bakic, president of DBE.
The asymmetrical bottle shape posed a challenge. The difficulty in molding the shape was due to a contoured parting line on one side, says Bakic. If not molded properly, breakage could become a problem. “The point furthest away from the center of the bottle is the most difficult to mold and the most susceptible to leakage,” says Bakic. “Many molders told us it couldn’t be done.” The challenges involved in constructing the mold included matching parting lines, venting, parison cutting, and material control.
A 300-ml bottle was produced with different neck finishes to accommodate spray pumps, foamers, and shower-friendly flip-top caps. “To accommodate the range of neck finishes, tooling had to be developed to locate and position the bottles for decoration without regard to neck finish,” says Palmer.
DBE was responsible for color matching, decorating the bottles, and managing the production process. Its development team worked with a global network of production and printing partners. DBE produced the tooling, which was customized by embossing the Joico name on the side of the bottles. The brand’s products are now color-coded to help consumers choose the right product. “The response to the new packaging has been so positive that stylists and salons that were never interested in the brand before are now calling to order,” adds Palmer, proudly.