In Closing: Design Codes
Products sold in Japanese supermarkets exemplify how much packaging is influenced by culture.
By Marie Redding, Senior EditorI always knew that it is common for packaging to be designed differently according to where a product is sold. However, I never imagined that consumers in different parts of the world could have such opposite perceptions of the most basic colors—black and white.
At an exhibit on May 17 in New York City called “Suupaa Pop!” Marc Gobé, president and CEO of design firm Degrippes Gobé, said that Japanese package designers are encouraged to take risks. This was exemplified by a display on one wall, which featured products found at Japanese supermarkets. Half of the display featured packages that were entirely white, and the other half was black. In the United States, we don’t often see black being used for personal care packages—especially those sold in mass-market stores. We’re much more accustomed to seeing the color white being used on packaging for skin care products to convey a “clean” feeling. However, the unusual color choice seems to be a popular one in Japan, for both products and packages. For instance, Bioré Nose Strips and cotton swabs were black, with black outer packaging. (Even the tips of the cotton swabs were black.) Surprisingly, white was used on single-serve pouches that contained a particular brand of dog food being sold in Japan. I would even describe the dog food package as “elegantly chic.”
“It’s fascinating that Japan managed to change a lot of the rules in package design, and create things that are completely different from what we’re used to seeing,” said Thomas Jonas, executive vice president of sales and marketing at Alcan Packaging Beauty, who held a reception at the exhibit. “We may get the impression at times that they have taken the basics of our culture and design and adapted them into their own culture. But in fact they use their own codes, colors, and shapes that mean something to them, which is really interesting,” he commented.
Gobé, who organized the event, explained that his goal for the evening was to share ideas with the packaging and design community in New York City. According to Gobé, there are quite a few differences between designers here and those working in Japan. He feels that another major difference is in graphic design, where text on labels sometimes exists more for visual interest, rather than to communicate a brand’s message. This is completely opposite from the rules that package designers here are used to following.
“I wanted to show you all the tremendous magnitude of inspiration that can be found in Japan,” Gobé explained. “We can see that they have different codes of design, and that different colors have completely different meanings there.”
Gobé also feels that competition is fierce in Japan and a lot of our brands wouldn’t be able to survive—which is okay, because black Q-tips probably wouldn’t do so well over here.