Opening Lines
Is Your Packaging Modern?
By Marie Redding, Senior EditorSeveral articles in this issue discuss how important it is for packaging to convey an up-to-date image. One example is Clinique, which is featured on the cover as CPC Packaging’s 2007 Packager of the Year. Clinique’s packaging has been redesigned to incorporate modern-looking materials such as sleek silver finishes and the look of clear Lucite.
The look of the copy on a package, as well as the words that are chosen, are other important design elements. In the Designer Interview column, designer Robert Bergman explains how changing the typeface on all of Maybelline’s packages modernized the brand.
Jeanine Recckio, founder of trend forecast company Mirror Mirror Imagination Group, agrees that copy plays an important role in package design. She often advises clients on how copy should be used. “We specialize in copy that is very creatively written. There is something so clean and direct about using just one emotionally driven word or phrase as the only design element on a package. It’s a chic, modern design style,” Recckio says.
However, no specific design element works equally well for every brand. “The idea of a universal interpretation of modern is not possible. It is something that is very brand-specific,” says Denis Boudard, founder of design firm QSLD Paris. He cited an example from the fashion industry, explaining that Hermès’s signature orange color is considered classic, but might be interpreted as being too modern for Louis Vuitton.
In the article on fragrance bottles, Boudard describes how he created a contemporary bottle for Perry Ellis’s new fragrances. A few of the other fragrance bottles featured in this story were also designed to connect with a new generation of consumers.
“A modern design is all about brand innovation and stretching your brand’s current style into uncharted waters. However, a brand must be careful not to stretch too far, or it will create a ‘disconnect’ with the consumer,” Boudard advises.
Boudard says that not stretching far enough can also have drawbacks. “The consumer will be disappointed with the lack of change. This is why it is crucial for a brand to know where it is and where it must go in order to stay connected to its customers,” says Boudard.
Package designers are always facing the difficult task of striking just the right balance by mixing new elements with familiar ones to convey the right message. We hope that you find the examples in this issue inspiring as to how you can ensure that your brand is always perceived as being up-to-date.