Cosmetic/Personal Care Packaging.

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Designer Interview: Patricia Leunis, Design Atelier

_{Patricia Leunis}

Design Atelier designers get inspired by nonbeauty industries. In part, this tendency stems from the company’s founder, Patricia Leunis.

_{By Marie Redding, Senior Editor}

Some of the best beauty packaging ideas often have roots in other industries, according to Patricia Leunis, whose background includes stints in industrial design and the medical equipment field. “Did you know that in Europe, cars are already being taken back by their manufacturers to be dismantled, and their parts are being reused or recycled?” she asks. “‘Manufacturing for disassembly’ is a phrase I first heard used 18 years ago in the plastics industry. Now, we’re hearing it more often related to beauty packaging that can be more-easily recycled,” she says.

The medical industry is another source of inspiration. “The medical industry utilizes some manufacturing techniques that could be—but haven’t yet been—used in the beauty industry,” she says. “Equipment used inside the body has to be very small, so plastics are molded into very thin shapes.”

Like Leunis, team members at Design Atelier have varied backgrounds and technical experience in industries other than beauty, which Leunis feels offers an advantage to beauty clients. Leunis herself worked at Desgrippes Gobé before founding Design Atelier in 2005. The firm’s client roster has included Coty, Guerlain, Van Cleef & Arpels, and Schick.

Creating an emotional connection through design can be a challenge. “The beauty industry takes design to another level. A strong emotional connection between the consumer and the product is critical. Surprise and awe are important elements. The consumer should look at a beauty product’s package and feel that ‘gotta-have-it’ sensation,” says Leunis.

_{The American Girl “Hopes & Dreams” fragrance bottle, photographed by Darin Haddad and designed by Design Atelier.}

She also strongly believes in a team-oriented approach to design, drawing on the knowledge of her staff. “The team process is a powerful tool. Being able to brainstorm and incorporate many different ideas helps a project to move further along than if you’re working alone.”

Team members at Design Atelier are often called on to work on different aspects of a project simultaneously. Leunis describes how team members each had different roles while working on the launch of the American Girl fragrance for Bath & Body Works. “I was thinking about the bottle design by first asking myself, ‘Who is the American Girl?’ ‘What is she all about?’ I needed a clear image of the brand’s message.”

“The brand has a star in its logo, so it was really important to incorporate a star shape in the design of the fragrance bottle,” she explains. “Besides design skills and technical know-how, understanding marketing principles and branding strategies is a critical, yet often overlooked, part of a designer’s job.” Leunis came up with different strategic positions and then created four or five different bottle concepts for each direction. At the same time, another Design Atelier team member would look at Leunis’s drawings and make packaging decisions regarding secondary packaging, graphics, and material finishes.

What lies in the future for beauty packaging designers? “Successful designers will continue to strive to create that emotional bond with the customer, while pursuing a sustainable future by adopting cradle-to-cradle principles,” she says.

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