FOOD AND BEVERAGE PACKAGE DESIGN THAT SELLS
Seven tips for design success
If you've walked down a food store aisle lately, chances are you've heard it. The noise roars in your ears until it's unbearable. Loud, louder and more louder it gets until you're beyond the end cap and onto the next aisle. Then it starts to happen all over again. What's all the racket, you ask? It's every food product screaming for your attention, all at the same time.
The food industry has undergone a transformation as of late to compete for the consumer, particularly in the snack and beverage aisle. Grocery stores are full of loud colors, powerful designs and trendy "in-your-face" packaging. In fact, the food packaging is looking more and more like the toy industry every day.
Food producers are also taking a cue from toy marketers to unleash the power of licensing. A beverage producer, for example, could team up with a cereal manufacturer to package their brand wares for sale at a major retail store. You'd not see two "generics" doing this. That wouldn't sell. Rather, piggybacking on brand name value is where it's at today. And those manufacturers who hold out on catchy labeling will find themselves losing market share quite rapidly. With impulse buying narrowed down to a three-second rule, someone else will catch the consumer's eye if you don't.
Package design and labeling can be more important to marketing a food product than the product itself. In some cases, it can supercede market research, focus groups, plans, price, and distribution. You can have the best product in the world, but without a trendy package design it will not sell.
New technology has allowed for printing higher-resolution labels and photo-realistic imaging. The materials themselves, including new foil packs, can now be printed with better quality images, allowing for more detail on a food package in order to grab attention.
Here are seven design-related tips that will help you sell more of your food or beverage product:
1. Consider the importance of color. Years ago, the color blue was taboo in food packaging design circles. No foods exist in nature that are blue; even blueberries are purple. Today, it's completely acceptable to use blue. One reason is that it contrasts with yellow nicely, and yellow is the first color the eye sees (that's why it's a strong safety color). Now, a package "pops" because of bright colors and high contrast.
2. Harness technology. The design world always had the ability to create beauty. Computer technology in the form of updated graphic design software allows for more, lush detail in a short time. What once took a day to create a decade ago, now takes one hour. This power and speed allows creative types to submit more ideas and designs.
3. Take a visual cue from toys. Grocery store layout places products at eye level according to age group. For a 3- to 6-year old, it would not be more than 4' high on a shelf. The best way to connect visually with that age group is a cartoon. It's best if it is a familiar one, which gets back to licensing. There are many advertising-driven cartoons on television (Nickelodeon, etc.) which reach this market. If you cannot license, a designer can come up with a look that's familiar by creating a character or lifestyle image for the product, much like what is done in the toy industry.
4. Determine your product's store and audience. Design can help a product look more expensive, or make it look and feel like something it's not. This can help to sell it or break into a new market. It can also make something look more affordable. A "mass market" look is different from specialty. Mainstream supermarkets usually appeal to impulse vs. intellect. Words to describe this are bright, screaming, action, sizzle, pizzazz. Typically this audience is interested in price point (the best price for the value), and the package needs to be designed to reflect this.
An "organic" product design would be retro, wood cut, simple, clean, uncomplicated at first glance. Organic or specialty consumers actually read the back of the package to determine quality and ingredients. The package needs to reflect this intellect.
5. Know what to depict on your package. One question that often comes up in packaging design is whether or not to show the product in use. The general rule of thumb is, no. Depicting a buyer opens you to race, age and gender issues. If a product is new and the customer is unfamiliar with its use, there is a chance showing it in use would work. For example, if it's a soda that's purple, made of ginseng, and tastes horrible, yes. With soda, the general rule is to show how refreshing it is: with water droplets on the package that look real. If a package is a box with no window, you can show a beauty shot of food with no people. If it's a snack product aimed at children, go with a cartoon of a kid eating the snack in one bite with an oversized mouth with frosting all over his/her face, loving it.
6. Gauge the competition. As with any product, it's extremely important to know what your competition is doing. It may eclipse your product. It could be a new shrink wrap that allows for longer shelf life, or it may be that the competition's product is less expensive to distribute.
7. Refresh or revisit your design. If a package design needs to be refreshed, you can stick with the logo and brand image and work around it, keeping in mind that you should have a plan to transition to a full change over time. Or, you may decide to make a sweeping change altogether. A good designer should be able to offer alternate design solutions for any lifecycle stage of a product.
How will you know when it's time for a design change for your food or beverage product? When A) you've done competitive research and see that everyone else's product looks better or fresher than yours; B) your product simply looks lost on the shelf; C) your company hires a brand-building firm who indicates a change in company image is necessary; or D) sales are slowed in a particular division or distribution channel and it's been determined that is due to packaging design.
Any time a change is being considered, bring the designers in early to help direct the approach. If it's a new product, be sure to involve the marketing and sales departments. Discuss many factors such as demographics, colors, limitations, design parameters, etc. By starting from stage one, a company can often save time and money and get the best design possible.