10 directions - packaging_ trends to watch in 2008

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THE DESIGN 100ANNUAL

Q&A WITH CHIPKIDD

As Tiff any Meyers observes in her overview of the

100 w inners, one cant peg 2009 as the year of

any specif ic color or typographic convention. But

the w inning projects arereflective of todays

increasingly diverse design discipline. In fact, one

has to w onder if there is any longer such a thing as

a design disciplinein light of todays f ast-changing

and even amorphous practice, the w ord discipline

seems a little out of place.

Continue

Throughout history, trends have affected and shaped society.Packaging is no less a ffected by them. Examining today's trendsprovides clues to what wil l inf luence tomorrow's pack aging design.

Nov/ Dec 200710 DIRECTIONS - PA CKAGING: TRENDS TO WATCH IN 2008by Steven Dupuis

From food trendssuch as the introduction of chocolate to Europeans in the 16thcentury, to social trends like the mass migration to the U.S. in the 19th century,to the many environmentally conscious trends prevalent todaytrends haveshaped and defined human progress. They mirror our attitudes, values, desiresand dreams.

In earlier times, it was in some ways much easier to observe and experiencetrends, because we had time to absorb them and enjoy the experiences they

offered. Now we live in a multidimensional world where fads and trends overlapand collide with each other, all vying for our attention as they speed around theglobe literally at the speed of light. We have learned to filter out much of thisinformation, absorbing only what we see as relevant. In part to help us deal withmass-market clutter, our society fragments itself into subcultures or marketsegments. Its through these groups that we can observe a trend incubate andgrow from idiosyncratic idea into mass appeal. This was true with the rise of thecoffee culture, health and wellness, and the organic movement. If you said youate tofu 10 years ago, you probably got some strange looks. Now its viewed asmainstream. All of these trends start with small groups of influencers committedto their causes.

HOW TRENDS WORK IN THE W ORLDTrends are typically not accepted at first, and in many cases even meet withcontroversy. Tattoos have moved from teenagers getting inked as a symbol ofirreverence and rebellion to middle-aged men and women seeking the sameexpression. Early trends make many of us feel uncomfortable, because they are

different and represent change. It is human nature to follow, but it is theindividuals who dont followwho break the rules and think differentlythat themajority ends up emulating. Influencers and early adopters are the ones who

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.

As a trend gains acceptance, it transforms and changes, taking on a life of itsown through those who come to follow it. Early adopters will typically stopfollowing a trend they helped popularize once it grows into the mainstream and isno longer seen as different. A trends life cycle looks a lot like a bell curve.Typically, it gains upward momentum as increasing numbers of people adopt it,but once it reaches mass appeal, interest in a trend lessens or stabilizes as itbecomes a mainstream idea or it may simply die out as another trend catcheson and begins to grow. The process by which a new trend, idea or product isaccepted in the marketplace is called diffusion. The rate of diffusion is the speedby which a new idea spreads from one consumer to the next. Theories abound onthe mechanics of diffusion, with Everett Rogers Diffusion of Innovations theorybeing a much-accepted one. (First proposed in the 1962 book Diffusion ofInnovations, this theory has been widely published and discussed. A quick websearch will bring up numerous commentaries.)

HOW TRENDS WORK IN PA CKAGINGBecause packaging is so closely linked to consumer preferences, it provides aclear way to evaluate the stages of various trends. It is here that trends aretransformed into functional applicationsthey help sell products. However,package design is also where the adoption of a trend can get complicated. If youare too early, you can miss your target consumer. Too late, and its seen as oldnews. So visual trends need to be applied with careful consideration of theproducts brand and its promise. Does the trend actually fit the brand, and will itattract the right buyer?

In packaging, trends tend to grow slowly, because there are longer lead times inproduct development cycles. We see early adopters and influencers coming fromsmall start-up brands that have less at risk, while it may take years before bigbrands catch on to a trend. When we see large brands begin to use specfictrends, we know it is a trend that is toward the top of the bell curve. Within themarketplace it can be challenging to pick out new and emerging trends, as thereare many different stages of a trends life cycle. Also, consumers a re at differentstages of acceptance within the bell curve of a trend, so its vital to understandthe products consumers. You must learn the buying habits of specific targetaudiences in order to better understand their comfort zones and how far thepackaging can stretch to motivate a purchase. Its about knowing how far thebrand you are designing for can be pushed.

HOW DESIGNERS CAN HA RNESS TRENDSDesigners must understand what motivates and establishes visual trends. For themost part, these concepts are directly influenced by the environment and societalattitudes and beliefs. Emerging artists, underground music, fashion, the internetand small theater companies provide fertile ground to view what will betomorrows visual trends, and although they may ultimately look different in later

commercial applications, their roots can be traced back to such origins. Thesemovements are typically five years ahead of the mainstream, and are dependentlargely on the pace of a subculture and how extreme the trend may seem. Therecent rise of Pop Art and Lowbrow Art in advertising and packaging grew inpopularity for years before appearing within mainstream brands like Target,Banana Republic and Coca-C ola. The resulting awareness and fresh artistic flarehave given these brands a boost in popularity along with helping to move theassociated visual trends up the bell curve.

Knowing about and watching these movements turn into trends is not enough to

bring success; brands need to understand when and why to use a visual trend. Aspackaging designers, it is our job to entertain, influence, inform and motivate thepurchase experience. To do this effectively, we must have a strong sense of whatcultural, social and political trends are influencing society at large, as well asbeing able to discern how these things are affecting our target consumers.

We clearly saw a visual shift after 9/11. For example, car design became moreprotective, presenting power images through bold, strong design, as seen in theHummer and Chrysler 300. Popular movies centered on larger-than-life heroeslike Spiderman, Fantastic 4 and Superman. Our culture seems to be obsessedwith the unknown and supernatural powers as we try to deal with an enemy wecant see: terrorism. Small indulgences and simple pleasures become popular,reflecting our unease about the future. Portability of food and personal items aremore important nowis this due to our busy lives or a need to be ready to runaway at a moments notice? With such uncertainty in the air, we have come tolook for simple pleasures in everything we buy. We want to be surprised,entertained; in a way, you could sayeven with everything at our fingertipsthatwe are bored. We desire a simpler life and so are attracted to products andbrands that help us slow down.

Environmental concerns have given life to the sustainability and greenmovements, which hopefully represent more than simple trends and will meanreal behavioral changes affecting all aspects of packaging. Consumers are moreaware of materials and the waste that packaging creates. Wal-Mart has gotteninto the game, establishing a scorecard rating system that assigns each product anumber evaluating its effect on the environment. More people understand theidea of a carbon footprint and are questioning how many resources it takes tobring something to market.

SOME TRENDS DESIGNERS CAN USEIn evaluating packaging and spotting trends, we have to keep in mind thatdesigners are working with a consistent palette of tools that can be viewed astrend-setting in itself. This palette includes color, typography, imagery, structure,form and materials. Any one of these design elements can be a means ofexpressing a trend.

For this article, we have defined a set of 10 trends in packaging. The 10 trendsare influenced by a larger set o f strategic issues that grow out of a variety ofconsumer, artistic, business and media trends (see the chart above). Inevaluating and selecting the 10 trends shaping packaging on a global scale, wesearched for patterns and reviewed examples regularly talked about in high-level

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mar e ng mee ngs a arge consumer-pro uc companes.

This is encouraging because more and more clients are recognizing the strongeffect great packaging can have on purchase intent. Not surprisingly, we seestore brands or private-label products embracing new trends more readily thanthe large global brands. This has given rise to consumers involving themselveswith store brands more readily, as they feel the packaging is entertaining andengaging. Knowing that design has made the difference is something alldesigners can use to argue in favor of our industry.

PRIVATE LA BEL INNOVATION

Something impacting all trendsand all levels of the ec onomic c hain, from marketing to

retailing and designis the rise of private-label products. O nce c onsidered to be of lower

quality and not as appealing, todays premium store brands are drawing consumers in all

categories. Ac cording to a June 200 7 Saatc hi & Saatchi Global Researc h Report*, Private

label has been growing at twice the rate of famous household brands over the last 1 0 years .

In fact, sales of Wal-Marts private label brands is worth more than Unilevers, Peps iCos and

Coc a-C olas put together, and in more consolidated and sophisticated markets suc h as theU.K., private label already accounts for about 50 percent of the shopping basket. Design is a

key factor in the increased market share of private labels. Becaus e these upstart brands are

more flexible and have less to lose, they take ris ks that big brandswith more bureaucracy,

equity and traditionare unwilling or unable to venture. Design for private label often does

more romancing of the product, frequently through captivating textures or imagery, as

compared with megabrands obses sed with making their logos bigger. For example, Mic hael

Os borne Designs packaging for Williams-Sonoma brand Chinois employs subtle, even exotic

visual c ues that evoke an emotional involvement with cons umers.

* This research was done in conjunction with PO PA I, the only nonprofit assoc iation serving

the global at-retail industry, in a survey looking at private labels impact in the U .S., U.K.,

China and Sweden. For more information about PO AI and to download a copy of the Saatc hi &

Saatchi X P rivate Label research report, visit: www.popai.com/hq

.

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2006

2005

PAST I SSUES

STEP INSIDETHE CURRENT ISSUE

WEB-EXCLUSIVECONTENT!

THE DESIGN 100ANNUAL

Q&A WITH CHIPKIDD

As Tiffany Meyers observes in her overview of the

100 w inners, one cant peg 2009 as the year of

any specif ic color or typographic convention. But

the w inning projects arereflective of todays

increasingly diverse design discipline. In fact, one

has to w onder if there is any longer such a thing as

a design disciplinein light of todays fast-changing

and even amorphous practice, the w ord discipline

seems a little out of place.

Continue

10 DIRECTI ONS - PACKAGING: TRENDS TO WATCH IN 2008 (CONT'D)10 GLOBAL PA CKAGING TRENDS

Breaking rules and thinking differently are how future trends are born. As designers, it isour job to push ourselves and our clients to look past tired solutions and realize thatengaging creative can and does have an effect on the bottom line. We live in a world ofvery astute consumers who are increasingly design-savvy. They have seen it all anddesire to be captivated. It is our role to be aware of trends on the cutting edge. Whetherwe are in the early stages or moving the acceptance of a trend into mass appeal, weneed to be cognizant of our responsibilities to our clients and use trends that bestexemplify the essence of the brand and its target consumer. Remember, these 10packaging trends are a guide for you to create and develop new trends, becauseasnoted earlieronce a trend is visible in packaging, it tends to be well on its way to masspublic consciousness.

1 GREENThis trend spread very quickly and has caused a lot of concern among all brands,because it affects all aspects of a packagefrom materials to shipping to reuse throughrecycling. The growth of the buy local movement has emerged as an associated trend;there tend to be fewer resources used in bringing local products to market. Is there aGreen look? Visually, it is present in a va riety of ways, from obviously ea rthy materialsto simple containers that use less material. This trend is about being honest and truthfulregarding your motives. In his book The Ecology of Commerce, Paul Hawken brings up

the fact that companies have to come to the realization that recycling and wastemanagement is good for business. It has taken more than 10 years for Hawkens ideasto reach widespread acceptance. Green is about treading lightly on the Earth, and tomany consumers its a lifestyle.

2 STORYTELLINGUnderstanding the origin of a product gives the product more credibilitynot to mentionthe fact that, as humans, we connect to stories and remember them. This is verypowerful in establishing a relationship with a brand and its product. The Storytellingtrend has grown from using snippets of company or product stories on the backs ofpackaging to printing these tales directly on the front of the package: The story hasbecome part of the design. Narrative copy is an engaging and entertaining vehicle toslow consumers down and emotionally involve them with a package. Once a connection

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4BOLD EXPRESSIONBold expression has its roots in Pop Art. Youll also see this aesthetic mixed with thefeel of comic books. This trend has a bold look and presents itself uniquely on-shelf.Colors a re very bright and sometimes used in conjunction with a black line trappingthe shapes depicted. There has been a trend towards simplicity, because it is the

dream of so many designers to make things seem clean and less cluttered. But insteadof clinical austerity, we see simple high-impact boldness on the rise. The practice isespecially applicable to specific product types that need a look of strength. Anothergreat use of the trend is in product categories that are highly cluttered, with far toomany SKUs.

is made, the products become irresistible.

3 LIGHTHEARTED WHIMSYPackaging is meant to inform and communicate details and benefits about the product itcontains. Early packaging did just that. In fact, many of these old packages arerefreshing to look at, because they are so clear and concisethey were simple. Butsimple can also mean boring or clinical in feel. When a brand has personality, it isengaging, captivating and fun for the buyer. Taking the notion one step further, we seebrands injecting the lighthearted. A bit of fanciful humor (often quaint) brings an elementof entertainment to packaging in a way that gives consumers a reason to believe in the

product. Whimsy can charm even the most cynical and jaded consumer. We knowpeople have to shop, so why not bring customers a sense of the unexpected?

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5 SHOW DONT TELLToo often, product packaging is trying too hard to sell you, with copy listing everyfeature and benefit. Consumers can be left confused by all the information. The ShowDont Tell trend is one that focuses on the product itself and not the brand (the brand isthere, but not in your face). The packaging shows you why you should buy this productby romancing the product. This can be done through the use of photography thatconnotes a mood or feeling about the product, or the focus can be on the benefit

buyers get from the product. This trend is an offshoot of the idea of simplicity. Its usein packaging has steadily grown and continues to demonstrate its value, moving up thebell curve and becoming adopted by many large-store brands.

6 HANDMADE

Along with the desire to simplify ourlives, more and more we seekeveryday pleasures and indulgences.Handmade products are seen asspecial, and many people will paymore for them. But to do so,consumers need to be convinced oftheir authentic quality. Thepackaging of these products hasincorporated design that is moretactile in effect, while looking hand-drawn. This is especially evident inthe typography and imageryemployed. The packaging conveysthat this is a product made just foryou, as if it is one of a k ind.Handmade is a move away frommass-produced and a s tep towardthe human touch.

7 LIFESTYLE

This trend you could say has beenoverused in advertising for years,but within packaging it has beenavoided. The focus of the trend is onthe brand and product benefits. Thepackaging showsliterally withphotos, or figuratively withillustrationthe product in use. It isoften intended to stimulate anaspirational motive in the buyer. InEurope especially, there is anincrease in showing people enjoyingand experiencing the product. Theeffect is achieved in a variety ofways, including showing consumersusing the product, as well as itsaffect on consumers after use. Themessage is that just by purchasingthese products, consumers will feel abit closer to achieving a certainlifestyle.

8 BORROWING FROM THE P ASTThis trend is used to create a feeling

and speaks to the prospective buyers emotional past. We have seen this done throughmusic in Gap ads, and it is the reason 60s iconography is used in products like Izze.As a style, it speaks to our senses and revives positive experiences from our past. Ofcourse, nostalgia and using ideas from the past isnt new, but the part of the past weare borrowing from can and often does change. The trend is not exactly retro,meaning the complete use of old designs; rather, it picks up specific elements andmorphs them to create a more contemporary feel for todays consumer.

9 LESS IS MOREFor years we have heard the phrase Less Is More bandied about by the designcommunity. Simplicity is often both a designers and a consumers dreamit makes somany things easy and more compelling. Within the packaging world, this approach hascome to imply a quiet elegance, an uncluttered freedom from gratuitous embellishmentand a focus on conveying only key ideas. Its a luxurious plainness. Many big brandshave been adopting this trend, proving it effective in selling everything from food toelectronics. This year we see additional variations in the idea of simplicity inassociation with Lighthearted and Show Dont Tell.

10 FREE EXPRESSIONThis trend involves the use of free artistic expression placed on packaging that is anintegral part of global multimedia marketing campaigns. This trend is much more


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readily shown than described, but seeks to capture an exuberant creativity thatsurprises and delights younger consumers. Its often an irreverent take on theproducts traditional heritageall of which works to avoid overt branding and appealemotionally to the media-savvy, cynical, overwhelmed young buyer. This trendacknowledges creativity as a driving force, letting the art speak freely withoutinterrupting the brand or product benefits.

10 directions - packaging_ trends to watch in 2008

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