mock up article - wayne peachey
TRANSCRIPT
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Wirming in the 'new normal' So another year draws to a close having failed to deliver much of what we might have hoped
for ... Yet amid the many negatives - most notably, of course, geopolitical ones - 2015
has witnessed much that gives grounds for optimism, at least for our sector, in the unsettled state of affairs pundits have dubbed the 'new normal'.
As the head of Kodak's print services division explains in this issue, packaging is the
one industry bound to grow almost regardless
of how technology and the world changes. Brad Krutchen has also demonstrated his faith in that by helping his eldest son pick the field at university.
In the shorter term, growth in large economies such as India and the United
States spells good news for many markets. Sarni Al Qamzi, director general of Dubai's
Department of Economic Development (DED), for example, forecasts "an increase in tourism activities and retail", which are two of the emirate's main sectors.
But making the most of whatever economic opportunities will come our way in 2016 also means paying close attention to the
technological changes. In this issue, we have plenty of news on the flexo and digital space,
especially in labels and flexible packaging.
As we report, Labelexpo Europe marked a significant shift from standalone flexo
narrow-web presses towards hybrid solutions,
"
featuring flexo, gravure, screen, digital and
inline finishing and converting applications (see p24-32).
In the ongoing contest between cartons and flexible substrates, this edition of the magazine gives space to both sides. In
particular, the Paperboard Packaging Council has shared with us a feature vigorously putting its side of the case (pages 20-21).
For once, though, I am prepared to admit
that not all the answers on such topics are contained within these pages. Which is because there will also be plenty to discover
at the upcoming Packaging MEA forum in Dubai on 7-8 March ...
The two-day event (see page 2) will cover
the specific challenges for the industry in the MEA with insights from global as well as
regional figures. I'm very excited about the event but I'm also convinced the speakers we
have lined up will provide the pointers the sector needs for successfully navigating the uncharted territory of the 'new normal.
All my colleagues here at Packaging MEA join me in wishing you a very happy and prosperous 2016.
h~ Benjamin Daniel
Chief Editor
My oldest son. when he went to college I was thinking 'What do you want to ,, do?' We worked throuah and he's a packaging major Brad Kruchten p_
COMMENT Editorial
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November-December 2015 • packagingml f
DESIGN MOCKUPS
Creating mockups and packshots will become an increasingly important and specialised task as products evolve faster to keep pace with fickle consumer tastes, writes Wayne Peachey
Improving products and inventing new ones is what all consumer products companies do. Pick up any object that can be bought and think about when it
was last changed - it was probably within the last 12 months, possibly the last one.
The processes for managing these activities are often formalised into an agreed chain of events, known as new product development (NPD) and life cycle management (LCM).
If a manufacturer creates or changes a product, how do they know it will appeal to the market? The area we, the graphics and printing industry, are involved in is in the product's appearance. Will it appeal to shoppers? Will the best shape/size/colour/form be used?
During the NPD and LCM processes a marketing team will create new ideas and then decide on the best few to move forwards with. Then the best way to test these ideas is to create 'focus groups' of people, typical shoppers who may potentially buy the products.
The focus groups need to look at something. Therefore they will be shown pictures and physical samples of existing and potential new products. This is where 'packshots' and 'mockups' (otherwise
known as 'comps') come in, as printing and photographing a new product in the
traditional printed way would involve lots of time and huge costs.
A packshot is a graphic image that looks like a photograph of an actual product. It is, in fact, a computer simulation that
uses graphics that only exist in 'design' form. Packshots are
very important, and not only for market research, as often the products
need to be advertised before they are manufactured.
Creating a mockup is not an easy process as the normal high-speed manufacturing processes need to be replicated using very flexible equipment and very manual techniques. One company that provides this service, Litmus (litmusmockups.co.uk), started as a branch of a printing company. "We have always had the ability to create
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$packagingrn ii November-December 2015
short print runs, although these came at quite a high minimum cost," said Gareth Hartley, operations director.
"Our customers then wanted us to become more involved in the design processes. They would say 'What would the package look like if it had a gloss finish, or a matt finish, or holographies, or raised type, or if we made it a different shape? What would a gloss finish look like on a matt board?'
"We soon realised once we started talking to designers that they have so many ideas and are frustrated by not knowing how a design will turn out, and are often disappointed. That is where our experience comes in. We won't create a mockup that can't be printed in the real world".
no ca
The company's equipment is now quite
extensive. "As designers moved to digital
proofs using inkjet printers, so they realised
iliey could print out a design and stick it to a
package;' said Hartley. "Lots of people still do
:hat. However, these are poor representations
~f the final results. We have many forms of
printers, with automatic die cutting. We can
create foil blocks and apply foiling, create
raised type and braille, and print onto nearly
every substrate available and so the customer
can see their design, on their substrate, so
die look and feel will be accurate. We can
even create vacuum-formed shapes for plastic
inserts of blister packs. We can create one
mockup or many, and although some can be
time-consuming to create, compared with a
customer's production facility trying to create
them, the costs are tiny."
SGS has facilities around the world
providing a mockup service. Shaun Whiteley
works as a packaging manager for SGS
onsite at a large UK-based bakery, processing
hundreds of new designs every year.
"Our customers rely on SGS to provide
strong creative and technical direction to
enable them to achieve brand aspirations;'
he said. "We work on many different designs
during the creative process. When an
established design changes, new customers
are brought to the product. We try in these
instances to maintain existing customers and
so try to make the design look similar but
different. .. 'refreshed' . Achieving this fine
balance is not easy and you can't always tell
on a computer what something will look like
in your hand, and so our mockups provide a
valuable tool. For new designs the process is
quite a bit longer as there is lots of 'back and
forth' with consumer groups."
For all designs with a degree of 'change' or
innovation, mockups are passed around the
office and shown to market research groups
and the board so everyone is comfortable
with moving forwards, he said.
"Often we have just a week to create
the mockup. Sometimes less! It would be
impossible to create plates and for a printer
to print and make up packages in that time,
and the costs would be through the roof!"
MOCKUPS DESIGN
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SGS also creates packshots, vvith a time
to market from initiation to completion
sometimes of only eight weeks. "Packshots
are often needed a week before printing,
and so photography would be impossible,"
said Whitely. "Packshots allow the customer
to create marketing materials, and for
supermarkets to show the product on
their website. Packshots also look perfect
and consistent, something that cannot be
guaranteed with photography without lots of
colour retouching. The packshot process is
much simpler."
The creation of mockups has always
existed in one form or another, but recently
it has grown to become a separate segment
of the industry. Equipment for the creation
of mockups is more accessible and flexible,
and so increased capabilities have become
available with reduced costs.
But what is really driving the market is
the pace of change. Clients realise that if
you change a design, sales go up. If your
competitors change their designs, your
sales often go down! This is probably due
to the fact that technology (smartphones,
Twitter, online television etc) means that
a customer's attention span is short, and
to constantly keep customers interested
designs must change and be kept 'fresh'.
Mockups are an important tool in the
planning of execution of packaging projects
and key to keeping up the pace of change
while reducing the risk of making a mistake in
the marketplace. I haven't even mentioned
3D printing and in a few years time we could
see the mockup industry providing even
better and quicker methods for creating
design concepts. What will the future hold? More innovation as mockups are used as a
design tool, and more challenging of printer
capabilities as designs are conceptualised
and explored. Ii
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November-December 2015 • packagingci::s' :=