The Dieline Digest 1, B&H style
No time to search new design ideas on The Dieline this week? We've done the work for you! Here are three things that popped out to us this week: 1) Packaging Size Variety (Customer-Centricity), 2) Chocolates By Brigaderia (UnDigital), and 3) The London Charcutier (Innovation and Sustainability).
There are so many websites and so little time. But keeping up on packaging design trends is our job, so we are here to do some of that for you.
Here are three brief descriptions of things we found on The Dieline this week that we feel our clients will benefit from. The Dieline s already a packaging digest, so this is a the minimum we think our clients need to be up on.
1) Packaging Size Variety: This is an example of Customer-Centricity in action.
Summary: (See more detail and statistics about these on the original Dieline post.)
This is an example of Customer-Centric design in action.
"Grab-and-go currently is the most dynamic package size trend."
Research has shown that customers want more variety in package and serving sizes, and will pay for it with brand loyalty.
This does NOT mean eliminating large size containers because, people who buy a small size on the way to work often buy a big size on the way home.
This desire for size variety is because of changing life-styles, eating habits, new generations entering the market, and even internet searching habits.
This customer-centric action was taken based on research that truly listened to customers.
The Point: Customer-Centricity in the design of packaging and serving sizes is expected and pays off in greater sales and brand loyalty.
The Dieline post puts it this way: "Bottom line: Manufacturers and brands should consider a mix of smaller and larger containers for their lines."
The original post is by Suley Muratoglu (@SuleyMuratoglu), further industry insights from him can be found at Doing What's Good.
Concern: Our only concern about this is: Will the move cause an increase in discarded packaging? Specifically drink cartons that are difficult to recycle. Probably yes. One solution would be if they were personalized reusable containers that a person filled at a tap in a store, or purchased in a packageless store, and/or made out of compostable bio plastic.
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2) Chocolates By Brigaderia: This design was done by Casa Rex, in Brazil (@CasaRex), and is an excellent example of the UnDigital trend.
Summary: These designs have so much going for them. But what we want to focus on here is the UnDigital element.
The cream-colored background material has a soft natural "feel" that can be seen, even in a picture. This is a break for digitally tired eyes.
The original artwork is hand etched, and therefore has that real texture that is nearly impossible to achieve when creating with digital tools.
The whole package has an UnDigital visual texture that calls out to be picked up, handled, opened.
The contrast of black and white engravings with solid bold colors shows wit, and since wit depends on the playing with people's fixed thought patterns, this interaction is involving and human and always feels real.
The small element of surrealism in the choice of images reinforces the brands message: "Eating chocolate is not a rational choice."
(See more detailed descriptions about these on the original Dieline post.)
The Point: This is further evidence of the UnDigital design trend, that entails human hands having played some real, in-contact, part int he creation at some point in the creative process. This increases the brand experience by giving consumer's eyes a brea from their digitally overloaded eyes.
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3) The London Charcutier: Designed by "Designed by Good People", this is an example of innovation and sustainability, with a good dose of the UnDigital.
Summary:
The innovation is a unique way of packaging meats (they are braised in liquor and vacuum sealed within a soft paperboard pouch. The pouch is then dicut with the shape of the braising liquor to show the meat inside.
The paperboard is sourced from sustainable sources.
"The type is embellished and designed to feel like old alcohol packaging, but with modern, punchy colours, which reflects the products inside." (See The Return to UnDigital Roots)
The softness and visual texture of the design has that UnDigital feel that makes it a break on digitally overloaded eyes. (See The Rise of the UnDigital)
The Point: When Innovation, sustainability, and the UnDigital are combined into a single brand, your brand will get noticed and draw in new generations of loyal customers.
