Packaging Trends

An interesting article from Popsop.com regarding trends in package design. For the original source, visit: http://popsop.com/10-global-packaging-trends-to-watch-in-2008/

1. GREEN
This trend spread very quickly and has caused a lot of concern among all brands, because it affects all aspects of a package—from materials to shipping to reuse through recycling. 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 a Green look? Visually, it is present in a variety of ways, from obviously earthy materials to simple containers that use less material. This trend is about being honest and truthful regarding 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 waste management is good for business. It has taken more than 10 years for Hawken’s ideas to reach widespread acceptance. Green is about treading lightly on the Earth, and to many consumers it’s a lifestyle.

2. STORYTELLING
Understanding the origin of a product gives the product more credibility—not to mention the fact that, as humans, we connect to stories and remember them. This is very powerful in establishing a relationship with a brand and its product. The Storytelling trend has grown from using snippets of company or product stories on the backs of packaging to printing these tales directly on the front of the package: The story has become part of the design. Narrative copy is an engaging and entertaining vehicle to slow consumers down and emotionally involve them with a package. Once a connection is made, the products become irresistible.

3. LIGHTHEARTED WHIMSY
Packaging is meant to inform and communicate details and benefits about the product it contains. Early packaging did just that. In fact, many of these old packages are refreshing to look at, because they are so clear and concise—they were simple. But simple can also mean boring or clinical in feel. When a brand has personality, it is engaging, captivating and fun for the buyer. Taking the notion one step further, we see brands injecting the lighthearted. A bit of fanciful humor (often quaint) brings an element of 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 know people have to shop, so why not bring customers a sense of the unexpected?

4. BOLD EXPRESSION
Bold expression has its roots in Pop Art. You’ll also see this aesthetic mixed with the feel of comic books. This trend has a bold look and presents itself uniquely on-shelf. Colors are very bright and sometimes used in conjunction with a black line trapping the 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 instead of clinical austerity, we see simple high-impact boldness on the rise. The practice is especially applicable to specific product types that need a look of strength. Another great use of the trend is in product categories that are highly cluttered, with far too many SKUs.

5. SHOW DON’T TELL
Too often, product packaging is trying too hard to sell you, with copy listing every feature and benefit. Consumers can be left confused by all the information. The Show Don’t Tell trend is one that focuses on the product itself and not the brand (the brand is there, but not in your face). The packaging shows you why you should buy this product by romancing the product. This can be done through the use of photography that connotes 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 use in packaging has steadily grown and continues to demonstrate its value, moving up the bell curve and becoming adopted by many large-store brands.

6. HANDMADE
Along with the desire to simplify our lives, more and more we seek everyday pleasures and indulgences. Handmade products are seen as special, and many people will pay more for them. But to do so, consumers need to be convinced of their authentic quality. The packaging of these products has incorporated design that is more tactile in effect, while looking hand-drawn. This is especially evident in the typography and imagery employed. The packaging conveys that this is a product made just for you, as if it is one of a kind. Handmade is a move away from mass-produced and a step toward the human touch.

7. LIFESTYLE
This trend you could say has been overused in advertising for years, but within packaging it has been avoided. The focus of the trend is on the brand and product benefits. The packaging shows—literally with photos, or figuratively with illustration—the product in use. It is often intended to stimulate an aspirational motive in the buyer. In Europe especially, there is an increase in showing people enjoying and experiencing the product. The effect is achieved in a variety of ways, including showing consumers using the product, as well as its affect on consumers after use. The message is that just by purchasing these products, consumers will feel a bit closer to achieving a certain lifestyle.

8. BORROWING FROM THE PAST
This trend is used to create a feeling and speaks to the prospective buyer’s emotional past. We have seen this done through music 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. Of course, nostalgia and using ideas from the past isn’t new, but the part of the past we are 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 and morphs them to create a more contemporary feel for today’s consumer.

9. LESS IS MORE
For years we have heard the phrase “Less Is More” bandied about by the design community. Simplicity is often both a designer’s and a consumer’s dream—it makes so many things easy and more compelling. Within the packaging world, this approach has come to imply a quiet elegance, an uncluttered freedom from gratuitous embellishment and a focus on conveying only key ideas. It’s a luxurious plainness. Many big brands have been adopting this trend, proving it effective in selling everything from food to electronics. This year we see additional variations in the idea of simplicity in association with Lighthearted and Show Don’t Tell.

10. FREE EXPRESSION
This trend involves the use of “free” artistic expression placed on packaging that is an integral part of global multimedia marketing campaigns. This trend is much more readily shown than described, but seeks to capture an exuberant creativity that surprises and delights younger consumers. It’s often an irreverent take on the product’s traditional heritage—all of which works to avoid overt branding and appeal emotionally to the media-savvy, cynical, overwhelmed young buyer. This trend acknowledges creativity as a driving force, letting the art speak freely without interrupting the brand or product benefits.

More and more clients are recognizing the strong effect great packaging can have on purchase intent. Not surprisingly, we see store brands or private-label products embracing new trends more readily than the large global brands. This has given rise to consumers involving themselves with store brands more readily, as they feel the packaging is entertaining and engaging. Knowing that design has made the difference is something all designers can use to argue in favor of our industry.