Design Matters: Packaging 01

(RAY)

Job No:02-01845 Title:RP:Design Matters:Packaging

#175 DTP:183 Page:41

001-051_01845.indd 41001-051_01845.indd 41 2/27/08 6:33:57 PM2/27/08 6:33:57 PM

DESIGN MATTERS // PACKAGING 01

41

PLANNING

CREATING

IMPLEMENTING

FOUR BARS

SET YOUR

OWN HEIGHT

Keeping up with the Joneses can be exhausting, especially when the Joneses

continually redefi ne their style.

High jumpers set high bars. Low jumpers, well, low bars. What standards do you

set against your work to judge it before the world does? Criteria are essential

marks against your own expectations, those of the client, and most important,

the fi nal consumer. Set your bar low and consumers will respond with the same

sad look given the lowest jumper at the end of an Olympic event.

The four criteria of a successful package are identifi cation, functionality, person-

ality, and navigation. Identifi cation speaks to how well the consumer can identify

the product from the package when shopping the category. Functionality relates

to the usability of the product and increasing the product’s purpose and effi cacy.

Personality is how the brand comes to life on the package. And navigation refers

to how the consumer fi nds and uses the category and specifi cally, your selec-

tion of packages. All four criteria may not be amplifi ed on one package, as some

criteria are set higher depending on the strategy agreed upon by the brand

management team.

The result is a package that is in balance with the strategy and, if well executed,

has an increased chance to contribute to a successful product launch. Set your

own standards, communicate them clearly, and then design a package to exceed

those standards.

Essential Criteria

(RAY) Text

Job No:02-01845 Title:RP:Design Matters:Packaging

#175 DTP:183 Page:41

001-051_01845.indd 41001-051_01845.indd 41 2/27/08 6:33:57 PM2/27/08 6:33:57 PM