DESIGN PUBLICATION.
RACONTEUR ARTICLE & BENSON GROUP.
RACONTEUR Luxury Packaging sets the pace.
November 2014.
Luxury brands have the biggest budgets, the most sophisticated consumers and the most ambitious designers. If an idea works here, it is just a matter of time before it filters down to the mid-market.
Alison Church, event director for easyFairs’ Luxury Packaging Exhibition, the UK’s only luxury packaging event.
“The packaging industry is constantly evolving. When I first started working on the show, sustainability was topping the agenda,” she says. “It’s still important, but a key driver behind innovation in the last year has been pack differentiation.
“Shelf stand-out has always been paramount, but increasingly brands are looking at how to engage with their customers beyond the shelf, which has led to an increase in companies creating an experience around their product through their packaging, and linking closely with their social media and marketing strategies. As a result, packaging innovation to some extent is being driven by consumers who directly interact with brands to influence their decisions. In general, brands today are listening and initiatives such as personalised packaging are booming.”
Another trend is stripped back typography. Ms Ard says: “As consumers overwhelmed by product choices tune out loud signals, luxury brands are promoting packaging with pared-down typography, sparse layouts and short strings of numbers. Sophisticated monograms replace logos. This strategy appeals to consumers who value humble brand transparency and who choose products based on essential information.”
Unusual materials are playing an increasing role.
“When packaging uses the finest materials in this way, it assumes a visual language that conveys brand aspects such as quality, authenticity, heritage and sheer pleasure.”
Ostentation is out. Restrained, refined, unique and subtle are in. Naturally, the lower-tiered products will follow suit, meaning the luxury brands will soon need a new iteration. But for now, that’s the dominant ethos.
BENSON GROUP
what sets luxury packaging apart from the crowd?
The main elements of luxury packaging:
Tactile Quality -
The feel of the packaging is just as important as its appearance. Touch is the most effective way to communicate, it has the power to provide reassurance and comfort, so the tactile quality of packaging can completely transform how a brand is perceived. It has the power to create a desirable and premium feel. This extends from the materials used to its weight. Heavier packaging exudes a feeling of quality – this doesn’t mean your packaging should be excessive, but it should feel secure in the hands of the consumer. The use of different finishes, such as embossed textures, contrasting varnish effects, or even carton board that feels like suede are all options that help to convey a brand’s image of quality.
Anticipation -
The unveiling is part of the magic. Unwrapping a luxury item should feel like an event in itself. This is created through layers, and clever design. It is the pause between opening the box and seeing the item inside. Within food packaging this additional layer can be used to help keep the product fresh, and if it is designed carefully, it can add to the luxurious appearance of the packaging. The inside of the packaging is often just as important as the outside when it comes to the luxury end of the market. The user experience needs to feel quality from beginning to end. The use of printed patterns inside the packaging or even a short marketing message is a way to carry the user experience through to the finished product.
Quality Control-
In luxury packaging there is no room for error. So much as a bump or a scuff can completely eradicate any sense of sophistication a product once carried. Luxury packaging should be suitably resilient and reactive to the store environment so as to minimise any risk of damage. Uniformity is also key – unless you’re going for the personal touch look. Benson Group is committed to brand management and pioneered colour management in printed packaging. Benson Group was the world’s first packaging company to gain certification under the BPIF ISO12647-2 Scheme, and is certified by Print and Media Certification Ltd (PMC). By adhering to these guidelines, Benson Group can provide consistency across production runs, which helps reduces waste, ultimately reducing the company’s impact on the environment.
Responsible -
Consumers are socially aware – now more than ever. Although adding extra layers to packaging can heighten the anticipation aspect of a product, consumers may view it as excessive and environmentally unfriendly. A product that has both frivolity and environmental consideration in perfect harmony is “Naturally Clicquot” – a high end champagne brand with a conscience. This version of their ever evolving packaging is 100% biodegradable, created from potato starch. Not only is it kind to the environment, it will also keep your champagne chilled for up to two hours; it even has a carry handle for easy transportation.
Dying trends and new starters in luxury packaging:
High gloss packaging –
High gloss packaging was once the epitome of all things luxury. However this approach has been mimicked by high street brands, trying to break into the luxury market. The over saturation of high gloss packaging has devalued it, and luxury companies are looking for innovative pack finish solutions to set them apart from the crowd. Matte finishes are the next big thing in the luxury market. An extensive range of varnish effects from soft touch through to 3D pearlescent, can all add to the luxurious feel.
OTT designs –
Consumers no longer wish to be barraged by mountains of information on a product and instead are moving towards a preference of clean minimalist design. Minimalism is nothing new; with Chanel pioneering clean design from the get go. Luxury consumers want their product to appear classic, elegant, with heritage. Minimalist packaging that sets an everyday meal item apart from the competition, “bringing farmer’s market quality to the supermarket shelves,” is the focus for the major UK retailers. Simple and clear design which suggests authenticity, with windows and apertures to view the product, also highlights the transparent truthful message they are aiming for.
Subtle sustainability –
In an interview in 2008 an executive from Estee Lauder stated that sustainability was important, but only if it was executed with subtlety – the packaging should look the same as if it wasn’t sustainable. This is something that now may be a little outdated. Sure luxury consumers may not want recycling slogans plastered all over their products, but they do want to know that their product and its packaging are environmentally responsible. Luxury cosmetics brand, Kiehls, prides itself on its responsible and ethical products, quietly promoting its cause whilst still maintaining their classic heritage packaging. All of Kiehls packaging is created using eco-friendly, recycled or recyclable materials. By using recycled paper shred in their gift boxes, non-pvc laminated labels on all of their products, and 100% recycled board for their secondary packaging, Kiehls is ensuring that their packaging is kind to the environment, and still fits with their iconic, classic branding. Their packaging is minimal and lays everything out on the front of the product. It purposefully detaches itself from the frivolity often found in the beauty market. This resonates the Kiehls brand and product image that they have nothing to hide, suggesting that little has changed since their humble beginnings as a lone apothecary. Kiehls also run a “be rewarded” programme which rewards customers for returning their empty bottles to a Kiehls store. The bottles are then recycled through Terracycle.
What’s on the outside is more important than the inside –
Consumers no longer want busy over the top luxury packaging with highly edited pictures of the product. They want to see what they are about to buy for themselves. This has caused a surge in popularity of transparent packaging – whether it’s a cleverly integrated window, the packaging cutting short to see a glimpse of what’s inside, or entirely transparent packaging – consumers want to see their product. This also helps to develop a feeling of honesty with the brand; consumers don’t want to feel like a company has something to hide. Customers care about where their product comes from, and if packaging can give them an insight to that then all the better. Brand such as Yeo Valley and Graze utilise the internal print space of their packaging to tell their story and continue the consumer experience.
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