It’s what in the box that counts, not how it looks on the outside. Right?
In branding, we beg to differ. While we’re all about sincerity, we also tend to judge a book by its cover. Living in a time of shorter attention spans, first impressions are sometimes the only chance you get.
From experience, design is usually one of the most fun and exciting parts of a branding journey for clients (especially when they look so good)? However, they don’t always get it right. Giddy with an abundance of options, they will get swept up in a craze over colour, patterns, packaging design and the other visual aspects of their product.
Remember all the work we did though? The point of crafting a solid brand system (which we’ve expansively discussed previous blog entries) is so your options will be guided by your already defined strategy and your identity won’t get lost in translation. Here’s how you stay on track.
Apply your branding system consistently to the asset
No matter how unique your product is, the basic principles are the same: it should sport your brand name, logo, colours and type, and it should reflect your brand’s personality or essence.
Here is an example of an award-wining packaging design we did for Adore, a feminine hygiene brand offering the first negative ion plus sanitary pads. The founder of Adore did this out of love for his daughter, which became a meaningful part of the brand story and then the product design, conveying warmth and care for girls and women going through their reproductive years.
To capture Adore’s essence, we used Aloja, a handwritten font that was created using a thin brush and acrylic paper, for its youthfulness, vibrance and uniqueness. The use of the fresh and playful typeface with the bold and striking colours of their product categories form an eye-catching and well-balanced exterior that stands out from the typical designs of this industry.
Don’t forget – it’s not just visuals!
After figuring out what your box (or your container of choice) looks like, it’s time to think about what it says. Will it just be your brand name or will you add a short message? How will you market it? How will you convey your brand values?
Take a look at Veganburg, a fast-casual restaurants based in San Francisco and Singapore selling 100% plant-based burgers.
Case Study – Veganburg
Founded in 2010, Veganburg is an award-winning plant-based burger joint well on their way to becoming a global force for good. Their aim is to build and empower a generation of “planet warriors” to champion their cause. This is their tagline and it serves as a powerful and encouraging reminder to their customers every time they purchase a meal with Veganburg.
“EVERYONE A PLANET WARRIOR.
A BURGER AT A TIME, WE’RE BUILDING A GENERATION OF PLANET WARRIORS ON EVERY CONTINENT – A FORCE FOR GOOD COMING TOGETHER TO CHAMPION INCLUSIVITY, DIVERSITY AND SUSTAINABILITY.”
Veganburg’s simple yet recognisable eco-friendly packaging design is made by Greeb Lab Singapore as another sustainability measure to mitigate the impact of single-use plastic on the planet. Their food containers are made of 100% compostable and biodegradable FSC-certified paper and lined with a water-based resin instead of Polyethylene (PE) Coated paper. That’s not all – their catchy text is printed with natural soy-based ink, also 100% biodegradable and non-toxic.
It goes to show how many details can go into product design and branding, beyond colours, fonts and logo placement!
Feeling inspired?
Time to brand your products right! We hope we gave you some good tips and ideas on how to do them justice.
Be creative. Have as much fun as you want. Just remember – don’t let all that work you did building a brand strategy be for nothing. Apply the set brand guidelines and capture your brand’s essence to make all your offerings shine!
Contact us if you need further assistance with that and we will craft something incredible together.
