“It is a small client, but for our two years together, we have put
our hearts and souls into it,” explains 88 Phases president Yu
Daniel Tsai. His client actually earns her living as a television line-
producer, but creating unusual and healthful soaps is a passionate
sideline for her. “I see her belief in the product. We don’t get in-
volved in craft work, so I asked her what she really wanted to do
over the next five to seven years. Was this all she wanted to be? If
a client cannot see anything past that, we won’t work for them.
When she was able to say where she wanted her product to go,
we put together a proposal for her.”
The client’s existing packaging for her line of 18 soaps was basi-
cally an envelope with a hand-applied label. It had the tactile,
handmade feel that she wanted, but it wasn’t sophisticated
enough to move her to the next level in retail.
Tsai explains. “Initially, the client had started to make soap, and
she would give it away on film sets. More and more people would
ask her for the soap. Then a good friend who is a doctor ordered
a big batch to give away to other doctors and nurses. That’s how
she got started.”
The 88 Phases team had many dilemmas to consider: First, any
design they created had to allow for line expansion and contrac-
tion. New soaps could be added to or removed from the range
anytime. Second, the budget for the production of the packaging
was very low. Third, the product had to look as if it had been
touched by human hands. And, finally, the soaps had to be prop-
erly protected, to prevent them from drying out and leeching oils.
The designers considered an enormous range of ideas, including
many that were outside of the project’s budget constraints. But
Tsai says that they try not to let anything restrict their creativity,
at least initially: They can always go back and rework good ideas
so that they are less expensive.
Clear wrapping paper was considered, as was a muslin bag that
could serve as a loofah. Many cardboard containers were
sketched out, including a half-box that would allow shoppers to
easily smell the products, which have a wonderful aroma, Tsai
says. Other boxes had interesting and clever folding or closures.
One idea was to use a diecut box with many tiny holes on its
top—so many that the colorful product would be visible while the
box was still closed.
The designers also looked into branding or stamping the soaps
themselves with ink.
88 Phases is an atypical creative firm that is known for
“recontexturalizing” the client products it deals with. It takes
companies with no brand at all and gives them awareness,
or it can take an existing brand, nurture it, and grow it as if the
client’s product was its own. Soaptopia is such a client.
Soaptopia products are tactile, smell great, and are
good for the skin. They needed packaging that was
just as wonderful. The design firm 88phases helped
moved the brand into its next level of business.
(RAY)
Job:10-91261 Title:Rockport : Little Book Of Packaging Ideas
175#_P Dtp:44 Page:72
001-157_91261.qxp 10/16/06 1:26 PM Page 72
“It was so raw and simple, but the client was concerned that the
ink might come off on the skin,” Tsai says.
Other ideas included stitching the soap into a burlap sleeve,
wrapping the soap in cheesecloth, sandwiching the soap with
wooden plates and hemp rope, enclosing the soap in a papyrus-
like net, and using intricate, Asian-inspired wooden boxes and
bags as containers.
But the idea that emerged as both practical, affordable, and mem-
orable was an imprinted vellum sleeve hand-tied with paper cum-
merbund, raffia, and a Soaptopia tag. The sleeve communicates
what is in the product and what it represents, and it lets the con-
sumer see, smell, and touch the soap. It also prevents the oils in
the soap from seeping onto anything nearby—and the raffia actu-
ally prevents the soaps from touching each other.
“We really wanted to use bamboo rope, but she didn’t have the
budget for it. There is a lot of give-and-take on a project like this,”
Tsai says.
The color palette for the project has an Asian sensibility. Tsai
compares it to a palette one might find on pottery discovered in
a Chinese bazaar. The organic components of the soap ingredi-
ents were also considered in the selection of color and pattern
on the packages.
The design team took the design to the next level when it decided
to replace the plain paper cummerbunds originally specified with
printed French wrapping papers. These add yet another layer of
color and texture to what is already a rich package. It is also
highly customizable.
“If she wants to change any of the designs, say, for the LA market,
she can do it because the packaging is so modular. It would be
easy for her to have different packages for the same products in
different markets,” Tsai points out.
Despite the smaller scale of this project, Tsai values it a great deal
because it gives him perspective. Soaptopia is like a baby now,
just learning to walk, he says.
“I am running a campaign for Gateway Computer right now, a very
large project. Soaptopia is a different kind of work: It is very true
to one person’s love. Obviously, this is not a moneymaker for us,
but we are learning, too, which is worth something.”
88 Phases principal Yu Daniel Tsai performed extensive research for the Soaptopia brand. Although the client had a relatively strict budget and limited production capa-
bilities, Tsia did not initially count out ideas that were impractical from a cost or time standpoint. Wonderful concepts or constructions can be modified to fit a client’s
needs, rather than be abandoned. Tsia also experimented with packaging designs for products that the client may produce in the future.
72 73
THE LITTLE BOOK OF BIG PACKAGING IDEAS
(RAY)
Job:10-91261 Title:Rockport : Little Book Of Packaging Ideas
175#_P Dtp:44 Page:73
001-157_91261.qxp 10/16/06 1:26 PM Page 73
(RAY)
Job:10-91261 Title:Rockport : Little Book Of Packaging Ideas
175#_P Dtp:44 Page:74
001-157_91261.qxp 10/16/06 1:26 PM Page 74
The design that eventually won out combines a tissue wrap that carries words
that relate to the product. A belly band provides a ground for a hand-tied rib-
bon. The design is beautiful as well as practical: The tissue keeps the soap
from drying out, and the bulk of the tie keeps the soaps from laying together
and absorbing each other’s oils and scents. The design is also customizable
for various markets or occasions because the belly band can be swapped out
for a different style or color of paper.
74 7 5
THE LITTLE BOOK OF BIG PACKAGING IDEAS
(RAY)
Job:10-91261 Title:Rockport : Little Book Of Packaging Ideas
175#_P Dtp:44 Page:75
001-157_91261.qxp 10/16/06 1:26 PM Page 75
..................Content has been hidden....................
You can't read the all page of ebook, please click here login for view all page.