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THE AUTHORS
Design or Decoration?
Great design has an
extra element: an idea
behind it. Injecting a
truly original, relevant
idea into a design
transcends subjectivity.
What makes great packaging design? This is a tough brief. What
pearls of fresh wisdom can I impart here on a topic that has
been the subject of endless debate? No doubt you have read and
absorbed a vast number of opinions on the matter throughout your
careers, and no doubt you have views and opinions of your own.
This book however, contains examples to aspire to and lessons to
learn from.
The issue here—as with all creative industries—is that what
makes great design is subjective. There are no definites, no secure
ground; all work is subject to the personal opinions of a vast,
differing audience. There is much debate to be had, but no firm
proof, which means that people can believe pretty much what
they want to believe. Because of this, some great designs never
see the light of day, victims of a client for whom a safe decision is
preferable to a brave one.
Some people confuse design with decoration. Sadly, there is a
lot of decoration around in packaging. Decoration tends to be the
most conservative of the design outputs, mainly because of client
demands. Great design has an extra element: an idea behind it.
Injecting a truly original, relevant idea into a design transcends
subjectivity. It incites a striking engagement that is instant,
indisputable, and appeals to clients’ instincts rather than their
tick-lists.
Good design not only captivates an audience’s attention, it makes
them linger. Great design means that the audience will connect
with the brand, want to engage with and then remember that
package later on. This is often achieved by having a great idea at
the start—and at the heart—of whatever you do.
Ideas can come from any direction: They can be softly witty,
intellectually playful, or something that breaks all boundaries yet
is still sharply relevant. The best ideas are easily spotted—when
they’re someone else’s—by that horrible feeling in your stomach
when you think, I wish I’d done that. I had a fantastic tutor during
my degree who drummed into me the importance of ideas over
simply style-led designs—a design must speak for itself. Outside
the studio, nobody is going to be there to explain to the consumer
the intricacies and deeper meaning of subtle color reference. The
best work needs no explanation, so if you’re ever in doubt, ask
someone who hasn’t seen it before if they “get it.” If you need to
talk them through it or convince them of its worth, go back to the
drawing board: Your wider audience will be the same. Styles and
trends will come and go, but a good idea, beautifully executed, will
last forever.
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really good packagINg explaINed
A
Q
&
with Bronwen Edwards
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THE AUTHORS
with Bronwen Edwards
AUTHOR’S
CHOICE
AWARD
My favorite package designs inside this book are…
Gu (page 76) and Honey Pot (page 73). Both have
really innovative structures and graphics.
You know a package design is really good when…
It’s iconic, redefi nes a category, or you buy it just to
have it, not to consume it.
The best thing a client ever said to me was…
“You’re the expert; I trust you.”
And the worst …
“Sorry, my wife doesn’t like it.”
For creative inspiration, I…
usually turn to other creative disciplines, such
as illustration or advertising—they can spark off
interesting thoughts—or stroll through central
London, which is always full of vibrancy and
creativity. Failing that, I sit in the bath and hope!
The smartest thing I ever heard anyone say about
package design is…
“You have to see it to do it.”
The best career advice I ever received was…
“Styles come and go; ideas live forever.”
Most designers probably don’t know that…
There’s more to life than packaging!
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really good packagINg explaINed
10 Mistakes Designers Make
When Designing Product Packaging
by broNweN edwards
1. Not following the brief.
First, and let’s start at the beginning here: not
following the brief properly. I’m guilty of this myself.
It’s easy to get selective amnesia over certain details
that you find uninspiring and to hope that somehow
the client will share this memory loss. Sadly, they
rarely do. This usually results in a painfully
convoluted process where you have to go back and
re-address the design. It devalues the work you did,
even if it’s the best idea you’ve ever had and you’re
busy dusting off the trophy shelf. Most important, you
lose the client’s trust, which is bad for business and
also makes it much more difficult to push for ideas in
the future—the client will not believe you have the
brand’s best interests at heart.
2. Approach.
Some designers give up the minute they start a
project “Ugh, this is going to be rubbish; they insist
on this, and that, and it’s got to have….” It’s up to us
as designers to challenge every brief, to push every
aspect of a design. If you start with the attitude that
the design is destined to be uncreative, then it’s
doomed from the outset. Some of the most award-
winning work has come from heavily restricted
briefs, which force us to be more imaginative in how
we get around them: The gauntlet is thrown down.
3. Reaching for the mouse.
Right: You’ve read the brief; your brain is sharpened,
raring to go…then you get straight onto a computer.
WHOA! These days, with the industry revving up at
a scary rate, time demands becoming an increasing
pressure, and the ease with which we can now
translate our thoughts digitally, the worst thing you
can do is head straight for the computer. Sketches
are the medium of ideas, and no matter how dandy
you think you are with a mouse, you can never
thoroughly explore the ideas you are capable of on a
screen. It’s impossible to do so without addressing
the style, which should be the next stage, not the
first. Sketches should be rough, scribbled, quick,
expressive, and—as long as you can read the idea—
then, and only then, should you flex those Photoshop
muscles.
4. Not challenging preconceptions.
There are two sides to this: a) the category; and
b) the physicality.
Category: There is normally a category language.
For example: It’s fruit juice, so, unsurprisingly,
everything has big, predictable photos of fruit on
it—how dull. Challenge everything without losing
credibility in the genre.
Physicality: Just because you know it should
be in a certain format, try to question every
aspect—structure, finishes, substrates—use every
opportunity to break existing preconceptions.
Although this is not always appropriate, try,
whenever possible, to push for the unexpected.
5. Style over content.
Don’t be seduced by whimsical styles. Never-ending
trends sail through the ever-evolving sea of design,
all of which can be used as a vehicle for an idea.
But if you rely solely on these to carry your design,
you’ll look back in two years’ time and cringe. It
won’t be original; there will be others just like it;
and it will date horribly. It’s incredibly lazy to rely on
trends: They don’t last. But a great idea transcends
its execution.
6. Not just a pretty front face.
When thinking about packaging, whether structurally
or graphically, it’s easy to forget that it’s more than
just a shelf shot; it’s a 3D object. Sometimes when
the brief is restrictive on the selling face, you can be
more creative with the other aspects. For example,
there’s been a great surge of witty barcodes, evocative
copy, and legal iconography. These are lovely after-
thoughts that are often overlooked and can make the
concept come to life in an unexpected way. Ideally,
the front face is only the immediate side of the
packaging; the concept should involve its entirety.
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