Five Pitfalls to Avoid During Package Design

CHICAGO, March 12, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Designing a package seems to be a straightforward process. Unfortunately when companies embrace this notion, they compromise their brand, their supply chain, and even their financials.

The professionals at Studio One Eleven, the design and innovation division of Berlin Packaging, have more than 150 years of combined experience creating successful packaging across all markets. Here are common pitfalls they see—as well as tips for avoiding them:

• Jumping into ideation without a solid foundation. Brand positioning, consumer insights, competitors' strengths and weaknesses, market trends—these factors and many others are the building blocks of a proper design process. But many agencies overlook or simply don't seek out these critical inputs. Designing great packaging requires a full and accurate analysis of where, how, and for whom a package must perform, addressing factors from costs to merchandising to sustainability.
• Designing without regard for the rest of the supply chain. A good package solution is much more than a compelling visual; it's a well-reasoned response to a commercial opportunity that can be manufactured efficiently and flow smoothly through the whole supply chain.
• Thinking too narrowly. It's important to appreciate the visual vernacular of the product category in which you're competing, but groundbreaking solutions also take cues from outside the category and challenge conventions in ways that consumers appreciate.
• Designing for the sake of design. Properly framed, design is the creative means to a commercial end. Marketers and brand owners want to engage partners and advocates who pursue a common-sense goal of building a successful brand.
• Accepting misaligned incentives. Agencies that sell their time are, by definition, driven to take more of it, sometimes placing their financial incentives at odds with their client's need for speed and efficiency. On the other hand, package manufacturers are incented to fill machine capacity, so their decisions aren't driven by the best solution for the brand, but rather the best solution that they can manufacture. You should pay only for real performance and ensure that your interests and those of your partners are aligned.

"There are lots of players in the market today that say they're qualified to develop a product or package. Very few, however, have the skills, the tools, the aligned incentives, and a certified process to do so properly," said Scott Jost, Vice President of Innovation & Design at Studio One Eleven. "With all that is at stake, companies are wise to work with a team that is well-versed in every aspect of developing this critical business asset."

Studio One Eleven's newly-refreshed website, www.studio111design.com, features a huge array of content that informs package and product design decision-makers. The site includes information about the Studio One Eleven team, an overview of their practice areas and ISO-certified design process, examples of their work, white papers, and more insight on what sets Studio One Eleven apart.

"With hundreds of custom components developed every year, we offer our world-class services at no charge in exchange for the client's packaging business. Packaging is the currency we use, which makes perfect sense given Berlin Packaging's packaging expertise and entrepreneurial approach to doing whatever it takes to increase our customers' bottom lines," Jost noted. "We want to help our customers package more profit."

About Berlin Packaging
Berlin Packaging is North America's only Hybrid Packaging Supplier® of plastic, glass, and metal containers and closures. See PaintTheTarget.com and GreaterFaster.com for more on how the company exists to help people and companies excel. With over 33,000 available SKUs, over 120 packaging consultants, and more than 90 sales and warehouse locations across North America, the company has the right products, expertise, and geographic proximity to help customers increase their net income through packaging products and services. Berlin Packaging supplies billions of containers and closures annually as well as warehousing and logistics services for customers of all sizes in all industries. It is the only company in its sector to be ISO 9001 certified, to have Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism (C-TPAT) certification, and to achieve 99% on-time delivery of its shipments every month for over 10 years. Related services and specialty product divisions include Studio One Eleven custom packaging and graphic design, Berlin Global sourcing solutions, E3 profit-oriented consulting, Berlin Financial financing for equipment and capital improvements, Berlin Quality advocacy, Dangerous Goods transport, Freund Container & Supply convenience, and Qorpak laboratory supplies. The company can be reached at 1.800.2.BERLIN, BerlinPackaging.com, and on LinkedIn and Twitter.

SOURCE Berlin Packaging

Related Links

http://studio111design.com