Successful package design

PACKAGING is playing an increasingly important role in cosmetics as more brands are striving to make their products stand out from the crowd on the shelf. Brigitte Evrard, co-founder of the global packaging design competition Pentawards, said more notable package designs are coming from Asia.

Many packaging design elements are different in in the West and in the East, noted Ms. Evrard, but some the most significant are shape, materials and colors. “Bottles and jars are often very different,” she noted, “and colors, which have a different significance in the East and in the West. In Asia, the use of pastel colors, as well as gold, is important.”

Also, consumption habits are different because products are perceived completely differently in the West and in the East. “When I talk about consumption habits, this has to do with all what make differences between our two cultures,” she said, adding this is manifested in the approach to package design.

Asian brands can keep their uniqueness via packaging design, using traditional elements, as long as it remains original and credible for other markets. “It is not necessary to copy western products to be successful; on the contrary, being very original is an asset,” said Ms. Evrard.

Aesthetics and functionality are not at cross-purposes, she also points out. “Functionality does not mean bad design, the most beautiful designs are often very functional. Of course functionality is one of the great objectives in packaging. The industry has largely contributed to improve the functions, such as opening, closing, protecting and transporting. Nevertheless, aesthetics are still considered in a large part.”

The challenge for package designers worldwide, including in Asia, will be to address cost-reduction, recycling and ecology.

“Eco-friendly design will be simpler, less different materials, lighter weight, but will not mean bad design. Simplicity in design is very often excellent, but is much more difficult to create, it will be a real challenge for designers,” she said.

These elements are not the only ones to consider, Ms. Evrard pointed out, as recycling is first of all a question of education and organization by government authorities. “If nothing is done to recycle, packaging cannot only be taken as responsible for pollution.”