Watercolor, an art medium for beauty packaging

By Aileen Kendle, design director, Anthem

Watercolor-inspired designs are on the rise. Although the medium has been widely used in marketing over the decades and has popped up at various times in many categories, watercolors seem to be making a sweeping resurgence.

Brands around the globe are applying brushes to a wide range of communication including print, packaging, and digital design, and incorporating these fluid and luminous creations.

So why the sudden wash of watercolor? What is it about this classic medium that’s so appealing today?

From a purely visual standpoint, watercolors have a brilliance and clarity that other paints can often lack. This is largely due to the fact that they are transparent and get their color from light bouncing off the paper behind them. As a result, watercolors look as if they are lit from within.

The medium is also dependent on the spontaneous behavior of water itself, which creates lines, shapes, and shades that are uniquely fluid and organic.

From a communication perspective, these combined visual effects convey warmth, originality, and craftsmanship. The medium naturally lends itself to capture the essence of ideas rather than realistic detail, which, in turn, engages the imagination. One can start to see how watercolors’ unique strengths can complement certain marketing messages and be an effective way to connect with consumers today.

Beauty Packaging

CPG brands globally are embracing watercolors and their unique way of resonating with consumers by incorporating the style in illustrations and package design. While some employ calm, subdued splashes of color, others seem to be adding a fresh spin with super-saturated, vibrant punches.

Both approaches reinforce the products’ hand-made / crafted / premium aspects. While white packaging has been a popular trend in recent years, it risks appearing sterile or generic. However, watercolors complement white particularly well – the white becomes the perfect “canvas.”

What Does This Mean For Marketers?

As the examples show, when used right, the brilliance and spontaneity of watercolors can engage an audience with a look that’s lively, warm and original. They can capture a consumer’s attention and imagination, while bolstering the craftsmanship of a product. They can accentuate a brand’s essence and differentiate it in a highly competitive landscape.

However, watercolors aren’t for everyone. Marketers need to carefully consider a brand’s attributes and personality to determine if they align with the natural strengths of this art medium.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Aileen Kendle is design director at Anthem, a global creative agency that actively connects brands with people by amplifying desirability—creating an insatiable thirst for brands from package design to brand campaign to drive brand performance. http://www.anthemww.com

Works Cited:

Iliya, Kareem. http://kareemiliya.com/KAREEMILIYA/INTRO.html

Lindquist, Diane. “The Aquarelle Estate.” The Dieline, http://www.thedieline.com/blog/2013/11/5/the-aquarelle-estate.html

Les Délices de Michèle. http://www.lesdelicesdemichele.com/index.html

Carr & Sons ofIreland. http://www.carrandsons.ie/our-products

Evolution Fresh Inc. http://www.evolutionfresh.com/en-us/our-story

Tinrocket, LLC. “Waterlogue"http://www.waterlogueapp.com