How to keep your product from being overwhelmed by a variety of shelves? A nice or unique package may work.
Packaging design is equivalent to live advertising and often plays a role in the last critical moment when consumers decide to purchase. If you design a challenge, you can save a considerable amount of advertising costs. This is also a shortcut for companies with tight budgets in the context of the financial crisis.
Some multinational companies with nearly a hundred years of market experience tend to be more skillful in product design. When they find that Chinese consumers are less sensitive to the so-called “foreign†packaging, these multinational companies have begun to publicize the Chinese elements contained in their product designs. For example, Xiangyun climbed a Coca-Cola jar, and Pepsi just wore Chinese Red just right before the Olympics.
Most of the Chinese brands that are still at the low end of the market and are always gearing up for a moment, are now thinking about a problem: how to enhance the brand image through design.
When interviewed by the First Financial Daily, Shao Junzhong, general manager of the YANTI Brand League, said without hesitation: “Now no one will deny the idea that design can enhance Chinese brands, but everyone can't.†And the Hong Kong Design Center Vice Chairman Liu Xiaokang pointed out that in the past, Chinese companies have made remarkable progress in technology, channels, and management, but design will inevitably fail. However, Liu Xiaokang gave Chinese companies an incentive, he pointed out that the development of the design lags behind other aspects of the company's development process, Western companies have also experienced this stage in the process of growth.
It's just how long it takes for Chinese companies to get through this stage. Where is the current gap between Chinese companies and the West?
Design: Connotation first
How much effect does product packaging design have on the success of a product?
“In a routine market survey, people generally do not recognize the impact of packaging on their own purchasing behavior, because people will feel that this seems superficial.†Shao Shaozhong pointed out, “But in fact, product design is for people’s buying behavior. The potential impact cannot be ignored."
Liu Xiaokang uses his own honor as Watson's distilled water to illustrate this issue. “When Watsons found us, this century-old brand is at a critical point in transition.†At that time, Watson’s distilled water was under siege from many young brands and its market share showed a downward trend. After 9 months of hard work, when Watsons appeared in the market with green new clothes, many consumers fell for it. "A few months after the new packaging went public, they achieved three-digit growth."
Shao Shaozhong pointed out that product design seldom wins with style, and most of the outlying designs are backed by ideas. Liu Xiaokang pointed out that the design needs to reflect the brand's value and added value. Undoubtedly, the beautiful design is a stepping stone for the market, but if the design has no meaning, it can still not achieve long-term and sustained success. What really touches people is the design behind things, such as Watsons' distilled water to reflect the concept of artistic life. Apple iPod Pair The interpretation of music.
“Designers cannot narrow the operatives who are drawing, and design is the embodiment of the brand concept.†In fact, this also points out the key reason why Chinese brands are inferior in design. In other words, most Chinese companies' understanding of design only stays at a superficial level, that is, product packaging itself, and "design can only achieve unexpected success when it is considered at the brand strategy level."
Make subjective preferences “passingâ€
Successful design requires the joint efforts of corporate leaders and designers.
For designers, the key is to reflect the customer's philosophy. Liu Xiaokang said: "When this idea is completed, let the client think that this is his own creativity, not my designer's personal, then this is the best idea." This means to do product and brand design, the inspiration always obeys For business. "Designers can also come up with individual designs, but these are often only suitable for niche markets."
Of course, the rationale behind the rationalization of design requirements is that the insight of the problem before the design is the key to success or failure. Mature multinational companies often provide systematic training to their employees. Therefore, when communicating with creative teams about product design requirements, the theme can be clearly defined.
In addition, for a 100-year brand, the corporate leader is a "passer-off." At present, most Chinese companies are still in the accumulation stage, and professional managers are also not mature. As a professional brand design company under the WPP Group, Yant serves many domestic customers. Summarizing the experience of communicating with customers in foreign countries, Shao Shaozhong pointed out: “The successful entrepreneurs of the first generation in China often have very strong personalities, and there are often many shortcomings in managing the brand and the design direction of the system.â€
In Shao Yongzhong's experience, domestic business leaders who come to do brand design consulting can generally be divided into two categories. The first type of entrepreneur is very passionate and nurtures the brand as its own child. Shao Yuzhong believes: “For this type of entrepreneurs, the key to designing team tasks is to connect the boss's enthusiasm with the market and make rational guidance for the boss.†The second category of entrepreneurs is relatively calm. “The kind of boss’s goal is very clear. It’s about making money. Then the design team needs to do a solid consumer survey and convince the boss with informative survey data.â€
Attention to details
When the concept is determined, it will enter the actual combat of the design. In Shao Yuzhong's view, creativity is also like a pipeline. It can draw on many "tools." "We have a variety of analysis modules that can isolate the problems encountered in the design one by one, and then solve them one by one to determine which elements can be retained in the design and which need to be changed." Shao Yongzhong pointed out that "visual aesthetics can be used Scientific tools to solve." But this does not mean that with scientific tools, product design can become relatively easy. In fact, there are many issues that need attention in the design process. Once handled improperly, replacement packaging is likely to cause sales to decline. Liu Xiaokang pointed out that an important design often takes half a year to a year to form.
Need to convey the right information on a small package. If you concentrate too much information, you cannot highlight the key and it is not easy for consumers to remember it. Shao Shaozhong pointed out: "Architecture arrangements for the core messages on the packaging require effective planning."
In addition, in the process of expanding the global market, some cultures have avoided certain specific things. Tiens Health Care has printed photos of people from different countries and regions on packaging when expanding overseas markets. This is a common expression in China. However, Shao Shaozhong pointed out that in some countries and regions, such photos are not welcome. Finally, Tianshi Health improved its packaging, adopted green with affinity, and properly incorporated Chinese elements that have been widely accepted internationally.