Technology has changed everything about the way consumers interact with brands and products, Just think about the last time you purchased something online? So many products are purchased these days without the customer ever glimpsing the object in the flesh. It falls on the branding and product graphics to convince the customer of the particular products value, quality & ethos.
Packaging has become the storefront of many products. A great unboxing experience canmake or break a new product, and can be compared to a great in store experience. It is your first physical impression of the brand and the product. Each part of the consumer experience is just as important as the next, but few other moments have such potential for excitement. The perception of quality is undeniably informed by the experience surrounding the receiving of the product.
Product branding lies at the heart of this experience, and involves more than just throwing on a logo. The combination of package and product should be used to distill the core brands values visually. Whether this means drawing on eco friendly packaging to represent the company’s values or a simple no fuss attitude that is reflected in the design.
Some may ask, what is the difference between a product and a brand, Jim Joseph breaks it down eloquently “Products perform a function. Brands offer an emotion…. Products are all about what they do for people. Products fulfill a customer’s needs. Brands are actually quite different from products because they don’t just cover a customer’s needs, they fulfill a customer’s wants.” Read more
Kano Computer kit is a prime example of the amazing results that can be achieved when product, packaging and branding are all designed by the same team. Jon Marshall, leader of this project is an industrial designer who fuses product design with strategy, branding, packaging and digital experiences. John says “It’s just a great time to be an industrial designer because there is this huge merging of the digital and the physical, words and sound and brand.”
Flamingo is another great example. After the success of online shaving website Harrys it was finally time for Harrys labs to do something for the ladies. With top quality product photography, original packaging and a simple clever logo, flamingo is set for success. Even the tone of voice is a well considered element of the brand “What we didn’t want to do is just slap on some pink coloring and call it a day,” “I don’t feel like a goddess in a waterfall when I’m removing hair. It’s a real activity and it’s in part of my everyday routine.” Said Flamingo founder Allie Melnick.
In this digital future we have somehow found ourselves in, it is even more essential that brand and product are tied together in holy matrimony. Consumers should be able to look at your product and think of your brand, or look at your brand and think about your product. People can buy similar products from a number of different retailers online, but in the end it is the brand that feeds that emotion into the equation and helps them decide which product they will ultimately purchase.
