One extreme example is a tobacco package where the health regulatory copy must legally take up to 70 % of the face panel , leaving the remainder for brand identity , quantity information and aesthetic design
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The anatomy of packaging design
David Haslam
First in a two-part series examining the role of graphic regulations
Graphic design plays a major role in packaging across the packaging spectrum , but it also has a series of constraints that must always be considered before executing any project . Grasping the key concepts early will save time and , ultimately , money . The first design element in all packaging is coming to terms with what the package is intended to do for the product in the box .
The common myth surrounding packaging is that it ’ s all bad and ends up in a landfill . That ’ s a debate for another day and another article . Instead , let ’ s focus on what the packaging is : a vehicle for the product . It gets the product from A to Z through an entire distribution network , protecting the product and informing every stakeholder along the way about it .
The design work is governed by the package itself – be it a flexible package , rigid container or folding carton – which is called the die-line . This can vary from a simple label where its boundary is defined , to a folded carton with many panels , to a three-dimensional structure , such as a bottle decorated with a shrink sleeve . The mission of the designer is to decorate and inform within the parameters of the package itself , and within the prescribed die-line . It ’ s at this juncture that packaging design comes into being . The package must contain certain information that follows strict regulatory guidelines , and the aesthetic design must be built around that .
One extreme example is a tobacco package where the health regulatory copy must legally take up to 70 % of the face panel , leaving the remainder for brand identity , quantity information and aesthetic design . New legislation that designates this space as plain packaging will restrict design elements to a single colour and a single font .
The majority of packaging in the consumer market is for food in the grocery store . Again , regulatory copy such as ingredients lists , nutritional data , domicile copy , and weight statements all claim real estate before the aesthetic can be developed . These regulations are very strict , and failure to comply could result in a product recall – hence the importance of awareness at the design stage .
Proposed federal regulations both north and south of the border are changing the nutritional requirements and labeling criteria . This is a boon to the graphics industry , but a headache for everyone else , as every single SKU ( Stock Keeping Unit ) needs to be updated and retooled with new plates .
The design also has to encompass another series of marks and mechanics that help the package along the distribution route . These include control marks for colour and registration , die-marks for cutting and / or aligning the packaging as it goes through the filling line , identification codes ( not just the UPC – Universal Product Code ) that identify the product in the supply chain , as well as batch codes and date codes .
All of these have to be incorporated into the design and they take up real estate on the package . The challenge for graphic designers is to see how these requirements can be incorporated into the design . Technologies exist where some of these codes can be hidden in the image itself , such as QR Codes that can direct a smartphone to a website for more product information .
One extreme example is a tobacco package where the health regulatory copy must legally take up to 70 % of the face panel , leaving the remainder for brand identity , quantity information and aesthetic design
At this stage we ’ ve established everything that needs to be part of the packaging design , but isn ’ t actually the design itself . The design needs to describe the product , brand it and decorate it to make it appealing to the consumer so it leaves the shelf quickly . We also must remember that the package is the vehicle for the product , designed first and foremost to protect the goods inside . That typically means that the material qualities and demands for material performance still outweigh how it ’ s decorated .
In part two , we ’ ll review the construction of the package , the materials used , the print processes required , and how all these can impact the package design process .
David Haslam has been involved in the packaging graphics industry for over 30 years in both Europe and North America . He ’ s currently working as a consultant at DFH Consulting and is a board member of the Gravure Association of the Americas ( GAA ). He can be reached at david . haslam @ sympatico . ca .
24 | February 2018 | GRAPHIC ARTS MAGAZINE graphicartsmag . com