Alan Gilbody’s Post

What does this remind you of? Even before we reach the shelf, colours on pack can cue a particular brand or prduct. If you want to take a look at a great example of brand sign posting potentially signalling a different brand, have a look at this pack. This latest redesign from Knorr has more than a passing resemblance to After Eight Mints about it. The key reason here is the combination of greens with the brown visual product block. The Knorr yellow has been stripped out in favour of green which alongside cuing After Eight Mints, also brings it more in line with what some of the supermarket home brands are doing with their stock. Combinations of colours are important signals to recall brands, it’s one of the the first thing a shopper sees. If you’ve got a colour, own it and flaunt it as a signpost to your brand. Or as here, risk being passed around the dinner table at the end of a meal instead of flavouring the main course. #BrandDesign, #PackagingDesign, #Packaging, #Marketing —————————————— If you like this post then subscribe to my monthly newsletter. The aim of this is to give advice to brand owners and marketeers who are looking to make their branding & packaging design more relevant. 👉 https://lnkd.in/ep3uG9kv —————————————— Click the 🔔 on my profile to stay up to date and/or share with your network. ——————————————

The world of engine oil is a truly bamboozling place. If, as I did yesterday you’ve ever had to go out and shop the fixture and find the correct oil for your car, finding the correct one is like trying to find a copy of ‘Fly Fishing’ by J.R Hartley - thats one for you 80’s kids out there ! Some brands make it even harder to shop the fixture, take this example from Castrol or is it Land Rover or maybe Jaguar, who knows! This is a great example of where correct hierarchy can help draw the consumer in and then help them navigate to the right solution. Too many elements on here are competing for attention and all handled at exactly the same size. The important bit is the code that looks like it’s been programmed in some strange type of JavaScript, is the bit that pertains to the particular engine type. This is something that should be presented front and centre, so that as you approach the shelf you instantly know that’s the right oil to meet your ailing cars needs. Successful brands empathise with the consumer and offer the solution quickly and efficiently. This subtle encouragement and nudge in the right direction when navigating the fixture is a great way of brands conveying both expertise and advice. Fail to use it and your brand will be linked with neither.#BrandDesign, #PackagingDesign, #Packaging, #Marketing —————————————— If you like this post then subscribe to my monthly newsletter. The aim of this is to give advice to brand owners and marketeers who are looking to make their branding & packaging design more relevant. 👉 https://lnkd.in/ep3uG9kv —————————————— Click the 🔔 on my profile to stay up to date and/or share with your network. ——————————————

The world of hair colouring can surprisingly, be a pretty drab space. For years many of the leading brands have taken the same formulaic approach of a large headshot, layered with multiple claims and a tiny brand logo. The ensuing experience is incredibly difficult for the shopper to differentiate one brand to the next. Therefore, it’s really interesting to see this brand from Bleach London taking its inspiration from style magazines such as Wallpaper or Dansk, in order to create a more of an editorial feel to the packs. It certainly makes them stand out! The monolithic shots as you’d expect in hairdressers window have been replaced by more fashion orientated art direction. Taking inspiration from different touchpoints in the same category, as in this instance, can help create differentiation from the competition. Focusing more on how it will make you feel, rather than how it will make you look can create more of an emotional connection with the consumer. It’s something many categories could learn from.#BrandDesign, #PackagingDesign, #Packaging, #Marketing —————————————— If you like this post then subscribe to my monthly newsletter. The aim of this is to give advice to brand owners and marketeers who are looking to make their branding & packaging design more relevant. 👉 https://lnkd.in/ep3uG9kv —————————————— Click the 🔔 on my profile to stay up to date and/or share with your network. ——————————————

Here’s an interesting pack and I say that for a couple of reasons. Firstly, it’s not immediately evident what it’s for, or how it is used. If you look up in the top right hand corner on the backing card, you can just about see the description. That said, it did take awhile to find it. I ran it past a couple of other people in the studio who both the same quizzical look that I had. Secondly, the communication on the front pack uses graphical devices more closely associated with harsh cleaning products, the sort of stuff you’d stick down the loo! Clearly, that’s not something you want to put on very delicate face! Brands should always be careful to identify what they are there to solve and in a tone of voice that is more empathetic with the cause.  #BrandDesign, #PackagingDesign, #Packaging, #Marketing —————————————— If you like this post then subscribe to my monthly newsletter. The aim of this is to give advice to brand owners and marketeers who are looking to make their branding & packaging design more relevant. 👉 https://lnkd.in/ep3uG9kv —————————————— Click the 🔔 on my profile to stay up to date and/or share with your network. ——————————————

Do you always need product directions on pack? If you have a product that is pretty obvious how you use it, there’s an opportunity to play around with the instructions and engage with the consumer in a completely different way. By using humour. It’s a great shortcut to say we understand you. Probably more importantly it’s saying to your customer that we don’t take you for an idiot. Have a look at the example below. That connection builds a level of trust between consumer and brand. So next time you have to run something past the regs team, wait for them to go out on lunch, ‘borrow’ their rubber stamp and throw caution to the wind. Your consumer will thank you for it!#BrandDesign, #PackagingDesign, #Packaging, #Marketing —————————————— If you like this post then subscribe to my monthly newsletter. The aim of this is to give advice to brand owners and marketeers who are looking to make their branding & packaging design more relevant. 👉 https://lnkd.in/ep3uG9kv —————————————— Click the 🔔 on my profile to stay up to date and/or share with your network. ——————————————

It’s often interesting to borrow approaches from different sectors. This doesn’t need to be something as challenging or expensive as changing your product format, it could be a simple as the back of pack messaging strategy. Look at this great little example from Comfort. It talks about different scent notes in the same way as a perfume or wine would. Consumers already understand this type of experiential description, so why not borrow it and utilise it for a product in a completely unrelated sector? Doing the unexpected, is a great way of forcing differentiation and owning the category.#BrandDesign, #PackagingDesign, #Packaging, #Marketing —————————————— If you like this post then subscribe to my monthly newsletter. The aim of this is to give advice to brand owners and marketeers who are looking to make their branding & packaging design more relevant. 👉 https://lnkd.in/ep3uG9kv —————————————— Click the 🔔 on my profile to stay up to date and/or share with your network. ——————————————

You may recognise the brand, but it takes a moment. The truth is it doesn’t need to. The back of pack is often forgotten about in packaging and one thing is almost a certainty in store, you can never control the orientation that the pack is going to be on shelf as in this instance on 2 separate sightings in Sainsbury’s. However, I wonder if there is a potential missed opportunity here. Packaging is a three-dimensional item so all faces should be considered as part of the brand system, in this example from Pringles, even when there are limitations with large amounts of copy it’s still possible to signal the parent brand in a more impactful way. In these instances where you have lots of copy to cram in, it’s always good to tray and turn this negative into a positive. For instance, could Pringles introduce their own large emoji and embed this at regular intervals in the copy, reshape the copy into the face mascot, or even signal the brand device in the free space at the top of the pack. Every orientation should or could have a mascot visible in its entirety. These aren’t huge changes, but help reinforce brand equity when the shelf orientation is working against you. #branddesign #packagingdesign #packaging #marketing

There are lots of brands that consumers associate with a recognisable delivery mechanic. The Coca-Cola bottle or the Tic Tac box for example. All of these formats are great visual shortcuts to the brand and help differentiate them from the competition. If you’re the owner one of these unique little assets it’s always advisable to use it as part of your communication. Take Yakult for example, they were pretty much the first little bottle of gut friendly bacteria and that’s something to be proud of. Consumers instantly recognise the angular, signature one shot bottle. That said, on their outer pack, they seem to disguise the shot bottle by using the same colour as the background, which from a distance, tends to diminish its impact somewhat. These unique little assets are hard-fought for many brands, if your brand is associated with one them, you’re in one of the lucky few and should showcase in all its glory! #BrandDesign, #PackagingDesign, #Packaging, #Marketing —————————————— If you like this post then subscribe to my monthly newsletter. The aim of this is to give advice to brand owners and marketeers who are looking to make their branding & packaging design more relevant. 👉 https://lnkd.in/ep3uG9kv —————————————— Click the 🔔 on my profile to stay up to date and/or share with your network. ——————————————

Some thoughts on Charles Worthington pack design. In particular: 👉Packaging that lacks strong graphical signposting tends to disappear on shelf 👉Relying on lots of typographical layering runs the risk of you looking like everything else in the sector. #branddesign #packagingdesign #packaging #marketing —————————————— If you like this post then subscribe to my monthly newsletter. The aim of this is to give advice to brand owners and marketeers who are looking to make their branding & packaging design more relevant. 👉 https://lnkd.in/ep3uG9kv —————————————— Click the 🔔 on my profile to stay up to date and/or share with your network. ——————————————

Some thoughts on Weetabix Crunchy Bran pack design. In particular: 👉Establishing a line of action on pack to create balance. 👉Making the most of benefits and positioning them correctly… #branddesign #packagingdesign #packaging #marketing —————————————— If you like this post then subscribe to my monthly newsletter. The aim of this is to give advice to brand owners and marketeers who are looking to make their branding & packaging design more relevant. 👉 https://lnkd.in/ep3uG9kv —————————————— Click the 🔔 on my profile to stay up to date and/or share with your network. ——————————————