Start-ups and international labels such as Oatly are changing the visual habits of German consumers. Detached from codes such as milk splashes and green pastures, there are trendy designs on the shelves that are recognised by consumers in their surroundings.
The craft beer wave is clear evidence of this. The new beer is wild in its typography, naming and packaging and has been ignoring the codes of the established beer market for years. Even if sales of craft beers seem low, they have broken the graphic rules and have had a recognisable influence on every relaunch of established beer brands.
Gustavo Gusto dispenses entirely with the learned codes of frozen pizza and stages the white carton almost as a street art panel. Funny slogans and humanising typography are used to convey the category's different nature and tap into new target groups. The important thing with this concept: only those who know and understand the codes can break them smartly.
A brand creates orientation and security for consumers and is an important anchor in uncertain times. Strongly branded packaging holds the product ranges together and allows for a bigger-than-life experience, as with the Kellogg's brand, which has learnt so much that it even puts the brand typography in the bleed to play sovereign product brands underneath. At Heineken, too, you can sometimes only recognise 50% of the brand name on the six-pack without losing the brand.
The standardisation of containers makes a brand asset disappear - in other words, “make the branding bigger”. Consistency in typography, logo and colour is the basis for strong branding and enables a playful and exciting approach.
The jungle of sustainability, fuelled by whataboutism among consumers, is becoming increasingly confusing, and for good reason. No two product categories are the same in the sustainability transformation. For some products, reusable is the right choice, for others material reduction (as champagne makers have just done) or the use of alternative materials. Too much emphasis on this transformation has often been penalised by consumers as greenwashing.
Each category must be considered individually and find its own path to sustainability. Reusable is certainly exciting and deeply rooted in consumers' minds as the country of origin of the hard currency of a "crate of beer". However, reusable is only one way and must be considered in each category. The design of a packaging must struggle to find an individual path and this should also be authentically reflected in the design later on.
The consumer's desire for sustainable materials is undeniable. Paper, i.e. fibre-based materials, is usually associated with this.
Many brands are already realising this consumer desire, with Odol toothpaste appearing in a paper look rather than the metallic white look.
Whether the CO2 footprint is reduced here is always an individual judgement and is often not sustainable. Nevertheless, we are seeing more and more paper-like designs that convey naturalness and craftsmanship in a cardboard look and aged brown colour. Recognisable on the screen and tangible on the shelf – the power of paper.
Packaging design, like packaging production, is changing rapidly. The codes of the categories have been broken, making the design more diverse in its graphic home. Established design often comes across as staid and does not appeal to younger target groups. More courage to break the mould, always under the premise that the design clearly communicates the product and the brand in the app or on the shelf. Successful packaging design needs clarity and branding more than ever. At best, it fulfils the consumer's wishes through the choice of materials. Despite all the change, nothing works without clarity in design.
