CDinD: Product packaging

“Packaging serves as everyday art that is personal in that you can touch it, which you really can’t do with many pieces of art. If you can elevate the everyday by making it a pleasure to use, then it’s a big win.” Craig Dubitsky. 

What is it?

Packaging is the technology of enclosing or protecting products for distribution, storage, sale, and use. Packaging also refers to the process of design, evaluation, and production of packages. Packaging can be described as a coordinated system of preparing goods for transport, warehousing, logistics, sale, and end use. Packaging contains, protects, preserves, transports, informs, and sells. In many countries it is fully integrated into government, business, institutional, industrial, and personal use.

What is the role of packaging?

Package design plays an important role in marketing and in promotion campaigns of products.

The shopper  is keen to be informed and inspired, tempted and pampered by surprising and persuasive functions, emotions and sensual impressions. Very often we make decision "to buy", about those products, whose package gives us a positive emotions.

Ten main points of good packaging (according Information Resources Inc.)

• Eye-catching appearance 
• Design, shape and color. The purpose of design, creative printing and finishing. 
• Functionality Functional. Аspects are the basis for all successful packaging.
• Innovation Novelty has exceptionally strong appeal. 
• Material. What is printed on board is read particularly willingly, while what is packaged in board sells particularly well. 
• Efficient communication. 
• Multisensory. Packaging that can be felt, smelled and heard as well as looked at wins the customer's favour. 
• Appropriateness for the product Packaging is considered to be an important indicator of quality. 
• Value Packaging is an excellent way to communicate sophistication, class and value. 
• Additional benefits Successful packaging not only combines what is pleasant with what is functionally useful but also provides additional benefits. Gift or for presentation.

Some examples of good package design:

Thanks to the active and rapid development of new materials. At present time, design packaging goes beyond the familiar line for us. Quite often, the packaging itself can costs more than the product inside. Moreover, packing becoming an art. But to be succseful in it, designer need knowledges not only in graphic design, but also in marketing and sociology.

Carbon footprint

This is the trail leaves every person buying anything. For example, you bought a car, then you are responsible for bringing a certain amount of CO2 into the atmosphere, which is composed of carbon dioxide released to the atmosphere during the production of this car (getting steel , polymers, production of various devices , machines work automobile , oil ), etc., as well as burning your daily consumption.

Some companies have started to include footprints on their labeling. Carbon labels appeal to consumers who understand and monitor their own carbon footprints and want to support products that do the same.

From the other site, at present day, companies develop green packaging to reduce there carbon footprint and impact on ecology at all. Moreover, in the internet you can find a lot of site with opportunity to calculate  your "footprints". 

Green packaging

Quite quickly the last few years developing area of green packaging. It is environmentally - friendly package for diversity of products. Due to constant reports of worsening climate, many companies started to invest in the design of such a package. Gradually, it came into our ordinary life.

Traffic light labelling

A traffic light rating/labelling system is a system for indicating the status of a variable using the red, amber, or green of traffic lights.

Food sold prepacked may be labelled with a traffic light label showing at a glance the proportions of fat, saturated fats, sugar, and salt using traffic light signals for high (red), medium (amber) and low (green) percentages for each of these ingredients. Foods with 'green' indicators are healthier and to be preferred over those with 'red' ones. The label is on the front of the package and easier to spot and interpret than Guideline Daily Amount (GDA) labelling which will continue. The GDA is difficult to understand for many, including children, and does not lend itself to quick comparisons. Traffic light labelling is supported by many physician groups including the British Medical Association and welcomed by consumers. 

Currently, this system is mandatory only in the UK. 

Within the European Union, in order to protect the consumer, can be propagated only those products that meet the labeling requirements. European Union directive establishes mandatory requirements and standards for the labeling of food products, household appliances, shoes, textiles, household chemicals, hazardous substances, cosmetics and other product groups

For example: 

• DIRECTIVE 2000/13/EC OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE TSOUNTSIL of 20 March 2000 on the approximation of the laws of the Member States relating to the labelling, presentation and advertising of foodstuffs. 

System of package labelling

Links:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Packaging_and_labeling

http://www.packagingoftheworld.com/

http://www.webdesignerdepot.com/2009/05/50-beautiful-and-effective-package-designs/

http://www.packagingdigest.com/

http://www.packworld.com/

http://www.interpack.com/

http://www.greenpackaginggroup.com/

http://greenpackaginginc.com/

http://www.nhs.uk/Livewell/Goodfood/Pages/food-labelling.aspx

http://www.foodnavigator.com/Science-Nutrition/Another-green-light-for-traffic-light-nutrition-labels

http://footprint.wwf.org.uk/

https://www.gov.uk/food-labelling-and-packaging/overview