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   THE AESTHETICS OF YOUR PRODUCT 
AND ITS PACKAGING

Can You Judge a Product Based on Its Appearance. Yes, You Can!

by James F. Riordan

Aesthetics, or the appearance of a product, is of major importance to both consumers, as well as store buyers, institutional buyers, and industrial buyers. For our purposes, "aesthetics" refers to the physical characteristics of a product, including its

* Color

* Shape

* Size

* Texture

Winning products are those which are pleasing to look at AND project attractively the nature and uses of the product to a prospective purchaser.

Evaluators usually rate aesthetics as being SUPERIOR, AVERAGE, or INFERIOR, when compared to other similar products on the market. The trick to achieving a superior rating is to design the product to meet the physical, social and psychological needs of the target audience.

In order to best meet these needs, a product should, whenever possible, be designed to coincide with the target audience's lifestyle, habits and values. For example, a pair of golf shoes that are designed to look like a pair of basketball sneakers will probably not sell very well. Neither would an all black set of tennis clothes. In other words, the designer must consider not only the FUNCTION of the product, but also the CONTEXT IN WHICH IT WILL BE USED.

When the product will be bought "off-the-shelf," a designer must keep in mind the fact that a prospective customer will spend only seven-tenths of one second glancing at a product on the shelf before deciding to look closer or walk on by. For this reason, many successful new products have a shape and graphics which immediately convey to passersby the use, purpose, or contents of the product.

A good example is Martinelli's Apple Juice. In order to make their product stand out from all the others, Martinelli packages their juice in a spherical bottle with embossed leaves on the top, which is similar in size and shape to a real apple. A man running for his life would be able to take a quick glance at the bottle and tell you it contained apple juice. Another good example of using this technique was the maker of a banana oil-based suntan lotion who sells the product in a plastic container shaped like a banana.

When the product is not displayed "nakedly" on a shelf for the consumer to see and touch, aesthetics of package design can be as critical as the aesthetics of the product itself, since the package will then be the first contact the prospective customer has with the product. Again, we must keep in mind the seven-tenths of one second rule. If the passersby cannot understand the function and benefit of the product, from the package design, in seven-tenths of a second, they will pass right on by it and YOU WILL LOSE THE SALE.

There are several different methods of packaging a product which vary widely in purpose, appearance and cost. Here are a few options:

BULK

(a) The product is placed in bins with a generic name tag.

(b) The product is shipped and displayed in the same unprinted carton, along with a corrugated "header card," which attaches to the back of the carton, with one or two-color printing describing the product.

(c) The product is shipped and displayed in the same carton, which has printing on the sides, and has an integral fold-up "header card," formed by the top of the carton. The header card has a "laminated label" on it which shows pictures of the product and has four-color graphics

(d) The product is shipped in a masterpack carton and is removed from the carton upon arrival at the point of sale and stocked directly on the shelves for sale, such as dish soap, cans of automobile oil, with the product's actual container serving as its package.

BAG AND TAG

This is the least expensive form of packaging, and it looks like it. However, it is totally appropriate for things like fittings, electronic components, small batteries, accessories, etc. It is attractive to many small businesses because they are able to do it themselves, in-house, with no special equipment. Bagging & tagging can be accomplished in several different ways:

(a) It can be as simple as a zip-lock bag, with a printed card (or paper) slightly smaller than the bag slipped inside along with the product. The card can have a punched hole in the top of the card which allows a store to slip it onto their pegboard or revolving racks. They can also be sold from a small countertop "point-of-purchase display" carton, which has a header card containing graphics and text which explains the product.

(b) It can be a simple two-inch to four-inch long printed card, which is as wide as the bag, and which is folded in half and stapled to the top of the bag, with the bag being pinched between the front and back of the card.

(c) Another version of the bag & tag is using a printed card which is longer than the bag, and attaching the bag to the lower part of the card so that the card forms a header above the bag for product name and information.

(d) Yet another form is to design a header card which is longer than the plastic bag, fold the card over at the top, slide the bag up into the crease and run two staples through the front of the card, through the bag and out the back of the card, which pinches the top of the bag between the front and back of the card. The back of the card can be used for graphics and instructions for use, etc. Sometimes it is appropriate to also leave a section of the card showing below the bag for additional graphics, which are visible from the front side, if you will not be taking up too much rack space. This method looks the most presentable of all "bag & tag" packaging methods. 

CLEAR SHRINK-WRAP PACKAGING

This is the least expensive type of "dedicated" individual packaging, and it looks like it. It is only slightly better than placing your product on a slab of cardboard and covering it with a piece of tightly stretched Saran Wrap. It is suitable for inexpensive products which will be hung on pegboard or revolving racks. It usually consists of a flat chipboard card with graphics and text on both front and back, either printed in a one or two-color process, or a full four-color "color separation" process. Besides the low cost, the only other advantage is that the customer can SEE the actual product.

NEXT ISSUE: More on Aesthetics and Packaging

The above article was taken from James F. Riordan's classic book, HOW TO EVALUATE THE POTENTIAL FOR SUCCESS OF A NEW PRODUCT OR TECHNOLOGY. Riordan's highly-acclaimed, 36-point system is a valuable tool for inventors, product evaluators or anyone interested in the invention process. Each section is followed by a comprehensive questionnaire that can be used to evaluate your product.

The highly-recommended book can be ordered through the Dream Merchant, 2309 Torrance Blvd., Suite 104, Torrance, CA 90501. The phone number is (310) 328-1925.

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