October 2017

Since the 1950s marketers have followed the producer-oriented model of marketing. This model is commonly referred to as the 4Ps: product, placement, price, and promotion. Some marketers have expanded on this model. I’ve seen references to 5, 6, or even 8 Ps. I’d like to add my own “P” to the list.

I believe, due to the ever-expanding list of products found on today’s store shelves, packaging should be added to the list.

You may say that packaging falls under the promotion section of the producer-oriented model. I’d say, that with the ever-growing design, print, and finishing capabilities available to brands today, packaging needs a category all to itself.

The History of Package Design

As long as humans have been buying, selling and trading goods there has been a need for packaging. If you were part of a hunter and gatherer society, you may have kept the nuts and berries you collected in a gourd or a hollowed out piece of wood. You could then transport your goods and exchange them with other individuals you came into contact with.

If you lived in ancient Greece, you may have seen urns painted with images of vines heavy with grapes and you’d know that the urn contained wine.

The concept of branding dates to the late 1800s when products were shipped in wooden crates and “branded” with the manufacturer’s name. We’re talking about a custom-made branding iron heated and then used to burn the name of the company into the wood crate. This ensured that there would be no confusion between both the shippers and receivers of the products.

Manufacturers soon realized that while these branded wooden crates were in transport they were advertising and branding their product. As times change so, too, has package design and manufacturing.

Throughout history packaging’s primary purpose was to protect the product during transportation. The advances of machine produced products during the Industrial Revolution led to an increase in production and thus an increase in the number of products available to the consumer. Thus, today, packaging is called upon to do more, including differentiating one product from another.

Package Design and Manufacturing

Research shows that today’s consumers are faced with more than 20,000 choices within a 30-minute shopping session. Thus packaging is more important now than ever.

Brands need packaging that protects their product. At the same time that packaging must attract and inform consumers of the advantages of the product inside the package. And, in today’s connected world, the packaging needs to lead to an online experience.

For effective package design, it would be advantageous for a brand owner to work with a single source package manufacturer that can provide structural and digital design, email, web creative content, print and direct mail, and administrative support for a comprehensive marketing campaign.

For example, a single source package manufacturer will have an on-site structural design center that will assess the brand owner’s needs and build a one-of-a-kind custom solution unique to the brand’s product, message, and method of delivery.

The package manufacturer’s on-site structural design center should include high tech computer-aided design capabilities so the brand owner can actually see a prototype of the packaging long before it goes into final production. They will also be able to try different options and solutions to see which works best for their product.

More important than the equipment, the package manufacturer must have gifted structural designers that can take the concept from idea to fruition. This is where the magic happens. Clientsappreciate working with our talented structural design team here at Westamerica. Whether it’s a promotional kit, a retail display, a pop-up card, a custom product package – or anything in between, we make the process easy from start to finish. With our background in traditional printing, we create designs that are not just attention-getting, but also efficient and cost-effective to manufacture.

Using a single source package manufacturer for both design and manufacturing will ensure that the printing and finishing capabilities of the equipment will be exploited to the fullest. For brand owners who work with us here at Westamerica, this includes a variety of coating techniques, unusual and unique substrates like wood, plastic, and more. In this way, we provide a finished package with both form and function.

The Internet of Things and Packaging

In today’s connected world packaging can take consumers to places never dreamed of before. This is why a brand owner needs to work with a single source package manufacturer that can provide a consistent message on both the packaging and the online experience. This may include dedicated landing pages, email responses, or any number online possibilities that can connect consumers with brands through packaging or point of sale displays.

The next time you’re looking to take a new product to market and you’re reviewing the producer-oriented model of marketing be sure to remember that package design is an integral part of the marketing process.

“My greatest asset is that I was smart enough to surround myself with people who are smarter than me.”

Herb Zebrack, president of Lithographix, uttered these words in response to the question, “What’s the secret to your growth?”

I heard Herb make this statement years ago when I attended a Top Management Network event offered by the Printing Industries Association, Inc. of Southern California.

The event was held at Lithographix’s 250,000-square-foot facility in Los Angeles. What impressed me most was that Lithographix started out as a 1,600 square foot print shop. Right then I realized, Herb must know what he’s talking about.

During my tenure here at Westamerica Communications, I’ve done my best to surround myself with smart people.

Surround yourself with people who are smarter than you

One of the “smart people” I’ve surrounded myself with during the past 14 years is Courtney Hay, a graphic designer and Associate Art Director here at Westamerica Communications. I’ve been blessed to work with Courtney on some amazing projects.

Recently I had the chance to talk with Courtney about his life and how he became interested in print and graphic design.

When did you become interested in graphic design?

As a child, I had little awareness of what graphic design was. I did appreciate the art of comic books, illustrated children’s books and famous paintings. Growing up, I became more aware of the concept of commercial art but never thought about making a career of it.

I spent a lot of my childhood drawing and doodling. Over time I got pretty good at it. In fact, I got so good that I became known as the “go-to artist” at my school, Saint Francis High School in Mountain View, California. After attending the University of California, Irvine and pursuing a degree in Biological Sciences, I finally decided to turn to my passion of illustration and enrolled in a graphic design school.

 

Which designers do you like and which have influenced your work?

Growing up, I was a comic book fan and enjoyed the artistic works of Jack Kirby. He and Stan Lee co-created the Fantastic Four, X-Men, the Hulk, and others. I also enjoy the work of Steve Ditko. He also worked with Stan Lee to co-create Marvel’s Spider-Man and Doctor Strange.

I like the work of more recent comic book artists like Frank Miller, of Daredevil and Elektra fame. And, of course, I enjoy the work of comic book writer/artist, Alex Ross. Besides his comic book work, Ross also does commercial work, like me. He’s created DVD packaging art and magazine covers.

It should be no surprise, that if growing up I was a comic book fan, that I’m also influenced by the pop art of Roy Lichtenstein, Keith Haring, and Michael Bedard. All of their works have the feel of the comic books.

Lichtenstein’s use of dot patterns reminds me of the CMYK dots used to print color images on paper. When you print on newspaper stock, like that used in old comic books, you can see the dot patterns, if you look close enough.

I really like Haring’s use of primary colors and simple lines and shapes. And Bedard’s storybook characters have such a simple, clean look about them. And I love the way he can illustrate expression in the looks of the animal’s faces.

Did you go to school to train or was most of your training on the job?

I earned an Associates Degree at Platt College’s School of Graphic Design. However, about 85% what I know now I subsequently learned on the job.

What’s one of your favorite projects at Westamerica Communications and why?

I really enjoyed creating and designing the multi-page, magazine-style quarterly newsletter for Northwest Federal Credit Union, The Northwest Difference. I was given free rein and the adequate time needed to create a newsletter without the restrictions of set brand guidelines and styles. I enjoyed treating each newsletter article as separate projects and utilizing full, two-page spreads.

Have you worked on any cross-media projects? If so, what challenges did you face and how were they overcome?

We work on a lot of cross-media projects here at Westamerica. I usually participate in the print portion of the projects. It’s important in cross-media work to keep a consistent look with the print and online work. To make this possible, I take artwork I have created for print and convert it into JPEGs to be used online. I’ve also turned some of the print artwork into GIFs for use in online projects.

It’s very gratifying to work with other team members here at Westamerica on cross-media projects. It’s interesting to see how the print work I designed is then repurposed for the web.

Surround yourself with people that are fun, too

Much like some of the comic book heroes that Courtney enjoys, “by day” (or more accurately, 364 days a year) he’s a mild-mannered graphic designer. But one day each year – on Halloween – Courtney lets his wild alter-ego side out. He pulls out all the stops and is a home-crowd favorite perennial winner of our company Halloween costume contest.

Surrounding yourself with smart, creative, and fun people really helps your company run smoother. It’s great to collaborate and create projects that make you happy and your clients successful.