Welcome to Packaging the Brand, a book that will introduce you to the design
and creation of packaging as it forms part of the product branding process.
This book aims to explore the many different ways by which brands come
to be packaged and to consider the design processes that are undertaken
to achieve this. Packaging and branding are sometimes treated as separate
disciplines, with packaging being primarily about how a product is protected
and contained, and branding about how a product’s characteristics will be
communicated to consumers. Yet, if we take a closer look, it quickly becomes
obvious that these disciplines are in fact very much entwined.
Packaging and its design has come to play an increasingly prominent
role in the branding exercise as the scope and extent of branding has grown;
it is no longer merely concerned with the need to contain and protect a
product. Packaging has become more sophisticated as a result and today plays
a key part in the brand communication process; for many product groups,
packaging has become a fundamental element of the brand statement, if not
the defining one.
Packaging the Brand will provide you with a comprehensive insight
into the packaging design process, from initial research to developing brand
concepts and the brand message, through to execution of the design idea
and fi nally, production of the packaging itself. The book uses real examples
commissioned from contemporary design studios to give you valuable insights
into how the exciting process of packaging design takes place in practice and
to show you the social and cultural variations that exist around the world.