We asked Jeffrey Morris, director and chief creative officer of Studio Morris, to tell us a few of the design 'don'ts' that every package designer and brand marketer should avoid at all costs. Here's his top five:
1. Don’t Attempt to Convey a Sub-Conscious MessageI’ve never bought into the sub conscious hocus-pocus. The only way that communication happens is when one party “gets” the communication. If brands believe there is some kind of sub-conscious communication then they will be out of business fairly quickly.
2. Don’t Use a Violator on a Prestige Product
Many brands do this, but I’m personally not a fan. Violators belong in Grocery Stores (and I ‘m not even sure about that) and not on high-end cosmetics.
What’s a violator? It’s a graphic element that appears on a package that ‘violates’ the design, usually by covering up a small portion of it. It does this in order to attract attention to a specific feature or benefit.
To me, a violator is akin to someone “screaming” at you - and interrupting you, which personally drives me crazy. It’s rude. If the information is so important, find a way that incorporates the information into the package design in a meaningful way.
3. Don’t Assume that All Successful Brands Have Good Designs
Clients of all kinds make this common mistake. They see a successful brand or a successful company and they assume that because the company is successful, their packaging or advertising or design must be good.
The two do not always equate. Most likely, it’s because they have a great product or service.
4. Don’t Assume your Designer will Criticize Every Other Designer’s Work
I once had a client that after my criticisms of some work she had outsourced, said to me, “I’ve never met a designer who liked the work of another.” I said that it was not true and I would be happy to provide her with a list of designers whose work I loved. She just hadn’t found the right one yet.
In New York, you can look down Park Avenue and see a bunch of skyscrapers, but there is only one Seagram’s Building.
5. Don’t Redesign a Brand without a Good Reason
Unlike other forms of communications, a package can take up a special place in our heart and minds. Think of the Honey Bear honey bottle or the Coke Bottle. Packages can become products unto themselves, so sometimes it can be the worst idea in the world to redesign a package when that may not be the problem.
A redesign just for design sake is seldom effective unless there is a coherent strategy that needs to be expressed by the redesign. If sales are flat or your audience has changed, or want you to leverage your equity into another category, than a redesign may be in order.
Sometimes a package’s strength can be that it’s not been redesigned. Chanel No 5 gets stronger and stronger each year it’s in the market. The great thing about fashion and style in general, is that sometimes things that are not “designed” can have the most style.
And when there is a good reason, don’t completely overhaul a brand’s look unless it is necessary. When we redesigned Derma e, we took an educated risk in that we tried very hard to keep the brand’s equity.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jeffrey Morris is the founder of Studio Morris, and believes that great design serves a social function and can make the world a better place. Built into the firm’s business plan was the mission to work for companies where leading edge design is essential to success. This led Studio Morris to the worlds of skin care, cosmetics, fashion, luxury goods, and even furniture.
Morris’ clients often receive timeless and functional designs that distill a clear, simple message – not a direction based on superficial looks. He’s often told he’s a very opinionated straight-shooter, which is what his client’s value most.
Studio Morris’ past clients beauty have included Origins, Prescriptives, Estee Lauder, Aramis, Avalon Organics, Jason Natural products, and Derma e. The firm has also worked on fashion-related projects with Ralph Lauren, Christian Dior, Joico, and L’Oreal. Most recently, the company completed a large project for Jafra Cosmetics.
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