The Toy Book - 2016 NY TOY FAIR EDITION

OUTSIDE THE BOX
FROM THE INSIGHT OUT:
PACKAGE DESIGN LIKE
NO OTHER
by TED MININNI, president and director, Design Force Inc.
DESIGN ADDS SUBSTANTIAL VALUE AND
equity to consumer products brands. While
that’s true, I’m the first to admit that it all
depends on how well-conceived and realized
the design solution is for each brand. Not
every one is a resounding success at retail,
likely because the product or package
design is not optimal, rendering it invisible
to consumers, or the brand is not well-marketed.
Yet, many smaller brands have limited
marketing budgets and still do well at retail,
which brings us back to the importance of
product and package design.
As a result of fast-changing market
conditions and restless consumers who
are always eager for something new and
exciting, design experts and brand marketers
are endlessly looking at the manner in which
they conduct research and tap into every
new technological tool. Many are talking
about their proprietary methodologies in
approaching the design process. These ideas
may have some merit, but the bottom line is
that the most effective design solutions aren’t
uniquely focused on the new and exciting,
but rather on delivering emotionally satisfying
experiences. We can only achieve that if
we truly understand consumers.
NO SHORT CUTS
A true understanding of consumers
comes from years of learning in the
trenches, experience, and intuition.
There’s no substitute for these assets. It
also comes from honing in on specific
industries and design disciplines in a deep
and meaningful manner. All this directly
leads to an understanding of how to
research and discern what matters most
in the divulged information. This level of
expertise leads to insights that change the
way we look at things because we begin
to see things as the consumer does, leading
to flashes of invaluable insights. These
are the assets that, when taken together,
lead to design solutions that add tremendous
value for brands.
DESIGNING FROM THE
INSIGHT OUT
Henry David Thoreau once said, “It’s
not what you look at that matters, it’s what
you see.” The consumer for whom a product
and package is designed is the most important
consideration. Not only do we need to
see what they see, but we also need to feel
what they’re feeling and respond to the most
human of elements that drives them as people.
Knowing the brand and its audience—
and how to align the attributes of the former
with the desires and emotional needs of the
latter—translates to being able to deliver
optimal design solutions. This deeper understanding
enables design teams to create a
visual expression of the brand that speaks to
the consumers’ core desires and satisfies their
emotional needs.
While product design matters a great
deal, the first thing consumers see is packaging.
In essence, the package is the product
when consumers approach the retail shelf.
When brand owners put substantial effort and
financial resources into the design of their
products, but then rush the package design
process or underfund it before going to market,
they dramatically short-change the odds
of being successful.
If packaging doesn’t set the stage for a
meaningful experience between the consumer
and the brand, the brand itself utterly fails.
The most important contribution of package
design is strengthening the consumer’s ties to
the brand, because it offers emotional benefits
that competing product brands do not.
Packaging that becomes a part of the
product is desirable, not only because of
its increased functionality, but also because
it continues to leverage consumers’ emotional
satisfaction with the brand with each
interaction. It is also the utmost expression
of sustainability. Toy packaging is a great
example. When it is used over and over again
to store toys, we have achieved the ultimate
in functionality, as product and packaging
become one.
The Fisher-Price Imaginext brand does a
masterful job in this regard. The Imaginext
Ultra T-Rex was one of the top 15 holiday
240 THE TOY BOOK | February 2016 | TOYBOOK.COM