The Art of Package Design

MULTI-LANGUAGE PACKAGING
are many factors to consider such as distribution, inventory,
manufacturing costs and market preference. And keep in mind
that languages change by region. French is different in France
and Canada. Brazil and Portugal use different terminology in
Portuguese. Some regions in the South Pacific will accept U.S.
packaging in just English. So study the regions, check the competition,
and determine what you need to do.
Don’t forget the “simplicity” rule. The more languages we
use the less we can say on a package. So decide what the main
message needs to be. There is limited room on the PDP. So if
you could only say one or two things about this product what
would it be? Decide on the hierarchy of your messaging and
layout the package so it reads properly in each language. You
cannot say everything on the front of the package. You can put
additional information on the back but keep the front as simple
and uncluttered as possible with a strong message to entice the
consumer to pick up the package. Once in their hands, they will
turn it over and look at the back. But you need to encourage
them to pick it up in the first place. A crowded, cluttered front
panel will not do that. There are legal requirements in each region
of what needs to be on the front. Check out the next chapter
on “Regulations and Legalities”. If the product has complex
information or a fold out panel with a great deal of text then
consider a QR code that will take the consumer to a web page or
include an insert inside the package.
The simple rule is that you may not be able to say everything
on a multi-language package that you would on the single lan-
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