Package Design - August 2013 - 46

Q& A

EXPERT’S TAKE: HOW TO PICK A DESIGN FIRM

Kevin Ford
Packaging design project
manager for MillerCoors

What criteria do you use
to evaluate design firms?
In our current environment, it’s a little different
because our company already has a set roster
in terms of our design agencies on record. The
design managers do not have inﬂuence on that
list. At MC (MillerCoors), our business affairs
team reviews all design agency capabilities and
contracts. Overall, we’re looking at agency’s
capabilities to deliver against projected brand
positioning and the brand identity model, and
how they can bring the strategy to life, based
on the current or new brand positioning.

Please describe your
dream agency.
A dream agency, in my book, is
one that works with the design
management team and really looks
at growing a centralized packaging
organization. And I shouldn’t just
say packaging, but inspiring an
internal design culture where they
partner with the all cross-functional
internal constituents, such as
design managers, production
managers. They help us take fuzzy
front-end ideation all the way
through implementation. Agency
and brand work together, very collaboratively, so we have a very tight
design ideation group internally
and externally.
46

AUGUST 2013

How would you
characterize your brandagency relationships?
Here at MillerCoors, the design ﬁrm is
a brand champion and a valued partner. Because we have a set roster of
agencies on record, we heavily rely
on our A-level and B-level agencies.
We have four A-level agencies that
set the tone—the brand voice and
vision in terms of packaging. We
have a second level of B agencies
that extend brief through ﬁnal
mechanicals to actual commercialization. But A and B agencies are
equally valued partners.

What are your
pet peeves?
Mid-year and year-end evaluations are important because they inﬂuence
how agency contracts are handled if renegotiated. So most agencies
value them and focus on these evaluations. Because of that, agencies
are probably more cognizant of their allegiance to the brand manager
verses the design manager.
This is an issue because we are the internal experts who are going to
drive the process all the way from brief all the way to commercialization.
Design managers are making sure the agency is adhering to timelines,
able to accommodate not only our timeline. So agencies really need to
listen to the design manager to make sure the project hits key milestones. You have to prove to design managers like myself that you can
produce the work to be able to move to the next stage.

Package Design - August 2013

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Package Design - August 2013

Package Design - August 2013
Contents
Editor’s Letter
Front Panel
Snapshots
Converter’s Corner
Two Icons, One Bottle
Toast to Today
Attention Grabbers
Seductive Spirits
Brand Makers
Mauro Porcini of Pepsico Inc.
Philip J. Duncan of Procter & Gamble
Jeff McLemore of Sunsweet Growers Inc.
Bill Kneebusch of Popeye Energy
Sheila Scott Formerly of Williams-Sonoma
Darralyn Rieth of Kimberly-Clark
Kevin Ford of Millercoors
Luminous Beauties
Smart Packaging for Smart Brands
Product Focus: Boxes and Cartons
Datebook
Index of Advertisers
Field Notes
Package Design - August 2013 - Intro
Package Design - August 2013 - BB1
Package Design - August 2013 - BB2
Package Design - August 2013 - Package Design - August 2013
Package Design - August 2013 - Cover2
Package Design - August 2013 - 1
Package Design - August 2013 - Contents
Package Design - August 2013 - 3
Package Design - August 2013 - Editor’s Letter
Package Design - August 2013 - 5
Package Design - August 2013 - Front Panel
Package Design - August 2013 - 7
Package Design - August 2013 - 8
Package Design - August 2013 - 8a
Package Design - August 2013 - 8b
Package Design - August 2013 - 9
Package Design - August 2013 - 10
Package Design - August 2013 - 11
Package Design - August 2013 - 12
Package Design - August 2013 - 13
Package Design - August 2013 - Snapshots
Package Design - August 2013 - 15
Package Design - August 2013 - 16
Package Design - August 2013 - 16a
Package Design - August 2013 - 16b
Package Design - August 2013 - 17
Package Design - August 2013 - 18
Package Design - August 2013 - Converter’s Corner
Package Design - August 2013 - Two Icons, One Bottle
Package Design - August 2013 - 21
Package Design - August 2013 - 22
Package Design - August 2013 - 23
Package Design - August 2013 - Toast to Today
Package Design - August 2013 - 25
Package Design - August 2013 - 26
Package Design - August 2013 - Attention Grabbers
Package Design - August 2013 - 28
Package Design - August 2013 - 29
Package Design - August 2013 - Seductive Spirits
Package Design - August 2013 - 31
Package Design - August 2013 - Brand Makers
Package Design - August 2013 - 33
Package Design - August 2013 - Mauro Porcini of Pepsico Inc.
Package Design - August 2013 - 35
Package Design - August 2013 - 36
Package Design - August 2013 - 37
Package Design - August 2013 - Philip J. Duncan of Procter & Gamble
Package Design - August 2013 - 39
Package Design - August 2013 - 40
Package Design - August 2013 - 41
Package Design - August 2013 - Jeff McLemore of Sunsweet Growers Inc.
Package Design - August 2013 - 43
Package Design - August 2013 - 44
Package Design - August 2013 - 45
Package Design - August 2013 - Bill Kneebusch of Popeye Energy
Package Design - August 2013 - 47
Package Design - August 2013 - Sheila Scott Formerly of Williams-Sonoma
Package Design - August 2013 - 49
Package Design - August 2013 - 50
Package Design - August 2013 - 51
Package Design - August 2013 - Darralyn Rieth of Kimberly-Clark
Package Design - August 2013 - 53
Package Design - August 2013 - 54
Package Design - August 2013 - 55
Package Design - August 2013 - Kevin Ford of Millercoors
Package Design - August 2013 - 57
Package Design - August 2013 - 58
Package Design - August 2013 - 59
Package Design - August 2013 - Luminous Beauties
Package Design - August 2013 - 61
Package Design - August 2013 - Smart Packaging for Smart Brands
Package Design - August 2013 - 63
Package Design - August 2013 - 64
Package Design - August 2013 - Product Focus: Boxes and Cartons
Package Design - August 2013 - 66
Package Design - August 2013 - Index of Advertisers
Package Design - August 2013 - Field Notes
Package Design - August 2013 - Cover3
Package Design - August 2013 - Cover4
https://www.nxtbookmedia.com