Package Design - September/October 2013 - 52

Q& A

Peter DiDonato,

JuDy Dixon,

terri GolDstein,

Pamela lonG,

John nunziato,

owner of
DiDonato Design

vice president of
production at
Hornall Anderson

CEO of The
Goldstein Group

director of client
services at Little
Big Brands

founder and
creative director of
Little Big Brands

Hands-on Team Player
Optimize packaging concepts, communicate ideas and
spark creativity by bringing a prototyping service onto
By Linda Casey
your creative team.

F

aster and cheaper has been
the business directive from time
immemorial. This desire, Little Big
Brands’ founder and creative director
John Nunziato says, is fueling a disturbing
modern trend in package design. “Because
of timing and cost being hero, people are
approving PDFs as proofs,” he explains.
“This type of proofing will most likely
result in a client who’s disappointed when
the product gets printed because they’ve
seen the image in a very different way,”
Nunziato says, noting that packages
printed on white ink look different from
prints on white paper and very different
from images viewed on screen. A physical
prototype can more clearly communicate
concepts and how the package will look
in different retail environments.
A prototype also lets everyone
involved in the process, including the
designer, brand manager and retail
buyer, examine the concept closely.
A consumer packaged goods company
understands the proposed direction
much earlier in the process as well.
“The ability to actually hold a prototype
or walk up to it—depending on the
project—really accentuates the detail,”
Hornall Anderson’s vice president of
production Judy Dixon notes. “It’s
amazing how many details you realize
about a design concept once you see
it in 3-D.”
Nunziato adds, “That [the prototype

52

2013 annual awards issue

review stage] is when the brand manager
really starts to fall in love with the design
idea. A prototype gives them a real package
that they can go to the store with and
put on the shelf. They can keep it
around at eye level. They can send it
to other people for review.
“It’s also easier for clients to be able
to visualize type and color tweaks
compared to a 3-D rendering or even
a lay flat,” he adds. “A prototype can
spur more creativity from the client
side. I think it can even lead to some
buy in from their side and result in a
few more dollars invested in the project
because they can see just how beautiful
the brand’s going to look.”
To make sure that designers and
brand managers are getting the most out
of their prototypes, Little Big Brands’
director of client services Pamela Long
recommends using a service that’s flexible
enough to partner on some of the decisions.
“They need to be able to roll with the
changes,” she remarks.
Nunziato warns that designers
should avoid services that “just receive
a file, run it and say, ‘Well, that’s what
we received.’” Prototyping services with
this philosophy don’t add to the creative
process. “I believe creativity continues
from the agency to the prototypers to
prepress to the printers,” Nunziato
explains. “But I believe some of them
are not using their creativity. So you

want to make sure the prototype house
you’re using is asking lots of questions.
You want to make sure that the prototyper is invested in the client’s brand as
much as you are because they’re a part
of the project now and not just a piece
of the process.”
That’s why Terri Goldstein, CEO
of The Goldstein Group, lists service,
a consultative approach and knowledge
of retail environments as her top three
criteria for choosing a prototype house.
A commitment to customer service will
help ensure that the prototype house
will not only manufacture a viable
prototype but also will build a plan for
the packaging supplier for making the
final packages. A consultative approach
helps an agency get the most out of the
technical expertise of the prototype house.
Knowledge of the retail environment will
help ensure that the package design’s
intent is met despite how the package
is displayed.
Goldstein explains that a good
prototype house can then contribute
to the design process by making sure
that the best substrates and coatings are
chosen for the project. “Often a brand
can be sitting on the bottom shelf or way
up on the top,” she says. “A prototype
house that truly understands the retail
environment can note how elements
might look darker on a shelf or what parts
of the design are likely to be covered by



Package Design - September/October 2013

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Package Design - September/October 2013

Package Design - September/October 2013
Contents
Editor’s Letter
Brazilian Packaging Association (ABRE)
Association of Industrial Metallizers, Coaters and Laminators
Asociación Mexicana de Envase y Embalaje
DuPont Awards for Packaging Innovation
Flexible Packaging Association
Foil & Specialty Effects Association
Glass Packaging Institute
Healthcare Compliance Packaging Council
In-Mold Decorating Association
Paperboard Packaging Council
Inspiration and Indulgence
Package design products introduced in the last year
Hands-on Team Player
Product Focus: Smart and Active Packaging
Datebook
Index of Advertisers
Field Notes
Package Design - September/October 2013 - Intro
Package Design - September/October 2013 - BB1
Package Design - September/October 2013 - BB2
Package Design - September/October 2013 - Package Design - September/October 2013
Package Design - September/October 2013 - Cover2
Package Design - September/October 2013 - 1
Package Design - September/October 2013 - Contents
Package Design - September/October 2013 - 3
Package Design - September/October 2013 - Editor’s Letter
Package Design - September/October 2013 - 5
Package Design - September/October 2013 - Brazilian Packaging Association (ABRE)
Package Design - September/October 2013 - 7
Package Design - September/October 2013 - 8
Package Design - September/October 2013 - 9
Package Design - September/October 2013 - 10
Package Design - September/October 2013 - 11
Package Design - September/October 2013 - 12
Package Design - September/October 2013 - 13
Package Design - September/October 2013 - Association of Industrial Metallizers, Coaters and Laminators
Package Design - September/October 2013 - 15
Package Design - September/October 2013 - Asociación Mexicana de Envase y Embalaje
Package Design - September/October 2013 - 16a
Package Design - September/October 2013 - 16b
Package Design - September/October 2013 - 17
Package Design - September/October 2013 - 18
Package Design - September/October 2013 - 19
Package Design - September/October 2013 - DuPont Awards for Packaging Innovation
Package Design - September/October 2013 - 21
Package Design - September/October 2013 - 22
Package Design - September/October 2013 - 23
Package Design - September/October 2013 - Flexible Packaging Association
Package Design - September/October 2013 - 25
Package Design - September/October 2013 - 26
Package Design - September/October 2013 - 27
Package Design - September/October 2013 - Foil & Specialty Effects Association
Package Design - September/October 2013 - 29
Package Design - September/October 2013 - 30
Package Design - September/October 2013 - 31
Package Design - September/October 2013 - Glass Packaging Institute
Package Design - September/October 2013 - 33
Package Design - September/October 2013 - Healthcare Compliance Packaging Council
Package Design - September/October 2013 - 35
Package Design - September/October 2013 - In-Mold Decorating Association
Package Design - September/October 2013 - 37
Package Design - September/October 2013 - Paperboard Packaging Council
Package Design - September/October 2013 - 39
Package Design - September/October 2013 - 40
Package Design - September/October 2013 - 41
Package Design - September/October 2013 - Inspiration and Indulgence
Package Design - September/October 2013 - 43
Package Design - September/October 2013 - 44
Package Design - September/October 2013 - 45
Package Design - September/October 2013 - Package design products introduced in the last year
Package Design - September/October 2013 - 47
Package Design - September/October 2013 - 48
Package Design - September/October 2013 - 49
Package Design - September/October 2013 - 50
Package Design - September/October 2013 - 51
Package Design - September/October 2013 - Hands-on Team Player
Package Design - September/October 2013 - 53
Package Design - September/October 2013 - Product Focus: Smart and Active Packaging
Package Design - September/October 2013 - Index of Advertisers
Package Design - September/October 2013 - Field Notes
Package Design - September/October 2013 - Cover3
Package Design - September/October 2013 - Cover4
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