Package Design - April 2013 - 11

COnVeRTeR’s CORneR

By Kim Hensley

Dazzling Performance
Celebrate your brand’s differences without negating
how your package performs for an end consumer.

W

here packaging is concerned, “different” is
exactly what brands should strive for: After
all, a CPG has only a couple of seconds to catch
and hold a hurried consumers’ attention with product packaging. As you seek to make your brands
stand out at the point of sale, “celebrating your differences” is key. And, when it comes to being perceived as “special” compared to competing
products, there is no better place to start than with
“special effects.”
With so many ways to make a product stand out
with special effects packaging, it can be tempting
to think purely about the aesthetics of the packaging without an understanding of how a material
was converted into a package or label. The problem
is this approach can result in packaging with
degraded performance in a consumer’s home.
For example, an intriguing tactile effect might
undermine no-slip requirements for a product used
in a bathroom or kitchen. But if a designer carefully considers all the characteristics of a special
effect, they can actually enhance end-use product
performance. A tactile printing varnish, when used
thoughtfully, can create a grip area on a printed
package or label instead of making the packaging
more difficult to handle.
It’s also important to choose special effects that
won’t damage the package or label stock. Specifying foil stamping adds a metallic look to a portion
of your packaging and can be great for catching the
eye of a passing consumer. If a designer or brand
owner doesn’t specify how the foil should be
applied to a pressure-sensitive label, they could
jeopardize the integrity of the label.
In a cold-foil stamping process, foil is put down
with adhesive and is hardened using ultraviolet
(UV) rays. For hot-foil stamping, heat is used to
activate the foil’s adhesive.
If a designer doesn’t research the label face stock
and ask how the adhesive will respond to UV or heat
application, they might end up with a face stock
that’s damaged when the special effect is applied.
Designers with a strong understanding of label
and packaging material options can devise clever
ways to decorate packaging for low-volume SKUs.

Metallic inks and holograms are usually applied
using flexo printing, which is cost-effective for
high-volume jobs. But a designer can “fake” this
high-end look for smaller volume jobs by using a
metalized paper or a chrome, biaxially oriented
PP that peeps through a more typical labeling or
packaging material.

When consumers
are processing
thousands of
stimuli nearly
instantaneously
as they scan a
shelf, special
effect packaging
materials can be
exactly what it
takes to influence
them to more
carefully analyze
your product,
pick it up and
perhaps even
purchase it.

A “no-label look” requires more than just a transparent label stock. Designers and brand owners
seeking this look need an adhesive that won’t add a
tint, so they should consider how the end-use environment will affect the adhesive. Depending on the
end use of the product, they may need an optically
clear adhesive with nonwater whitening properties.
Making informed choices that yield the most
compelling packaging at the best value comes
down to having a mix of design and technical
knowledge. PD

Kim Hensley, a product manager at Mactac Roll Label Films,
manages durable film and prime film product lines for Mactac
(mactac.com)—including standards and regulatory planning
and administration.

PACKAGEDESIGNMAG.COM

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Package Design - April 2013

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