Package Design - June/July 2013 - 28

Splash

MAKING A
By Keith Loria

Natural beauty turns heads in busy retail stores
with tranquil colors and smart structural design.

nter any pool retail store and you’re bound to
see an array of products in busy packaging—all
vying for the consumer’s consideration. But Tessa
McHenry, director of marketing for Zodiac Pool
Systems Inc., sought a more sophisticated way to
attract shoppers’ attention.
“We wanted something that would create a spalike, natural presentation,” McHenry says.
To help create this oasis in the pool retail marketspace, McHenry partnered with Laura Coe Design
Associates (LCDA) to envision a series of displays
that would take her product presentation to new
depths. She did have a few parameters, though.
The point-of-purchase (POP) display would
need to be both modular and free-standing,
enabling graphics to be updated. A built-to-last
display would be necessary, to maintain impact in
a pool retail store for three- to five- years, and hold
the entire spectrum of packaged products under
the Nature2 spa- and pool-care line.

It was also designed to be used as an end-cap, freestanding unit or back-to-back with another display.”
The agency also suggested casters be added to
the freestanding display, which enabled the POP
display to be easily moved to other areas of the
store even when loaded with packages.
But getting to this design wasn’t easy. The
agency started with a client review of objectives,
and research of the retail environments. Then the
LCDA designers created a range of ideas and
structural designs for internal review before selecting four designs to show the client.
In addition to graphic and structural concerns,
the agency made sure to take costs into account.
For example, LCDA originally considered aluminum to make the display more lightweight, but
ultimately chose to go with a powder-coated steel
with bamboo shelves to save the client money. All
edges are round—even the shelves.

Imagining Eden
Retailer-centric design
“Retailers like the idea of flexibility; we gave them
an option with dual usage,” Laura Coe Wright,
principal of Laura Coe Design Associates, says.
“The top shelf could easily be removed and used as
a counter display, so this gave them space solutions.

FOR MORE INFORMATION, VISIT
Laura Coe Design Associates, www.coedesign.com
LIT Workshop, Inc., http://litws.com

JUNE/JULY 2013

Complementing that design is Monica Moon’s
graphic work. The in-house senior designer of
Zodiac Pool Systems created visuals that tie into
existing literature and the brand look.
“We really wanted to connect with the peaceful,
natural aspect of the product line, and we knew the
POP would be the perfect billboard and marketing
piece to do that,” Moon says. “Through collaboration, we created the leaf graphic that’s on the side,
as well as all the printed graphics inserted into it.”
Coe Wright adds: “In such a busy environment,
having the design simple enough to stand out from
the competition allows a customer to see Nature2
products through all the clutter. Plus, everything is

Package Design - June/July 2013

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