Package Design - August 2013 - 29

environments. It also helps to deepen relationships
among licensors and their licensing partners.
For sophisticated licensed properties with
mature fans, a different approach might be taken,
as illustrated in the first-ever licensing program for
“Magic: The Gathering,” the world’s premier trading card game. The property has a cult-like following, so leveraging iconography in a manner that can
only be understood and interpreted by hard-core
brand fans reinforces the fact that they belong to
an exclusive group. Some of the most compelling
design elements on licensed consumer apparel are
based on the “crest” icon found on every
Planeswalker card containing the character’s loyalty number. These crest designs relate to each
character’s magic power and they go to the heart of
the brand because of their deep meaning and
authenticity. They can be easily extended onto consumer products in many categories, as well. Wearing apparel with these symbols connects Magic
fans to each other, letting them know with a secret
nod that they’re all affiliated with this lifestyle
brand as part of a special community.

When it comes to using an icon,
it is best to standardize its shape
and size and to demonstrate
numerous ways it might be used on
consumer products and packaging
within the licensing style guide.
Build meaning
Seasoned toy and entertainment brands do a good
job of designing icons, whether they’re incorporated into their brand identities or not. Hasbro’s
contemporized Furby brand is one example. The
adorable, fuzzy Furby head appears behind the “F”
in the brand logo in black; a stark contrast to the
blue-outlined white lettering in the brand identity.
The black wraps around the entire brand identity
for additional impact. For Hasbro’s Transformers
brand, the icons for the Decepticons and Autobots
are high tech shields that clearly delineate the good
guys from the bad guys. They are not usually integrated into the logo but prominent on consumer
product packaging. The icon for Disney Princess is
a diamond-studded tiara and it encircles the brand

identity. What’s important about these icons is that
they’re not only a brand identifier for their fans;
they reinforce the brand values that are most
meaningful to them. They’re terrific symbols that
help build equity for these brands on licensed consumer products in countless categories.
Refreshed iconography may be in order when
packaging is contemporized, as Frito-Lay demonstrated with its Doritos brand. By contemporizing
its brand identity and interlacing it with a triangular-shaped tortilla chip in a much bolder manner,
and unifying every Doritos segment with the new

The red
bulls-eye has
become
synonymous
with the
retailer, Target.

logo and icon, the already strong line clearly dominates the retail shelf as never before. Selective
visual and verbal communication support the package refresh in a simple, effective manner.
If it makes sense to develop icons or symbols for
specific brands, they need to firmly relate to those
brands and deliver their values. Creating icons
related to licensed properties and showing licensees how to fully leverage them helps to reinforce
their emotive power with consumers. Both help
brands to stand out from the clutter. They build
relationships and that, in turn, builds equity. That’s
how superstar brands are made. PD
For articles on similar topics, visit the Design
Principles channel on PackageDesignMag.com.

Ted Mininni is president of Design Force Inc. (www.designfor
ceinc.com), a package and licensing program design consultancy to the consumer product and entertainment industries.
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Package Design - August 2013

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