Imagery

When used appropriately, imagery can create visual excitement, memorable experiences, and recognizable touchpoints. Fashionable, chic, stylish, inspirational, personable, or unexpected, imagery can capture consumer interest. Consumers look at pictures before they read text.

EFFECTIVE USES OF IMAGERY

Illustrations, photographs, icons, symbols, and characters can be executed in a multitude of styles that each create a rich visual language and provide visual stimuli. Simple imagery enables the viewer to recognize a concept quickly; complex or subliminal imagery requires more than a moment or two for its meaning to be fully taken in. Consider the varying sensory experiences that different visuals communicate: flavor, scent, taste, temperature (including the sensation of a spicy food). All can be conveyed visually in packaging design.

Illustration and photography can be used to communicate the product “hero.” The hero on a packaging design can become the distinctive feature of the PDP, be the focal point in the hierarchy of design elements, and personify the brand.

Imagery should always communicate the brand personality and product attributes directly and appropriately. The communication of appetite appeal (on food packaging), the connotation of lifestyle, the suggestion of mood, and instruction about product use are all ways imagery shapes a packaging design's personality.

A creative marketing brief (a document that descriptively explains the company's expectations regarding the project goals and outcomes) can create a picture of what the client ultimately wants to achieve. The client's strategic objectives are essential in providing the foundation for the creative exploration of imagery. This direction is crucial in helping to focus on imagery that effectively supports a conceptual strategy. Images should be researched extensively and refined by narrowing down appropriate illustrative and photographic styles. This process should take into account different ways of cropping, rendering, and coloring an image and is an important step toward making certain that each image chosen not only matches the product's personality but also communicates across a diverse consumer market (figs. 3.31 through 3.36).

Fig. 3.31 through 3.36
Via Roma, various products.
Design firm: united*
Photographer: William Heuberger
Client: A&P

Illustration and Photography

There are hundreds of illustration styles, executed in different mediums, from simple line drawings to elaborate paintings. Illustrations can be created using cut paper, can be sketched or painted traditionally, or rendered on the computer. Different styles convey different attributes about a brand's personality and communicate that information differently. There are hundreds of photographic styles as well. Photographic images can be in black-and-white, in one color, duotones, tinted, screened, or in full color. When combined with words, images expand the meaning and interpretation of a packaging design. Photographs can be combined with illustrations to create unique personalities. Considerations for product depiction include the perspective or angle of the lens, lighting and styling, and how the image is cropped and positioned (figs. 3.37 through 3.46).

Fig. 3.37
AMooza Twists.
Design firm: Dossier Creative
Client: AMooza Twist

Fig. 3.38
AMooza Twists, inner packs.

Fig. 3.39
Hercut.
Design firm: Creed
Client: Hercut

Fig. 3.40
Old Milwaukee beer can girl.
Design firm: Dossier Creative
Client: Old Milwaukee

Fig. 3.41
Pro Bar Simply Real.
An example of appetite-appeal illustration.
Design firm: Moxie Sozo

Fig. 3.42
Sensis Condoms.
Design firm: Spring Design Partners
Client: Sensis

Fig. 3.43
Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory.
Design firm: Dossier Creative
Client: Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory

Fig. 3.44
Green Way Organic Green Peas.
Design firm: united*
Client: A&P

Fig. 3.45
Green Way Organic crackers.

Fig. 3.46
Green Way Organic, group shot.

Imagery in a Global Economy

The communication and perception of visual imagery differs between cultures and ethnic groups, and even regionally. Images do not necessarily have universal interpretations. In packaging design, imagery is affected by the interplay between the visual communication strategy and the consumer audiences' interpretation. Culturally specific imagery can enhance the communication of consumer values and a brand's personality or, if used inappropriately, can isolate and even offend. The successful packaging design takes account of sociology, anthropology, and history. Research into cultural and social norms, values, and visual cues, along with a thorough analysis and the refinement of image choices, helps the design meet its communication objectives.

In American culture, for example, the use of a red checkered plaid pattern on jam, jelly, or preserves jars is a well understood visual cue that communicates tradition, heritage, and handcrafted quality. The image refers to the traditional practice, in home canning, of using a kitchen cloth to cover a jar's wax seal.

Globalization has provided consumers with access to products from far-distant places. There is often an expectation that a design will be able to perform in a global environment. The implications if it cannot or does not do so appropriately are significant. The imagery on packaging designs should never isolate or negatively stereotype social groups. Through proper imagery choice, the communication of cultural values or regional personalities that reflect a product's origins can cross borders successfully (figs. 3.47 and 3.48).

Fig. 3.47
Debbie and Andrew's sausages.
Design firm: Elmwood, Leeds
Client: Debbie and Andrew's

Fig. 3.48
Debbie and Andrew's subsidiary brand, Ellie and Roddy's.

Appetite Appeal

Appetite-appeal illustration or photography can present the serving suggestion (the prepared product styled with the appropriate serving utensils and other props), the ingredients, a beauty shot of the hero, or luscious imagery that grabs consumers' attention and entices them. This type of imagery distinguishes a product by appealing to the consumers’ senses, looking savory, and figuratively whetting their appetites (figs. 3.49 and 3.50).

Fig. 3.49
Duncan Hines cake mixes.
Design firm: Zack Group
Client: Pinnacle Foods Corp.

Fig. 3.50
Duncan Hines brownie mixes

Cropping and Scaling Images

Imagery should be designed to fit within the layout—the layout should not be designed around the imagery. Cropping and scaling an image can provide endless ways to incorporate it into a design. Positioning a frame or mask over the image allows the designer to examine it independent of its context. This can help identify what aspects of the image serve the design's overall communication objectives. Those parts of an image that do not add impact to the design concept should be eliminated. The visual communication should be clear and direct.

Imagery can be used in packaging designs to

• show the product or hero;
• depict the target consumer;
• set a mood, tone, or locale;
• provide credibility;
• appeal to the appetite;
• create texture or pattern;
• express flavor, scent, usage, décor, and/or fashion; and
• personify the brand.

Fig. 3.51
Honeydrop bee icon.
Design firm: Monday Collective
Client: Hiro

Fig. 3.52
Honeydrop teas.

Symbols and Icons

Symbols and icons are powerful tools for visual communication. From bold marks to enigmatic graphics, such elements can represent concrete or abstract concepts. In packaging design, these graphic elements can become so iconic that consumers seek them out and identify with them more than with the brand name itself (figs. 3.51 through 3.55).

Fig. 3.53
Mina icon.
Design firm: Monday Collective
Client: Mina

Figs. 3.54 and 3.55
Mina Harissa.
Design firm: Monday Collective
Client: Mina

Characters

Characters can support brand communication and promote product attributes; they can even become the embodiment of the brand's personality. The possible qualities, traits, and features of these characters are infinite, and creating just the right one to communicate the brand's personality can be daunting.

Ethnic connotations, gender, facial expressions, body type, skin color, shape, size, graphic layout, and design styles—whether expressed photographically or illustratively—all affect the communication. A character can take the form of a human or that of an animal, be depicted illustratively or photographically, or have a cartoonish style with no human likeness. Characters can appeal to children and adults alike and can break through cultural barriers. The gesture of a character can communicate attributes such as confidence, strength, trust, happiness, energy, and amusement.

Characters should be charismatic, engaging, and appealing. The depiction of these qualities can captivate consumers, stimulate sales, and promote brand identification. Brand confidence and loyalty can be tied to the image of a character if consumers trust and relate to the look of the brand's personality. When there is a strong consumer connection to a character, it alone can symbolize the brand without other supporting visual elements, and can become a cultural icon—a brand unto itself (figs. 3.56 and 3.57).

Fig. 3.56
Band-Aid Mickey Mouse adhesive bandages.

Fig. 3.57
Warburtons SnackARoo and Chippidy DooDaa snacks.
Design firm: ANTHEM!
Client: Warburton

Graphic Devices

Basic design elements such as line, shape, color, texture, and typography provide endless design possibilities. The creation of specific graphic devices can aid in the organization of visual information on a packaging design. Graphic elements can guide the consumer through the packaging design by leading the eye through the hierarchy of information. Graphic devices can be used alone or in combination with other devices. When well designed, such devices can clarify the layout's organization and make communication more immediate (fig. 3.58).

Graphic devices on packaging designs can include

• color bars representing product variety, color, scent, flavor, ingredients, or fragrance;
• violators (see below) to communicate new products, product benefits, packaging benefits, or price;
• arrows and shapes to direct the eye, add energy, or contain text;
• squares, circles, triangles, and rectangles to separate a body of copy or enclose a brand identity; and
• texture as background for aesthetics or to support photos, illustrations, or symbols.

Fig. 3.58
Crave Soft Treats.
Design firm: ANTHEM!
Client: Mars Petcare

Violators

Violator is the term used for a visual device typically positioned on top of packaging graphics and used to call attention to or announce a special feature of the product or package. These devices purposefully disturb—or “violate”—the design of the PDP. Violators are frequently used to communicate federally regulated product claims, announce quantity or quality, or bring attention to new product features such as changes in packaging material, function (e.g., resealable packaging), or size (fig. 3.59).

Fig. 3.59
Violators.

Instructional Illustrations

Instructional illustrations are images that are informative, functional, or educational. They are generally used as how-tos—to explain to consumers how to do something with the package or its contents. These illustrations stand apart from the aesthetic visual elements of the packaging design and serve an important purpose: providing direction for the consumer.

Whether the illustration communicates how to open a tamper-proof package or explains a method of storage or disposal, instructional images can be executed using a simple line-art illustration style that details the visual communication objectives (fig. 3.60).

Fig. 3.60
Instructional illustrations.

Fig. 3.61
Old Spice on shelf.

Instructional illustrations can be used to depict

• how to open the packaging,
• how to close or reseal the packaging,
• how to use or prepare the product, or
• precautionary warnings or hazards.

KEY POINTS ABOUT IMAGERY

• The perception of imagery differs from culture to culture.
• Illustrations, photographs, icons, symbols, and characters can be executed in a multitude of styles that each create a rich visual language and provide visual stimulus.
• Imagery should be direct and appropriate in order to communicate brand personality and specific product attributes.
• It is crucial to explore design strategy through an array of imagery styles and colors.
• A touchpoint becomes what the consumer visually identifies with the product.
• Imagery should be designed to fit within the context of the layout, not the other way around (fig. 3.61).