I do not need it now !

A few weeks back, a certain project was hot, ' I need it now ', WHEN CAN WE LAUNCH IT. Is the brief ready, is the communication ready, is the packaging ready........... Yes and everybody is charged up to get the entire package ready.

It is important to understand the seriousness of some of these projects, specially when it comes to packaging. The Implications are tremendous and and huge amount of work can get affected/ wasted.

The most important thing is to get the BRIEF into place, whoever needs to do it should do it irrespective of the urgency, as that reflects the first step towards seriousness of the project.

The issue comes in when everything is into place and suddenly the project is no longer so Hot. May be desirable but no longer urgent, hence nobody wants to stop the project completely but also do not have much time for it or want to focus on it or want to take a decision on it.

'I do not need it now ' is there in the mind and thus Packaging needs to work carefully.

Very often some great work can be put into abeyance or rejected or given a vague feedback and left into a complete whirlpool.

Given the urgency the Packaging team goes into top gear and gets everything ready with full excitement and the best that can be brought in. Now that the situation is somewhat nebulous, every presentation becomes an issue. ' I do not like this' can something more be done, can we explore with some more designers. Is this the best that we can have ?The fact remains that if the urgency of the project had stayed, the same designs would have looked brilliant , perhaps outstanding and would have gone into the market.

The issue that the Packaging development faces is the subjectivity in the Creative decision making. As somebody said ' A large part of decision making is emotional and a small part is rational'.

Perhaps the actually brilliant work now stands rejected or in a state of confusion, the worse thing being that our egos may not allow us to re-look at that work or even accept that work. ' I had a logic for rejecting it last time, why should I accept it now '.

How should the packaging development handle such a situation and not have some genuine good work wasted. One clear way is to keep you ears to the ground and have a picture of the shifting needs or the urgency. In case it appears to be the case, delay the presentation, keep working at it or re-prioritise it , but definitely not present it. Wait for the right signal, be sure that it is required and then progress it.

The other approach is to express clearly for a re - brief. It is indeed painful to re write the brief but incase the creative work is not liked, one should request for revised brief, as it brings in abundant clarity and also helps in removing subjectivity.

The reality is that the moods swing and the priorities change but the Packaging development team has to remain steady.

Innovative , differentiated - can also be serious

Very often whenever the Packaging developers come up with something innovative and out of the box, the straight comment that comes up - is this serious ! will the consumer think it to be frivolous and just not worth it . I firmly believe that such comments are not to be taken seriously. Such critiques do not know where is the seed of innovation and how one should nurture it.

It is this out of the box thinking and the ability to challenge the regular gives birth to packaging innovation. Most often than not for an idea to be taken seriously becomes a huge challenge. To sell the concept and have buy in from the decision makers itself becomes a stumbling block and the biggest de-motivator.

Very often the out of the box idea can be non serious at a superficial level, however the same idea could be carrying with it the seeds of a game changer.

How often we end up showering praises on an absolutely innovative packaging idea from competition and kill ourselves on why we did not do the same thing - ' Why did we not get this superb idea ' , whereas we would have on our own killed similar such ideas under the criticism of ' Non serious '.

The Polarity of the Packaging supplier and the Machine Packer

Most often than not for the large volumes of your Brands, we need heavy mechanisation on the packing and the filling lines and at the same time you need a large volume packaging supplier. It is interesting to see how the two are at the polar ends and very often large projects get hugely delayed just trying to get the two meet at the Equator.
Recently a very large project was to be worked upon paperboard and needed very special creases on the board to ensure proper running on the machine and above all a proper pack formation and a stable pack in the hands of the consumer. The volumes being large the Packaging supplier was very clear that the paperboard needs to be in the long grain. On the other hand given the complexity of the pack, the machine supplier was very clear that the paperboard has to be in the short grain. The Packaging supplier explained that in case they were to supply in the short grain the machine speeds are to come down drastically and impact the costs adversely. They agreed to supply in the short grain but came up with the issue of the ability to supply the required volumes given the machine speed retardation.
Negotiations of any sort did not work and every discussion led into a deadlock. The big question, where should we go from here , scrapping the project was not a solution given the competition pressures and going up to the Board and expressing this confusion was too much of an embarrassment for the senior managers.
These experiences are not uncommon and one could relate many more, however the solutions are extremely difficult and the challenges become insurmountable.
Often the solutions exist but need a technological breakthrough , which is time consuming and also cost consuming. One could say that one needs to build in timelines according to the project requirements, but the other side is the market pressures to implement the packaging change right away. You need both the supplier and the packer as both have their technical edge and unique competencies.
This polarity needs to be bridged, we need to work at an approach that the two parties can look at a single point or perhaps make an effort to look at a single point. One clear point emerges that on should not be dependent upon a single source for anything. A constant and persistent effort should be made to have alternatives and build competencies accordingly.
One clear challenge for the Sourcing manager should be supplier development and he needs to put in energies into building up multiple long term relationships in the supply chain. On the other hand the Organisation should seriously discourage rigidities , as this leads to the polar positioning.

Print Runs- whats done cannot be undone

Many a times, one believes that certain issues would be resolved during the print approvals on the bulk machine. I am reasonably sure that you would be mostly disappointed. Whatever needs to be done to get your Brand design right has to be done before hand or at the pre- press stage. Thus a lot of stringent preparation and detailing leads to success on the press. To begin with the mandatory text, get every word, punctuation etc all perfect, as changing at the time of the press run is costly and time consuming, plus also there is a chance of just missing out and you may be saddled with incorrect text packaging. The artwork and the ability to think through is critical, one needs to have the experience to predict as to what are the likely results due to a particular level of screens or the colour sequence. This has to be got right at the time of the pre-press or else whats done cannot be undone at the time of the bulk run.
It is a healthy practise to do a semi bulk proofing on a separate press to analyse the likely results and build in corrective actions. I have had several incidents when the lack of this understanding has resulted in costly print run failures and above all huge loss of time.
Plan to treat the bulk printing as a final and commercial run rather than an opportunity to do creative iterations or subjective value additions.
Very often by a stroke of good luck one hits upon something interesting during the print run and can feel reasonably elated about the outcome. It is always advisable to doubly check if that will sustain,very often what looks good may have scuffing problems or may have odour or may not glue well or may not run well on your packing lines etc. You will be surprised as to how many unimaginable issues crop up and become serious problems and bottlenecks.
The critical role is for each and every element to get the print run successful - the printing machine, the inks, the people running the machine and the knowledge they have and above all the printing plates and the printing cylinders. Each of them needs to work in unison and in perfection to ultimately get things right. Try to have a colour swatch approved and a colour matching be done offline, thus ensuring that the inks are in total readiness. Check the cylinder prints or the pulls as they are fairly indicative of the likely on the machine results. Rarely can we correct things, if the inks of the printing plates / cylinders are not just right.
Yes , I have seen rare examples of extraordinary wisdom ,when the knowledge of the People on the machine has helped to overcome the blemishes and get things undone. Yes it happens but rare !

Packaging Shape and Product Shelf life - meet at a point

There was a brief, yes there was ! Develop a pack, that is square not round but light and thin and not too valuable a feel but the product shelf life , should be 6 months before opening and 6 days after opening.

There was no way that the shelf life requirements could be met in a square box as it can fit the lid and the bottom only as a snap fit , whereas a round box can be a screw on mechanism and thus give much better moisture barriers.

The visual facts of the brief became super dominant as the marketing strategy hinged upon it. The round pack structure had feminine connotations, the product being targeted at adult Males. The light and thin was critical as the product quantity was low, needed be carried in the pocket and consumed 'On the go'. The not too valuable feel was important so that the consumers do not attribute the packaging waste as costs and consume frequently without the psychological barrier of perhaps too premium and possibly out of reach.

The net out come was perhaps predictable, the Structure fitted the desired brief but the shelf life studies failed at the required levels.

This is extremely important to realize that the shelf life often is a clear derivative of the shape of the packaging structure and hence to get the desired results on both the quadrants of Physical appeal and Product stability, it may be required that certain compromises are made at both the ends. Yes, the brief needs to be modified and reworked!

If the box necessarily has to be square, can it be with thicker walls and a Tagger foil seal be provided inside. If all this is not possible, can shape be round and the feminine connotations be handled through the other elements of the marketing mix. If that is not agreeable, can an optimum shelf life be agreed upon. Lets start questioning , why the required shelf is 6 months before opening and 6 days after opening. Perhaps the Marketing strategy was incorrect , maybe the calculations on the segment volume projections were incorrect. Maybe such a segment never existed and the Marketing research had a fine print which nobody read.

Often the Packaging team has to contend with a whole lot of issues, which are perhaps not visible at the time of the Brief , which are deep seated in a marketing error and extremely difficult to digest.

The issue did not end here. The brief was indeed modified and the box was made into a round shape, the fit was right and perfect. The shelf life studies failed, the assumption that the shape will solve the problem was perhaps incorrect. The detailed study proved that the fault was with the product, which was not tuned to the required weather conditions and consequently did not give the required results no matter what was done to the shape.

Lets remember the Packaging shape and the product shelf life very often meet at a point and only at that one. The difficulty lies in realizing this early in the day and accepting where the error is. Who wants to accept the error, we are all at zero defect !

Whip up a Tornado !

Last time this friend of mine had organised a party, I was left with just one everlasting impression

' Energy '. There was so much of energy in the event that, one could not but have a great experience. Packaging is all about the energy that one brings to ones work, right from the word go.

It is a career which is as exciting as one can make of it and each time the returns are manifold. The returns not just in terms of the outcome but in terms of the journey and all the fun while at work.

So, put in the energy in the designs, just not accept the ordinary, keep on the search for the best. Let the team experience the search for the unknown ,the undefined territory and the high of finding it. let there be a perpetual hunt for innovation and a quest for raising the bar.

Whip up a tornado and see for yourself what great fun Packaging development could be.

If the graphics are coming right, think of what inks could do, if the graphics and inks are coming out brilliant, think of what embossing could add and if all that is looking outstanding, do a quick inhouse test and check if the output is good enough. If the output is not actually good enough , do not go to bed dejected and giving up but sleep on new ideas and new solutions.

It is all about the attitude and your sheer love for your own work, the energy that you impart to the work generates the energy around for the others, who in turn compound the effect , with the experience becoming memorable.

Once everything is done and ready, bring in visible energy in your presentations, the excitement in every design that you showcase, the views that you generate ,the concepts that you challenge and the new directions that emerge for your development.

Think of it, with so much energy in your work, you will still never be tired and looking forward to more and plenty. Rainbows day after day.

2 mm to the left !

How often we come across the request , well the design looks brilliant and actually perfect but could we just move this text VERY VERY slightly to the left, maybe about 2 mm. Sometimes the request is even for 0.5 mm to the left or right or top or bottom and so on.

The question is , does this make a difference and if so, how much. We need to answer this as very often a lot of iterations are undertaken and a lot of time and money is spent in just these very fine adjustments. So it is important to understand if these inputs are IMPORTANT !

The perfection in design comes with a fine balance and alignment based upon some well understood design principles but very often in the eye of the beholder and more often than not in our minds. Lets examine this, if it is to ensure congruence with a well established design principle, well yes , it is then not only desired but one would say mandatory for the developer to correct the shifts and positioning in decimals of millimeters. If it is in the eye, it could be subjective but definitely needs attention, one should try to execute the recommended change and debate the rationale. If it is in the mind, the issue becomes critical, how does one establish if the recommended suggestion makes sense. More often than not, if it comes from some one very senior in the Organisation, whether with any sense of aesthetics or not, the Packaging developer just tends to give in rather ' better to surrender ' .

I define this kind of development as ' Design by Ego'. This happens all the time, a wonderful design developed is often ruined as it goes up the Organisation ladder if the principle of ' Design by Ego ' is constantly at work. Sometimes these small Millimeters shifts, shaving offs , stretching etc. can lead to not only delays but also ultimately a BAD design.

The developer needs to bear in mind that he/she holds the responsibility of not only the development but sensible development, not only output but meaningful output. To ensure that one must have logical reasons to implement these so very subtle reasons and also very logical reasons to to 'Say No' if and when required. Lets be honest to our work and to ourselves, lets be guided by the necessity and not just subjective desires and lets be able to stand up and defend our own creation.

The big danger is that there is a very fine line between ' being honest to oneself ' and being 'Close minded', let that not happen to the developer. Getting close minded could be not only detrimental to your work but also lead others to discard your defense for the design, branding you as ' Close minded '.

The big advantage of giving due attention to often the apparently ' Design by ego ' is that it could be challenging a very well established design principle and perhaps changing the rules of the game rightfully. In such a case you need to examine the 0.5 millimeter shifts as who knows there could be a breakthrough which you may completely miss out. So let that not happen to us !

Breach of confidentiality - 'The cat is out of the bag'

Despite so many precautions and binding agreements, it is not very unusual to have a breach of confidentiality or the leakage of the project. There is definitely shock and disbelief on having a well guarded design or project leak out into the market , the net outcome is to do a hunt asto who could be the culprit, often with no clear answers.

However in some cases there are clear answers but one does not know as to what action to be taken. Here is a case with the names changed to avoid the ' Breach of Confidentiality' !

Alto was a big company in India selling a premium brand of Biscuits. Alto wanted to do a celebration series of their Brand and source packaging from a very reputed company in UK , Parkville Inc. The Packaging team in Alto tied up all the aspects of the confidentiality agreement and the development progressed with full speed. The project head at Parkville built in a clause that the packaging would be ultimately sourced from a company in China to ensure lower costs and speedy delivery. The prototypes were developed and changed several times. Ultimately the prototypes were approved by Alto but the bulk delivery did not happen as the Brand plans changed and the project got postponed.

Several years later a company from UK, Briganza, selling similar packaging participated in an International Packaging fair in India. The packaging team of Alto who were visiting the fair got a complete shock and were in for a disbelief when they saw their project prototypes displayed by Briganza with great pride , indicating as if it was their development. On checking out Briganza explained to Alto that they had not manufactured it but had got it done from a company in China who are their partners for such packaging. On further checking out the Chinese partner turned out to be the same as the one Parkville had used for the development. There was more to the story, the project manager from Parkville had moved to Briganza and claimed rights over the development.

The net result for Alto was a leakage of their project and thus a breach of confidentiality. The answers one need to seek is that who should be blamed for this and what action could be taken.

Is Parkville to be blamed , the Chinese party, the project Manager or the Briganza who were trying to pass it off as their work.

Such breach of confidentiality is not uncommon , the challenge comes asto what action to take and against whom, specially when one is working across continents and encounter diverse laws.

Packaging has to take lessons from such experiences and work out the proposals and agreements trying to prevent the 'Cat to be out of the Bag'.

Best Outside vs Inside - The dilemma with no answers

All of us have this question facing regularly- should we do the Packaging design development in-house or should we do it with an outside Design agency, or should we have both work in parallel and 'let the best one' win. Often the cost and time constraints help to decide asto what should be the way forward, as the in-house is much faster and time saving. However if costs are not a constraint, one wishes to explore the best that could be possible Globally.

The fact remains that the knowledge that the in-house team has on a product category is far superior and thus their ability to develop designs which hold critical relevance to the brand is far higher. The other view could be that the Outside design agency has a much wider exposure across Brands and categories and perhaps bring in a much needed fresh air. In many companies the in-house packaging team are well exposed and with experience , they are able to handle some of the most challenging of the projects. Often with a motivated team and with the right leader the in-house team can work towards the just right synergy of the Outside idea and the in-house specialism.

The entire exercise can be fruitful and rewarding if the Organisation provides the Credits and acknowledges the contribution of the team that rightfully deserves. Very often the in-house team may do excellent work and clear all the Consumer tests, however there are residual 'desires' , wishing that the design had the name of a Global name or of the best in the industry. In such a case one must not demean or forget the good work that the in-house team puts together consistently and with considerable amount of hard work and commitment.

Do not forget to accept asto who has done what, if the credit is given deliberately or inadvertently to not the deserving, the packaging team could be left extremely de-motivated.

The fact remains that we all like the association with the Brand names and the tags that go along with them, so even if the in-house team has done the best, we end up saying ' we did this from the best design house in the country and our in-house team added value to it '. The worst case would be if the in-house team has done all the work right from the start to the finish and then they have to hear similar comments, they would never again like to take any project seriously.

The truth is that there is always a dilemma with no clear answers, the approach and the methodology has to change. One needs to go back to the Consumer and check asto which is the best design and thus link back to which team deserves the recognition. Let us all be truthful and honest to ourselves and give the credit to the team that deserves rightfully.

In case we believe that for us the Brand name of the design house is extremely critical, one must stop the development in-house and be prepared to spend the time and the costs that go along with it. More often than not, the work may start with the Outside agency but the time pressures compound, the in-house team may have to step in to salvage the project. In case we believe that we will not be able to give the credits to the in-house team, let the time pressures not change the course of action let us continue the work externally, as that is what we wanted deep down in our hearts!

And off course the deserving get their credit some day and with the full interest !

Creative collaborations- the Journey of the unexpected.

There has been a lot of excitement around the process of creative collaborations, wherein the packaging design gets designed not by a Brand designer but by a designer from another stream, e.g a Fashion designer, a Photographer, a Contemporary artist, an Architect and so on.

The idea is extremely exciting and filled with immense possibilities, as a different kind of mind looks at the Brand personality and may come up with amazing new approaches.

Some large Brands have used it regularly and very successfully and continued to enhance the salience of their Brands.

The journey is of a different kind, you may end up meeting the top most fashion designer of your country or the top most Canvas Artist and may need to brief them about the exercise.

Off course the first worry comes in, that very often such creatively arrived people have very little patience to handle the so called corporate complexities. Infact they may have very little patience to even listen to the brief, let alone understand it to get back to you with a debrief.

The worries are compounded when you have to work out the price of their priceless work and try to draw very sharp timelines.

Once the work is embarked upon , the experience perhaps may get more and more interesting and rewarding. The challenge still remains asto how to work within your brief and the 'so well done' Brand Architecture.

Perhaps the best option in such a a scenario is to expect the unexpected, to let the fresh wind blow into your design and to condition your self to take to the market the unimagined experience. While you may condition yourself and the design team to look forward to the absolute unusual, the larger issue remains of convincing the other functions and the teams working on the project. One gets so used to the ' Focus group' studies and the research analysis that it almost a decision to be taken with complete blindfolds.

If one is prepared for this and can handle the twists and the turns, the Journey of such creative collaborations could be immensely memorable and fruitful.

Driven by Objectives - Whose !

The Objectives setting exercise in an Organisation is a mandatory one and every Packaging Manager needs to set his/her Objectives in the beginning of the year and work towards it or rather get driven by it.

The question that one has to often answer as to where should he/she draw his/her Objectives from, should it be from the Marketing strategy or the Technical strategy or the overall Corporate strategy.

The obvious answer is that it has to be completely and clearly aligned to the Marketing strategy as ultimately that is aimed at delivering the consumer needs and packaging is one 'P' in the complete marketing mix. While there is a clear positive to this, there are several negatives as well. The Brand strategies more often than not are focused on short to mid long term as the pressures of competition are very live and have to be dealt with NOW ! . The other very stark reality is that the Brand Managers come and go with the stints lasting a maximum two years, where their energies are locked with dousing the immediate fires and delivering the obviously expected.

Packaging today is becoming more and more complex and has a much wider implications not only on Brands, Organisations, Countries but on the entire humanity and infact on the Planet Earth itself. If the Packaging Manager has to look at the very long term issues of packaging he/she has to set Objectives which can look much beyond the immediate Brand needs.

Today more and more Corporates are setting Objectives which are aimed at not only delivering the bottom line but becoming more and more inclusive towards delivering the larger cause of the humanity and the society. Should the Packaging Manager allign himself/ herself to these larger goals and contribute in the Overall corporate Objectives, if yes how should he/ she set the Objectives, budgets and the targets.

The reality is that while many Organisations do talk a lot of the societal and the global objectives the here and now continues to get the larger focus. Hence even if the Packaging Manager were to set Objectives of greater implications, he / she is time and again dragged into the here and now. There are also the parochial perspectives which are purely what appeals to individuals and

to 'Me' , which often one has to contend with.

The answer clearly lies in bringing in fresh perspectives , putting together proposals of universally challenging nature and pushing more and more functions to see the benefits. Lets keep the search on and keep on building Ones Objectives with the very large and long term goals for packaging in sight. The challenge is to not just get driven by the Marketing objectives or the Corporate Objectives, one has to set ones own Objectives , have faith and conviction in them and work towards making others also see reason in them. Yes it is difficult, but then what is easy !

Packaging '10-20' The next decade

What would be the challenges in the next decade for packaging and what is the likely course things are going to take. We have heard a lot on the environmental concerns and the impact it can potentially have on the world and each one of us.

One can see two key areas where the focus will need to be directed , one being the action and infact serious action to arrive at solutions on the environmental issues and secondly joining hands globally in a pioneering research. Can we find common grounds for research, wherein there is a lot more sharing and a lot more effort towards a common goal. If a substitute for a particular material is to be found, rather than having pockets of research, can we work together, as we all agree it is for the common goal, the planet Earth and for the humanity ultimately.

Today there is very little effort towards sharing and opening up, as there are competitive pressures and rightly so. We need to work out areas wherein we arrive at understandings wherein the outcome is shared for all those who could contribute. Sounds difficult and a pipe dream for competitors to do research and share for the common good, but think if we were not to do it now , when would we do, are we not losing time hand over fist !

Perhaps the biggest challenge for the Packaging in the coming decade is to drop the boundaries, build bridges, join resources and work at common goals. Can we dedicate the coming decade to cross country, cross company, cross products and cross Brands Packaging development.

The first step will obviously have to be, to firm up the areas that need to be worked upon, then the necessary prioritization and off-course the serious commitment.

The question that we need to answer is that can we fight the issues around packaging and its disastrous impact independently, or should we fight independently. If the concerns are global and the implications universal, then the effort has also got to be united and the commitment singular. Think ! is it so difficult and impossible.

My design or yours !

When a Packaging design is successful, there are several who would like to claim it as theirs, there is always a debate, is it mine or is it yours ! While somewhere it is not very significant as to who actually owns the design but when it goes out into the market and to the consumers, the ownership issues become more and more significant. Many marketing wars are fought on the grounds of the trade-dress not being unique and hence it is imperative that the ownership is established .

The process of Copyrighting is a fairly simple exercise and one must go through this for all ones Packaging designs and artworks. In order to establish ownership and complete rights one needs to get the design assigned from the artist to the Brand owner and ensure that the Brand does not face any ownership battles at anytime in its life history.

The issue comes in when there are many who would like to claim it as theirs and want a stake in the success story. Here as well, the Packaging developers need to ensure that proper agreements are put into place so that if there are many agencies/ designers/ Brand consultants working on you Pack design, the contract ensures that the rights at any given time belongs to the Brand owners.

The other aspect of design ownership is the aspect of motivation , acknowledgement and a salute to those who have created the concept and the execution. The developers who have put in the passion and the sweat would feel cheated if the acknowledgements do not go to the rightful owners. Would they like to put in the same passion and energy next time when they work on your Brand, would they feel for the project the same way and add spirit to it. We need to remember that very often the achievement lies for many not in the remuneration but the public acknowledgement , not in the Promotions up the ladder but in the respect shown for the work.

The question is how to establish , who owns the design, as many would have worked on the design. Apparently the legal definition is the person who has finally put together the complete artwork, irrespective of where the inputs are coming from. While this seems to be most logical way to establish an ownership, but one wants to clearly disagree with this. Which is more important the Concept or its execution, thus who should be the design owner the Concept provider or the actual creator. Think ! do we have the answers, this question has worried many for time immemorial.

Down to the Bones

Every year the same target gets flashed around ' How do you cut the costs ' and ' Who can show maximum savings '. The challenge of cost savings is a like a double edged sword, as all the cost savings come with the additional rider of no loss in perceived value for the consumer.

Very often the Packaging team runs into a dead-end as their costs are down to the bones and any reduction perhaps may start impacting the overall feel.

In such a scenario one has to follow a two pronged strategy, firstly , examine an approach where there is a deliberate change in the visual feel for the consumer through a cheaper input material, in effect a some kind of design change which reduces costs and adds a fresh new feel for the Packaging. The second approach is the more daring one......accept the perceived value loss. Here one can work out the stages, the change which impacts the least on the perceived value loss perhaps could be examined the first for the implementation.

The fact remains that the consumers buy the Brand first and foremost for the product and some downgradation on the packaging which does not impact the product quality when bought, in use, or the shelf life, is unlikely to impact the consumer behaviour.

However the best strategy that one could follow is that to keep a look out for the developments which are likely to give a cost reduction and keep examining if these developments provide any synergy for your Brands. The best sources are offcourse the current vendors or their competitors. Some companies have this annual event wherein they invite all vendors for a display of their developments and innovations. This affair ensures a very open discussion around developments and the possibilities that they offer.

The problem is indeed a complicated one , if your costs are already down to the bone and hence a lot of creative problem solving needs to be looked into to arrive at possible solutions.

Read more Books !

It is amazing how over the years the value additions that have been happening on the Book covers have simply taken over several product categories. The Book covers have always been graphically trying to give a snap shot of what is the overall essence and the writers thought. However more recently the Vibrancy, the Embossing, Foil stamping and the UV ink treatments have been reaching mind boggling proportions.

Just like any consumer product the Book cover has to virtually scream from the Shelf, 'Pick me up' and for that the producers are trying out all the possibilities.

The improvements in the grades of paper and the availability of lot many options have opened up the opportunities even further in terms of the overall look and feel of the Graphics and the visual appeal.

So very clearly if one were to read more books, one would be getting a lot more ideas that could be borrowed onto packaging.

The one issue that clearly comes in our way is the cost, while a book with a high unit price could take on a lot of costs, a packaging may be constrained by the budgets and linked to the overall cost of the complete product. So keep reading........

Ultraviolet Inks - has the future arrived

The coming in of the Ultraviolet inks and the possibilities it has opened for printing is simply amazing and in fact never ending. Just when you thought that you have understood the new system, a further new development comes up. Be it raised/ embossed effect inks, glitter inks, tectile effect inks, there is an answer to every kind of creative expression.

With the new generation machines in Offset, Gravure and Flexo having inline UV decks, it has made things even simpler for getting inline printing and thus faster solution. Consequently costs have seen a downtrend and the technology getting much more amenable for a lot more Brands.

What started as more of a Chinese phenomenon has now taken over the world and like how. The glossy packaging that one would see in China and wonder how it was being done slowly and gradually has evolved to dizzying heights.

While the UV inks and the printing processes evolved and started becoming available more easily, the post press operations needed to be worked upon. The answers were sought to the Odour problems and the food grade ability of such inks and one has come a long way. However there are still questions remaining unanswered, how do we avoid finger marks on the glossy surface, how do we do over-wrapping without having misty formation in-between layers etc.

As is obvious, the results of the UV differ from printing process to process and one has to make a conscious choice based upon the cost, required output, volumes etc. The process of Silk Screen which has developed to a very large extent in China ,offers dramatic results and huge possibilities for the creative exploration.

Given the almost forever developing technology one wonders if the future has arrived and what more is waiting to be explored.

Put a full stop to Counterfeit

How much one may want to, but putting a total stop to Counterfeiting perhaps is becoming increasingly impossible. There are numerous ways to curtail this perennial problem and Packaging can play a remarkable role in this problem. Today there is a possibility to build in Visible ( Overt ) and Not so visible ( Covert ) features in the packaging which can control this problem to quite an extent. The visible features are built in through inks, surface treatments, holograms etc. The not so visible features are built in through the use of specialized substrates, usage of infrared light to enhance certain elements, watermarks, microembossing, intaglio printing etc.

The issue lies in what features to use and what to avoid. One theory is that an anti- Counterfeit feature is relevant, only if it is visible to the consumer, in the sense that the absence or the presence of a certain feature should help the consumer assess the authenticity of a Brand/ product. In this case one may perhaps have to communicate in some manner to the consumer about such a feature.

The counterfeit features which the consumers cannot see, perhaps are more for the Brand owners to judge as to which product is authentic. Thus technically a counterfeiter can go on copying and selling as there is no way the consumers are likely to know the original or the copied.

There are features with various levels of difficulty in copying, but may also have cost associations, a feature extremely difficult to copy may also be extremely costly to implement.

Packaging has been on the forefront in this area and a significant amount of development has been done and is being done currently. The key value addition that packaging developers could do is to build in these features in the development process itself.

The fact remains, that the counterfeiters do catch up slowly and gradually, thus for the packaging developers this is a moving target and a continuous challenge.

Absolute Transparency

Glass as a material for Packaging has been and would continue to retain its popularity and significance. There is something in that absolute transparency that makes it suitable for certain product categories and the consumers just swear by it.

There are some key advantages that Glass as a material has to offer. Complete transparency and the ability to see the product, the controlled sparkle and the delicate feel, are some of the Consumer related advantages. The others being, the ability to recycle numerous times, the ability to give innumerable creative shapes, colours, textures and embossing effects and above all a very high level of product shelf life.

One can say that Glass is perhaps one of the finest materials that one could use for packaging and for some categories like fragrances and wines it is almost indispensable.

There is perhaps one quality that Glass offers which is related to the consumer behaviour directly. Consumers want to see what they pay for, it gives them a sense of satisfaction that they are inputting their money into the right product. Whether the product has a colour or is colourless seeing it is very satisfying. It is this particular consumer emotional benefit that glass provides which perhaps makes it so popular.

For packaging developers glass offers the opportunity to get a shape which is in sink with the Brand personality and thus for the creative experts it offers a lot of possibilities.

Besides the obvious disadvantage of breakage, glass is heavy and needs expensive investments in moulding etc. Sourcing glass is easy and the technology today is significantly advanced , primarily supplied as sheets in various thickness / caliper grades.

A lot of brands have tried to use alternative materials to glass but more often than not has limited applications. A suitably option which has sustainable propositions e.g recyclable and biodegradability are yet to be discovered.

And off course above all is the absolute transparency!

Pretentious packaging

Let your packaging not be pretentious, as it will in turn make your Brand pretentious and ultimately fail to gain consumer loyalty. The biggest challenge that packaging faces is to come out the way the brand is supposed to be. If your packaging is trying to say all that , which the Brand perhaps is not, the chances of Brand failure is likely to be high.

If your Brand is positioned in the Popular segment, do not try to make it overtly Premium, let there be some kind of a 'This belongs to me and my world feel'. Consumers may look at the pack and conclude that the Brand is pricey , may not pick it off the shelf and may not even look at the price. It is always better to be what you are and thus come across as a meaningful and trustworthy Brand.

Imagine a Packaging very young in its look and character but talking about the values which develop over the years e.g perfection, heritage etc. The Brand will not appeal to the younger audience and the matured profile may consider the claim not reliable just by the look of it.

So what does one do and what controls one must build in the Packaging idea and execution. Off course there has to be abundant clarity on the kind of positioning for the Brand and the kind of target audience the Brand offer is. The packaging needs to draw parallels accordingly, right from the way the Graphics are worked out , to the substrate/ materials used , the size and the overall feel. It is always a great idea to use the packaging to make the Brand aspirational but it should ensure that it does not give the feel of being beyond reach.

The trick lies in how to use cost effective materials and inputs and yet make the Packaging give the right feel for the Brand. The creativity lies in how to build in features which the consumer will value and feels comfortable about paying for. It is this kind of optimization that reflects the developers understanding, which ensures that the packaging reflects honesty of purpose and not be pretentious.

YouR pack, your Model in advertising

Yes indeed, packaging has played a significant role as a model in so many successful Advertising campaigns and will continue to do so. A terrific camera shot of the pack ,with the product showing could work wonders for a Brand as very often the consumers feel reassured and indeed look forward to seeing the similarity between the advertising and what is on the shelf.

Your pack can be your model and the hero in your campaign and to several advantages. The first and perhaps the biggest advantage is the linking of the Brand personality with the Packaging and thus establishing easy connect with the consumer. The next one being the building up of curiosity and desire. By using the pack as the hero , we are building upon the consumer psychology of wanting to try what looks good and what is being talked about.

The challenge here is to how to make the pack look appealing in the print media and yet capture the look and feel of the real life product. If the Print media is over the top, it may create a different level of expectation and could be detrimental to the brand.

The other aspect is that we need to ensure that the Packaging captures the essence of the Brand personality and that comes out clearly in the campaign.

Some Brands have used it beautifully as a means of an ongoing consumer dialogue and showing how well the Brand can integrate with a wide variety of consumers and continue to be in times.

The question remains asto when one should decide to use packaging as the hero, or what leads one to consider this option. There are no clear answers, but one would assume in all those cases where the packaging is adding significantly to the Brand imagery or where seeing the pack and the product will influence the buying behaviour, one could take this route. Infact this option is available always, for all product categories, one has to try it to realise the advantages.

Packaging - The Consumer Magnet

One needs to answer the question, can Packaging play the role of getting new consumers into a Brand, or putting it differently, will non consumers of a product category start using a Brand because they find the packaging appealing. Does packaging work as a magnet to get in new consumers and ensure that they stay with the Brand, this can be a matter of endless debate.

The answer to this will lie in the understanding of why the consumers buy a product and ultimately choose a Brand. The consumers most definitely and without a doubt buy a product to satisfy a clear need and the Brand choice comes in based upon the price, availability, off course the packaging appeal and the information it imparts.

Very often Marketers believe that to get in new consumers , one must modernize the packaging and make it more appealing. However this will most likely work in those cases wherein the consumers are already using the product and one is merely trying to make them switch into a Brand. However incase the consumers are not into that product category and one is also trying to bring them into a Brand then just a pack change will not be of much help. This is linking into the fact that consumers buy into the product first for a felt need and then make a conscious and informed choice for a brand.

Thus incase you wish to bring in new consumers into the category, into your Brand and not just expecting a brand switch, the complete marketing mix plays a role and in such cases the role of packaging is much lesser than the other Ps of Marketing.

There are numerous successful cases wherein Brand switching happens if the Packaging is made more appealing and has a congruent fit with the consumer expectations. Here the role the packaging has played is that of a re - positioner for a Brand and making it more relevant for the consumers who are users of a certain product. Thus a packaging modernisation and or upgradation comes in as a very useful tool for the marketers.

Incase your company is selling similar products under different brand names, you can hope to switch in consumers from one Brand to the other by a pack change but to hope to increase overall sales by getting in altogether new consumers to switch into your product category by itself may be wishful thinking.

Very often when the sales are stagnant and your product category is not growing , the answer lies in serious examination of our role as true Marketers. Are we working towards identifying latent needs, how are we educating consumers on the usage of a product and the distinct advantages for them. Once we have done that we can make packaging work as a salesman and in some cases as a consumer magnet as well.

Branding the Pack- Tip to toe

A very key and integral aspect in packaging design is the way Branding is displayed on the Pack and the way it is arranged on all the panels. Logically the most important panel is the front panel and getting the Branding right is off course the first step in packaging art. In terms of the layout the best arrangement is the Branding followed with the Product descriptor and then the Product variant indicating the key benefit of the product. Very often some designers have tried out an arrangement, where the top element is the product variant and then comes the Branding. While this may also work, but one needs to ensure that the top fonts do not become too big or heavy. On the other hand if one were to follow the classical approach, there is a scope to make the descriptor fairly large and visible.
The challenge is to ensure that one gets the Branding on all the panels , top, bottom, left and right without compromising on the mandatories and design graphics. Very often the packs are stored sideways and hence the Branding on the side panels becomes critical. The key principle in this is that the Branding should be arranged in a consistent manner all across. In case the design is that of a vertical branding, let it be the same way all across, on the other hand if it is horizontal it should be horizontal all across. Let your pack branding be seen by the consumer in the same manner no matter how constraining the space is. In case your designer is recommending taking liberties in this regard , be sure that he/she is definitely not putting in the best of efforts.
Do not ignore the top and the bottom panels, if the space is available, it is always better to place the branding in a suitable size there as well. Some Brands have very effectively used subtle treatments like sheer embossing to keep the Branding in all locations.
At the super premium end it may be felt that the more underplayed and minimalistic the Branding is the better is the appeal. While this is one approach, it may be worthwhile exploring the incorporation of the Branding in some subtle manner on all the panels, specially because there is an element of image display and showoff related to this segment.
If one wants to dress up your Brand suitably, there is one and only one key principle, get the Branding right , in the appropriate size, location , arrangement and on all the panels as far as possible, right from the tip to the toe.

Synergy of Packaging Engineering

It is a fact and beyond doubt that packaging structures developed on the drawing board and on your Apple Macs would remain as designs only if the synergy between the Designers, Engineers and the Machine developers does not happen.

Whatever is on the design concept needs to be put into measurements and functional elements needs to be configured. The opening and closing mechanism are specially critical in packaging as far as the consumer interfacing is concerned. While the Designers can create the concept the mechanisms have to be worked out by the Engineers. However the Engineers need the Machine Manufacturers to work out if a machine packing is possible or not in the specified mechanism.

Machine Manufacturers may come up with a lot of changes,suggesting that to make the machining possible those changes are inevitable. Very often these changes may not be palatable and may start impinging upon the design itself. This is the time that the Designers have to start thinking on how to find a mid way to the problem, what can be done so that the concept is retained and yet the worries of the Machine manufacturers are worked upon. For this the approach that one has to take is how to work upon the suggestions from one another and how to build upon synergistically.

The best way to visualize and discuss is to work out the mockups and try to make them as functional as possible. Often because of the paucity of time one may be tempted to go ahead without the mocking up and re mocking up. However there are significant advantages as only a mock up brings out the issues which often get missed out if seen only on the paper.

Solutions are never so easy and often need several iterations and corrections. To get a design concept to the engineering , to the machining and finally to the consumer is a journey and a partnership, for the ultimate advantage of the Consumer.

Cut Copy and Paste!

Very often Marketers are tempted to just copy the innovation developed by a competitor and add value to their own packaging. There are various views on this approach and one definitely needs to understand the implications of such a decision.

The Brand Group may want a quick success and may propose the 'Cut Copy Paste' as a solution to packaging upgrade and counter competitive packaging onslaught. The Legal team may oppose on account of the Copyrights and Patent issues, but may ultimately find some loophole and may agree to go forward. The Engineering team will be delighted as for them this is the easy way out, copying is easier and faster whereas finding solutions to a totally new concept has immense challenges. The Printers and suppliers have least of the worries as replication is far easier and there are no complexities to be overcome. The Packaging developers lose an opportunity for innovation but perhaps may agree as given the time pressures this may be the best alternative.

We need to take perhaps a more holistic and a broader view to such a strategy. Ultimately such an approach makes the Organization lose its appetite for Innovation, it makes the system blunt and lose its sharpness to come out with features which are the very first. It takes way the challenges that one can offer to the Talented people and makes them think of alternative roles and jobs. It makes competition laugh at you and take further pride in their own selves and achievement orientation . Infact even if the Competition may feel that they may not be able to justify their patent, they may still slap a legal case on you just to deflect and de-focus your attention.

And lastly what does it speak of your Brand to the Consumer- ' Me too '. We need to ask all those who support this strategy of quick and painless success , would you want your Brand to be 'Me too ', would you want the Consumer to think that your Brand is perhaps no different. If such a scenario emerges , does it justify the 'Cut Copy Paste ' packaging strategy. Does it justify the salaries that you pay to your Talented people, does it justify the ethics of Business and above all, does it justify the money that your consumer pays for your Brand.

Those who subscribe to such quick successes are perhaps having a very myopic view and lack a long term perspective, further they are believers in saying job done rather than taking pride in their own work and lastly they are not looking for investment in the brand or the consumer but in their own quick growth and meeting of objectives.

If you sincerely believe in Packaging Innovation and build up the Organization and your Brands on the strong foundation of Creativity then ask yourselves a hundred times what is better RE Create or Create, Re create now, or Create a little later, success immediate or success at the right time. The answer lies in creating an Organization and creating an environment that is futuristic and Innovations happen logically and in a planned manner, which not only delights your consumer but also leave Competition gasping for air.

I want a new supplier NOW !

The last thing that one must do is to go for a new Packaging Supplier right in the middle of a project or just when one is getting ready for the launch. Very often one starts with the Supplier fairly early in the day and involves them right through and through. However because of several unpredictable reasons the trials may fail and then unforeseen quality problems may emerge.It is at this time, frustration starts mounting up and one starts wondering if a new supplier should be got on board!

Truly speaking it maybe an easy decision to take to get a new supplier but an extremely difficult one to actually have him supply timely. More often than not, the new supplier may have the same issues and even if they do not have the same issues, they will need to be taken through the whole learning curve again and perhaps a lot more time maybe required to be spent. This may not only add up a lot of costs to your project but also, may be more at the terms of the Supplier, your need being more than theirs.

Perhaps the best option is to continue supporting the current supplier though it may seem painful and self defeating. However continue to support with a lot more inputs, much tighter watch on each step and perhaps a very very regular and continuous monitoring and communication. Get Specialist knowledge and support but try not to just give us till it becomes absolutely inevitable.

Yes, you may be told , Get a new supplier now! enough is enough, but exercise judgement, weigh all the pros and cons and then start scouting out for the new supplier.

Very often the time spent in getting this new supplier and developing him to reach the stage of bulk supplies may take time, costs and efforts , which if spent prudently on the current one may help you clinch the success you are looking for.

Design to Cost

The Packaging designers would like to believe that the creative exploration should be given liberal opportunity before the cost constraints are built in. This way innovation does not get inhibited and uncharted territories are explored.
We need to perhaps shift the paradigm and take up the creative challenge of developing Packaging designs to a specified cost. Here one is trying to say that the designs should be such that the cost of Packaging per piece does not go beyond a specified Budget. The fact is that it is possible and very often if the challenge is taken up the costs per piece has actually been decreased, while yet adding an overall value feel in the consumers eyes.
Hence, when we design a new Pack, structure or the graphics or redesign an existing Pack one very clear brief to the Designer could be that the cost additions would not be possible or even if possible it would be only within a specified limit.
The real tragedy happens when a whole lot of costs are added which ultimately the consumer does not even perceive or perhaps is neutral to. An addition of cost should be visible and the consumers should perceive an enhancement in imagery and ultimately in Sales.
Often certain features are tried to be built in which become more of a creative satisfaction for the Developers to achieve and demonstrate. We need to question this and in fact start looking at scenarios wherein there have been perhaps reduction in material weight, lowering of ink numbers, removal of complexity, ease of sourcing , easier usage and dispensing.
The answer lies in the Consumers eyes and the improved imagery ratings for the Brand. If the Packaging development team can rework a current design and make it look even better within the current costs they would perhaps be doing real value to not only to their Company but to the society at large.

The Death of Offset !

Some of the key printing processes have been existing for years , though evolving and continuously improving. Machines have been becoming speedier, with better controls on print quality and print registrations from colour to colour. The back end work and pre-press has been becoming high end and cutting down several in-between steps. The key printing process of Offset, Flexo and Gravure have also found their niches in the appropriate product categories and volume fits. Somewhere quietly the Digital printing has been progressing from one step to the other and gradually growing roots. The concept of straight computer to print today is fast gaining ground and getting ready to reposition some of the traditional processes.
Digital printing has some disadvantages, like the high costs, the inability to get metallic lustre and limitations on printing on some of the substrates. However , it has the distinct advantage of very fine half tones , quarter tones , speed and precision.
Digital can put an end to colour variations, mis-registrations and huge printing tolerances.
The Industry needs to work on primarily the costs aspect and this could perhaps ring the complete end to the traditional process like Offset. Offset process is riddled with the problems of colour variations, difficult process controls and fine precision. Given the positives that the Digital process have , perhaps the future in Packaging has got to be in the realm of Digital.
Given the disadvantage of the metallic inks , significant developments have been going on in the area and efforts have been on to overcome this issue. The success in the area of Chromolin proofing with fine metallic has perhaps some clues and some possibilities to offer.
The growing need for short term Packaging and quick changes in Graphics is perhaps fuelling Digital to grow from strength to strength and pave the way for a happier future for packaging.

The Brief has changed !

Yes we do hear this very often , specially from our Designers and Brand consultants, ' The brief has changed ' hence we will take ten weeks more and we will be sending in a fresh Estimate. This so called change of brief is how we see and interpret. Very often if your Brand designer wants to push in a design concept he/she may say that they have seen the Brief not as a water tight compartment but but taken some creative liberties, lets push the boundaries as Marketers. If you have had a rethink and want a slight relook, most often than not you may be told about the changed brief.

We need to examine asto why this happens, is it that your Designer is so completely exhausted with your iterations that he/she wants to call it a day, or is it that Designers believe that whatever they have given with their hard work and conceptual thinking, the client should take forward towards implementation.

I believe that never should we allow such a situation to arrive, try to be clear about the brief from the very beginning, plus also have a signed off agreement on how many iterations would be allowed in the development process. Right from the very beginning be clear on what you are shortlisting and why, never give any reason for your Designer to believe that the work is extraordinary whereas you may not be actually meaning it. Be sincere in your praise as well as criticism, incase you believe the proposed design is at best conceptually Ok but needs to be seen in its complete execution, please make that clear at each stage. Incase you believe that the work presented in not inline with the brief and the concept is fuzzy, please trash the work with politeness and leave no doubts that this round of work will not be counted as an iteration.

On the other hand if the Designer believes that the work done is meaningful and has high potential, please allow them to explain and the opportunity should be given. We should not let our position as a client come in the way of understanding the concept and making efforts to listen with utmost patience. Very often there could a great idea hidden and waiting to be discovered and perhaps needs to be talked over.

Bringing in clarity of communication between your Packaging designer and the the Client is the best way to avoid entanglements of the Changed brief. When faced with a design rejection resorting to the ' Changed brief ' is perhaps the easiest option but has the tremendous potential of spoiling a relationship and also a Creative idea.

On the GO! and Running

Up to sometime back we used to talk of ' On the Go ' packaging , but now things seem to be changing so fast, that the pack is virtually running. Yes, the ever so short of time Consumer has to virtually grab the Pack and run , run and run. Be it running to the Client , or for shopping , or to work , or to pick the kids from school or their weekend sports, packaging seems to be just running along.

A whole lot of Brands have realised this changing consumer pattern and have started building their packaging with serious inputs to face this new acceleration. Some of the key inputs have been the materials and substrates used, the opening and closing mechanisms, the ease of holding and dispensing and off course the ease of disposal. This change in packaging is not an easy overnight possibility, this has been visualised by keen Marketers and have ensured that their Packaging developers have risen up to such challenges.

A change in substrate to meet so many 'On the run' expectations may need years of scientific development ,innovation and development costs. A pack to withstand variations in temperatures, rough and quick usage may need to be worked upon with a serious plan of action and a high degree of involvement with the product developers.Very often to ensure that the pack is made with the 'On the run' possibility may need product changes and in fact sometimes altogether a new product development.

The fact is that this trend will continue as we move along to the next decades and this need will get further amplified. Packaging that wants to not only stay with times but also get ready for the future needs to tighten its belt and give a serious thought to this aspect of consumer behaviour. One aspect of changing consumer behaviour that will pose serious challenges to Packaging is ' No time '.

A lot of Companies have set in Packaging cells which are to focus only for the future, we need to have specific Budgets and plans to deal with this aspect of future, the starting point perhaps is an acute realisation and the emerging necessity. The fact is some have this realisation and some don't, those who have this realisation are the ones who will see themselves on the shelves in the future.

Limited Edition Packaging

A whole lot of Brands bring out Limited Edition packs and try to build excitement around their offers. Yes indeed packaging has been playing a forefront role in this area. A lot can be done and achieved in the market , provided one knows what exactly is the role one wants packaging to play.
This is one opportunity when one can do something different and try out of the blue formats. Here often, since the volumes are smaller one can look at hand packing , thus even complicated structures are not ruled out. One could look at spending a little more on the packaging and build in a lot of value added and unique features.
The question is, how often should one be doing these limited edition offers. We need to remember that consumers are attached to their regular looking Brand and too many of the limited editions perhaps create a dissonance in their shopping pattern. Too often, could also make a brand lose its identity and may be seen as frivolous.
The other major issue that needs to be addressed is the Theme or the Event that the Brand wants to tie in for these limited editions. Packaging can play a varied role depending upon the theme that it has to represent.
If the timing and the frequency is planned in advance, the packaging development can examine doing a very differentiated packaging, however very often with the paucity of time many Brands are pushing in not so unique offers , calling it Limited Editions. We need to remember such shortcuts could be seen as 'trying too hard' for a brand and it is better off not doing these interventions.
One could safely say, it is a great idea to do limited Edition packaging provided adequate care is taken that the purpose is meaningful and unquestionable. Lets do limited edition packaging only and only if we know the consumers will look for it and remember it.

Design Potential

There are certain Packaging designs which have this innate potential for value addition,they offer a tremendous scope to use various finishes, printing techniques , substrates, materials etc. to bring alive what got created on the computer. I refer to this as ' Design Potential '. However there are Designs which though may look beautiful on the screen but depend too much on such execution and finishes.

One needs to be vary of such designs which do not have 'Design potential' and consequently end up consuming in a huge amount of time and effort with no substantial results.

Very often marketers are are not able to assess this Design Potential , agree to take it forward and ultimately face huge disappointment. The fact is this disappointment is not only during the development stage but also with the consumer.

The Design potential needs to be assessed from all dimensions and possibilities. The design should not be heavily depending upon some printing execution, what if that execution does not happen. The design should be such that it is a great idea by itself and printing techniques should only be the icing on the cake. The design should be such that it does not depend upon a significant cost addition, what if this cost addition is not sanctioned. Often Designers base their designs on using expensive substrates, inks etc and if not agreed upon, resort to this as an excuse for a low potential design. The design should not be unduly dependent upon the top finishes e.g embossing, foiling, textures, etc. as very often these treatments do not come out very well or even if done well do not add do much to the design.

In case you have a design for which you wish to give 8 out of 10, go on subtracting 1 point each in case the design is too dependent upon some of the above. The figure arrived at would give you a measurable estimate of the Design potential. A design having potential of 5 or less is not worth considering taking forward.

Look for and assess this potential , consult experienced colleagues, specialists etc. and use them as sounding boards, they would give you the early warning signals!