The Design that ' Never Happened '

Based on a comprehensive brief and armed with all the Consumer insights, what the Packaging Designer creates both in terms of the Structure and the label graphics has to undergo a series of tests and trials before the Consumer even gets to see it. In the process of passing through, so many gateways , very often the design loses its complete character and in fact its original meaning.
The Designer thus has to be possessing the kind of visualisation that he/ she can see through these tests and build the design accordingly. Thus developing Designs purely for a glamorous presentation is likely to have serious roadblocks in the development process. Designs should thus be worked out keeping a very acute eye on the implementation and down the line processes. let us all answer the question on how will a design look in its real life and not just get carried away by the presentation or the Presenter's skills or the name.
This skill of seeing through is rare and very often , while we claim we all have it, it is only a few who can actually visualise the design end to end. A large experience of materials and printing skills often helps the Designer in visualizing as to what would come out well in the developed form. Or a team with multiple core skills can compliment each other and work out creative ideas which looks as well on the computer , as in the hands of the consumer.
So often, we realise that the design that one had actually intended for did not happen, or we may say, yes! we got it just right. but in our hearts we know, that we got it right but remotely connected to what one had started with.
The skill lies in letting a team of packaging specialist work , who have core competencies in the various areas of Packaging and who contribute meaningfully in each step of the development process. A creative development process is a highly sensitive one, if led by unidirectional Consumer needs it is likely to be a success but if led by any other objectives, it is definitely going to be a Packaging design that will get conceptualised but would ' never happen ' or be a real ' happening one '.