Sense and Sensibility

Appreciation or critique of Packaging is almost like Music appreciation or understanding a painting of a renaissance artist in a museum or an apparel in a fashion show. How often we come across people who know so little about all this but who take extreme pride in demonstrating their aesthetic sense.

Understanding of Packaging is a fine blend of an aesthetic sense and a sensibility about what makes packaging beautiful.

To appreciate music we need not necessarily know music, in the same way to appreciate packaging we need not know materials, printing, brand management, moulding processes etc. This ability of appreciating packaging develops and grows as one keeps on consciously observing packaging and making a mental note of what is right or wrong about it. Designers and packaging specialists have this acumen, as they are involved with this medium with a certain amount of passion. Consumers appreciate it based on what is pleasing to their eye, suits their personality and works suitably in usage. Marketing Managers view it from the angle of what fits in best with their Brand and competitive strategy.

This is fine, as long the appreciation and critique is contextual, however issues start coming in when people use this as an opportunity to demonstrate their aesthetic sense and their knowledge of all things beautiful. We need to be wary of such observations, as very often they may not be true, honest and relevant. These observations tend to lead the Packaging into a wrong direction, often eliminating some very path breaking ideas. Such people often are not able to see meaning in ideas, which are unique and innovative, thus, often extinguish it by trivializing it or throwing it out of the window without giving any reasons.

Just like in any form of art, if we like or dislike, we substantiate it with a logical reason, in the case of packaging one should follow similar principles. If packaging has to move on into different dimensions and with time, we need more and more people who appreciate it with a sense and sensibility and discourage observations, which do not have a clear logic.

One way of doing this is to always ask the observer as to WHY he/ she likes or dislike a particular design or a Packaging idea and probe adequately before giving up. If the response to your WHY is satisfactory you should work with it, however if it is not, do not get discouraged and continue to pursue what you developed with your own deep rooted understanding.