Packaging Insights: Potential Benefits of 'Special Effects'

"Special effects" on packaging can be costly but deliver a high-impact visual statement. Usually, they are a limited-time technique that supports a product introduction or a special promotion. The costs for these techniques have come down in some cases, and their ability to drive sales has been proven. As a result, some previous special effects are becoming mainstream decorating techniques. In some cases, they've become such a significant part of a brand identity that they must become permanent packaging components because of the connection consumers make between the visual effect and the brand image. Pearlescent pigments, for one, increasingly fall into this category.The principal special effects used in packaging are: Embossing and debossingHologramsMetallized paperLenticular lensesPearlescent pigmentsIridescent pigmentsThe following is an outline of those special effects and their uses in packaging: Embossing and DebossingEmbossing involves raising the surface of the packaging material in specific areas; debossing involves lowering the surface. The most common examples are found on paperboard cartons, where logos are commonly embossed or debossed to deliver a premium feel.One of the more interesting examples of embossing is the packaging for garden products from Miracle-Gro. Produced by the Scotts Co., the brand includes specialized plant foods in paperboard cartons. Packaging strategy follows the axiom, "sell the sizzle," and each carton features a photo of a bouquet of blooms or vegetables that the plant food helps to grow. The graphics are high-impact, printed on plastic film that is laminated to the paperboard containers. Scotts takes the process one step further by embossing the paperboard under the graphics in the same shape as the plants. The result is that the bouquet takes on a 3-D look that further emphasizes the "sizzle" of the product. The embossing also adds more angles that reflect additional light off the glossy film surface, helping to catch the eye of shoppers.TrimSpa International employed embossing in an unusual way for its TrimSpa brand diet supplements. The company sells the supplements through grocery, drug and specialty channels. It chose a shaped metal can as its primary package to differentiate the brand on shelves, and opted to emboss its logo on the cap that seals the can. The reason was twofold: First, it provided an upscale image to a product that retails for more than $30 per package. Second, it deters counterfeiters: The embossed cap is more difficult to produce than a simple cap, and therefore "raises the ante" for anyone looking at counterfeiting the brand.HologramsThe effectiveness of holograms has grown as designers have learned how to use them to gain attention and reinforce brand messages. They no longer are just a glitzy addition to package graphics that deliver shelf impact but detract from the brand's general quality image. Increasingly, they are well integrated into the package's overall graphics. Holograms are available as labels, as a lamination that covers the entire surface of a carton, or as a hot-stamped image. A hologram's size can be as small as a one-half-inch by one-half-inch, or as large as the entire area of a folding carton. Holograms fall into two broad categories: stock pattern or custom hologram.Stock patterns are the mainstay of packaging holograms. Think of toothpaste packaging to envision the widest use of holographic patterns. The visual effect catches the shopper's eye, attracting her to the product category. But the holograms are a powerful tool in this category, because they present a visual representation of "clean" and "shiny," which is exactly what shoppers want toothpaste to make their teeth. Thus, the visual image reinforces critical product attributes. L'Oreal uses a hot-stamped hologram in a stock pattern on hair-coloring products. The goal is not so much to increase shelf impact but to accomplish the critical task of differentiating among the line's colors. Across a range of consumer brands today, a leading consumer complaint is that they cannot easily spot the particular version, color or flavor they want among the vast number of choices presented to them. L'Oreal responds to this need with a spot, hot-stamped hologram on the package's primary display panel. The hologram, again, is a simple rainbow pattern; set against the high-quality color photography used elsewhere on the cartons, it provides a contrasting background to deliver the key information about color. Custom holograms are a more expensive proposition. They are specially created to project a specific pattern. For example, when Hasbro introduced the DVD version of its Trivial Pursuit game, it opted for a hologram that created a life-like image of a DVD on the carton in order to gain high impact in a highly visual category.A more unusual use of custom holograms is found on shippers for fresh fish from the Honolulu Fish Co. The shippers are used to establish brand identity while keeping fish fresh while being airfreighted from Hawaii to the mainland. But in an unusual packaging technique, these corrugated shippers have a holographic paper laminated to the outside. This custom pattern, which features the company's logo along with a repeating pattern depicting varieties of fish, reinforces brand identity and even helps preserve the product: the hologram reflects as much as 98% of the sunlight that hits the boxes during transport. Integrating Holograms into Print GraphicsEffective use of holograms requires that they align with marketing objectives for positioning the product and supporting its image. A good rule of thumb is to avoid a "bumper sticker" look.Here is a checklist to help make sure that happens:Look for a subtle hologram. If a pattern uses shapes to dazzle the eye, the package -- and product -- may be perceived as cheap. Rely on graphic tactics that enhance. Opaque inks can "dampen" a hologram's intensity by blocking out the pattern on a portion of the package. Transparent inks can modify the hologram by letting it show through but adding different colors. Customize holograms to support the brand's identity. For a brand portfolio, a customized hologram can become the packaging background for an entire product line. Then, overprinting can create distinct variations within the line. Metallized PaperMetallized paper is a less costly technique that also heightens visual impact. It is created by taking packaging paper and running it through a machine that deposits a micro-thin layer of aluminum on the surface. The degree of shine depends on the smoothness of the paper's surface. Applications have included labels on beer bottles, cosmetics and personal care products. Metallized paper delivers shelf impact and also can project a quality image with the right graphic treatment to complement the shiny surface. The use of metallized paper also underscores the need to look at packaging across an entire category to accurately evaluate shelf impact and cost-effectiveness. Lever 2000 soap uses a metallized paper on cartons holding bars; a pattern printed on the paper's surface adds visual variety and tones down the stark impact of the metallized surface. The special effect creates a package that quickly and effectively differentiates the product in a category for which the costs of a hologram would be unnecessary (at least for the time being).Lenticular lensesLenticular lenses also add depth to packaging. They can create an effective sense of motion, 3-D or entertainment (via alternating images), although their cost limits their use. Applications have included 3-D cards on cereal boxes. The effect has been used on packaging for home videos and health and beauty products. Often, the card is deployed as much as a promotional collectible as it is part of the packaging, and therefore enhances the value of the package/product combination.Although lenticular lenses date back to the 1930s, the improved quality of the lenses and printing today produce a better look, allowing them to project quality along with the visual effect. Leading marketers such as Johnson & Johnson have used them in packages for products such as hand washes. Their use as labels depends on how thick the lens is. At thicknesses down to eight one-thousandths of an inch, the lenses can be bent to conform to the contours of bottles. Searching the Internet for "lenticular packaging" should identify web sites containing representative graphics and details on the technique. Pearlescent pigmentsUse of this technique has grown so significantly that it probably can be considered a mainstream decorating technique rather than a "special" effect. But it is worth mentioning because of the visual impact it creates. Pearlescence creates a shimmer of light and a depth that adds visual impact and quality. This is accomplished by the addition of small particles of mica to plastic used to make containers or plastic film used for labels or tubes. The ratio of mica to plastic determines the intensity and, also, the cost. The criteria, therefore, is to find an acceptable balance between effect and expense.Product categories using the technique include personal care products and household cleaners. Specific examples include Wisk laundry detergent from Unilever, which uses a blue pearlescent finish on a plastic jugs to connote a premium product. The use of blue as the background color also differentiates Wisk in a category dominated by reds and oranges. Another example is Ivory dishwashing detergent, for which the "pearl" effect helps the brand stand out from competitors on shelves. The product category is dominated by clear PET bottles that allow the color of the product to show through and dominate the visual effect. However, Ivory is a clear liquid, and the pearlescent pigment in the bottle creates an effect that quickly communicates its attributes to shoppers. Iridescent filmHere's a technique that is infrequently used in packaged goods but is evident at high-end retail stores, where paper-thin sheets of the translucent film are used as tissue paper for boxing premium items. The visual effect is a shimmer of color ranging from blue to red caused by the refraction of light within the multiple layers that make up the film.The technique is being deployed in personal care and beauty products, where the visual effect can complement a product's own character. One recent example is bath oil imported from the U.K. The primary package is a glass bottle, and shreds of iridescent film float within the bath oil inside. On store shelves, that created a light shimmer that gains attention.

Packaging Insights: Potential Benefits of 'Special Effects'

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