Packaging Trends Across the Board

Andrea Praet says the new direction for packaging reflects the shift in consumers who are making careful decisions as they seek a connection to their purchases.

WRITTEN BY: Andrea Praet, Trend Director, StyleSight, New York Office

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Andrea Praet has been in the fashion industry for over six years, having previously worked as a trend consultant with expertise in women’s and men’s fashion, health, beauty and lingerie. She has worked as an adjunct professor at the Laboratory Institute of Merchandising (LIM College) in New York, and is well known for her dynamic and insightful presentations. Prior to working in fashion, Andrea worked in product development for fragrance and beauty companies.

When it comes to shopping habits, frugality certainly appears to be the new black. Even while the economy slowly begins to mend itself, savvy shopping remains an integral part of the new consumer psyche. The ostentatious days of flaunting the latest “it” bag and zealous spending seem passé. Consumers now desire a more personal and humble way of living, where quality and value are sought out and products with long-lasting appeal top our newly edited list of wants.

The packaging industry is finding success in appealing to this new breed of “frugal-consumer.” Clean and basic messages convey an image that is simple, unpretentious and honest. Hair care brand Living Proof uses sober, understated packaging to stand out in the beauty aisle. Help Remedies relies on light humor to take the seriousness out of medicinal products, while their straightforward packaging makes it easy to identify the cure for a number of ailments.

The food and beverage industry has also begun incorporating no-nonsense, pretentious-free messages into their labels, utilizing more witty copy and clean designs. Brooklyn Fare pokes fun at larger corporations that give fancy names to coffee sizes like tall and grande, by simply saying, “It’s a small, not a tall,” on their to-go cups. Designer Caroline Gilroy created Vee-Noh, a cheeky solution to the constant mispronunciation of wines, where each label phonetically spells out the name of the wine. Swell Smoothie uses realistic images of fruit to clearly display the benefits of the ingredients and nutrients in the product.

This new direction for packaging is refreshing, and reflects the shift in consumers who are making careful decisions as they seek a genuine and simplified connection to their purchases.

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