Packaging Europe

Jonathan Ford, Creative Partner at Pearlfisher – a London and New York future focused design consultancy – shares his insights.

The pharma sector has long been accused of being samey and formulaic and not as consumer friendly as other sectors. But, more recently, with a greater POM to P ratio, and an overarching trend for lifestyle branding, the OTC sector has been trying to better tap into the consumer by moving the focus from highly functional design and messaging to highlighting the end benefits. In addition, we are living in uncertain times and are more fearful for our health with, for example, the resurgent threat of a swine flu pandemic. As a result, we are seeing a category compounded by a conflicting story: a need to create difference and connect with the consumer by presenting a more humanised and less scientific approach alongside a need to potentially retain or reintroduce more clinical and hard-hitting messaging.

The personal care offensive

The personal care category has been stealthily encroaching on the pharma territory and nowhere is this more obvious than with antibacterial – and now anti-viral – hand wipes and gels. Whilst we might appreciate that we can now purchase the ‘hospital disinfectant of choice’ with, for example, Spirigel Alcohol Hand Gel, the very clinical packaging is aesthetically quite offensive and intimidating purely because it is so informative and function driven. And this is where the high street personal care brand names e.g. Milton Complete Protection Antibacterial Hand Gel are stealing the march by using the names as clear descriptors and providing an attractive and efficacious offer by adding simple and clean graphic devices such as virus busting – ‘effective against Swine Flu H1N1 Virus’ - stamps and flashes to their existing packaging.

And, structurally, whilst we still want pocket/bag sizes, we are seeing squeezy nozzles being replaced by pump mechanisms as a way of providing a controlled and measured does that does not expose the product to the air and sources of cross-contamination.

A sweeter pill

Our 24/7 society and lifestyle demands a functional convenience and structural innovation has not disappointed: from portable hand gel pumps to pocket blister packs for pain relief to single dose medicine sachets for children... But the graphic execution – and the emotional connection this engenders within the consumer - has become even more important as these brands are brought out of the bathroom cabinet and into the public arena with the brand in the hand saying a great deal about who and what we are.

Condoms are no longer seen as just a pharmacy purchase and the ‘safe sex’ message has positioned them as a personal care accessory for men and women alike. Elmwood’s redesign of Durex was about subtly softening and warming the imagery used to communicate ‘sexual wellbeing’, confidence, choice and freedom to a unisex audience rather than just having a traditional masculine and functional association.

But, in some cases, the visual messaging is too blatant and has gone too far. Not only is Bassetts known as a confectionery manufacturer but their ‘Soft and Chewy’ vitamins for the 3+ age range look like fruit pastilles and the packaging uses a child-friendly – and maybe dangerously attractive looking – ‘jelly baby’ character.

Essentially, we want all brands to fit into – and meet the needs of - our individual and personal lives but its not about such indulgent and stereotypical visual messaging but about creating a more fluid and flowing aesthetic that still offers product and values but builds these through a simpler and more unique design approach.

Effective product, effective design

Help Remedies (soon to launch) may be one of the first pharma brands to truly challenge this sector and move us from the pain to the gain. Help has stripped right back. The uniform white paper pulp based packs are boldly and simply differentiated with primary colour coding and one simple but forthright ‘I have a …’ strapline. The embossed shape of the product is not necessarily for a visually impaired audience but another clever tactile and visual reinforcement of what the product is and what it is for. The overtly chatty and ‘matey’ tone of voice - particularly with inside pack copy - may be a step too far but is undoubtedly a refreshing breakthrough for this sector.

It’s not just about being functional and convenient but being aesthetically pleasing and emotionally connected. It’s about finding the balance and using design to impart selected information in a defined but personable way. This sector, despite its best efforts has, to a large extent, remained fairly static in its look and feel. But the climate dictates that there is no status quo and so now is absolutely the right time for true innovation to be acceptable and for pharma to embrace and own a new visual rhetoric – a new creative era for pharma design.

Marden Edwards

The global supplier of
wrapping and overwrapping
machinery for all your film packaging requirements

Events Diary