do you ever wonder why some brands or products stand out more than others it's unlikely you're even aware of the science the constructs or package design Wizardry happening behind the scenes and why should you right we have better things to do with our time so as consumers we're just trying to determine what is right for me and that thing magically happening behind all the great Brands and their products you love well that's typically packaging architecture so in today's episode we like to share our Insight on how packaging architecture can be that game changer as it informs your actions When approaching that next packaging design project [Music] foreign [Music] welcome to another do good work I'm Erin Atchison the Creator director here at Farm design if you're anything like me I typically prefer simple things I don't like to over process and my attention span is not what it used to be therefore I like to make quick decisions especially when it comes to shopping as a creative director here at Farm we focus largely on consumer package Goods I have learned the key to strong branding and packaging design is empathy having this ability to empathize with how our consumers engage with our clients products and understanding their shopping habits we are able to create better Solutions and as it turns out studies show consumers too prefer it when things are simple when you have limited options to choose from the choice becomes simpler this phenomenon is known as the Paradox of choice the Paradox of choice suggests that having too many options requires more effort rather than making us happy and ensuring we get what we want it can cause us to feel stressed and leave us feeling a bit unsatisfied with their choice so this is where packaging architecture comes into play it has that ability when done right to create structure that can help deliver brand elements simply so let's break this down a bit before I explore graphic design and branding I actually studied architecture in college and all those late night hours toiling away in architecture Studio wasn't all lost in my career as the same architectural principles apply to package design one being form follows function similarly packaging architecture doesn't exist for its own sake if it isn't functional there's little reason for it aesthetically pleasing or not if we take a house as an example which has different rooms such as a living room a kitchen or a bedroom each has their own distinct function it's not mandatory but we like to think about packaging architecture in a similar way because the front-up packaging can get quite dense with information as we start to add brand elements along with product details it can get visually overwhelming without some kind of framework that's why similar to rooms in a house we like to organize this information into zones the brand Zone and a product Zone you'll start to see these zones with a lot of the brands we work with all in an effort to empathize with how consumers shop as they toggle between selecting by brand or by product without some version of this structure we often see designers being a bit willy-nilly with their approach putting content in random spots on the front of Packaging problem with this not having structure may end up with Spotty elements around the packaging also known as eye marks which if not managed well can complicate how a consumer can navigate the front of pack whereas organizing this information into zones creates the Simplicity and conventions that allow Shoppers to quickly scan for the information that is most important to them now that we have broken the packaging into zones we start to have some framework or architecture to guide the next steps from our experience strategizing what might be the best system for our clients isn't always an obvious right or wrong answer rather what is right for them considering their Brand's current life stage and its future goals so let's take a look at three of the most common architectural systems and understand the pros and cons for each to determine what might be the best for your packaging system the three most common architectural systems for cpg that we'll be talking about today fall within a spectrum they're as Falls monolithic hybrid and Custom let's start on one end of the spectrum and that is monolithic [Music] you've certainly seen this before and it is common with many Brands both large and small typically has a more sort of rigid set of rules coupled with a set of visual Elements which creates a perception of consistency for consumers by having this consistency it greatly improves the consumer's ability to recall a brand in its products especially if it has multiple products across various categories from product to product nothing really changes across either the brand zone or the product Zone except what's necessary for the consumer to navigate the category the pros for the system are it builds strong brand recognition as this consistency becomes easier to identify for consumers it also creates ease of shopping for when a brand has multiple products across various categories it's simple to execute a branding agency can hand off layouts assets along with guidelines for an internal team to then manage as product and production needs arise but also does come with some cons the cons are the system doesn't Flex enough for significant Innovation as monolithic typically lacks the ability to create enough uniqueness for different product types within its own portfolio subsequently this makes it harder for consumers to know if a product is speaking to them it can also be difficult for consumers to navigate when you add varieties that are similar to one another the Shopper will then have to pick the product up on the shelf and read the copy or detect the minute differences and as we know consumers read last now let's jump over to the other end of the spectrum where the system is less encumbered by visual rules and a bit more bespoke we like to call this system custom [Music] unlike monolithic custom has far more range in how you can treat the brand Zone and the product Zone it incorporates a master brand with a set of design standards for each subsequent category it may be less visibly obvious to a consumer but having standards is still key for brand building as an example intentionally keeping the logo Mark or logo type one-thirds from the top of the packaging maybe just enough for a consistent brand eye Mark when scanning a shelf set or mandating a distinct brand color block that also occupies a certain percentage of the front of pack may be just enough for brand cohesion it can vary for each brand but design logic is still necessary the small Brands benefit from Custom as it provides the flexibility to be nimble and bold with their efforts also increasing their ability to dial in that emotional story for each consumer type whereas larger brands that are well established and widely recognized can leverage their brand Equity to increase their packaging range Pros for the system are you've got stronger visual cues that enable product line to shine as it Taps into more emotion with targeted consumers in mind we saw this being very effective for when we initially built out the caliphia packaging lineup as it spanned across different categories from a pure and familiar look for its almond milk products to their coffee lineup that wanted to be bold with distinct flavor profiles the other Pro is it's more versatile when confronted with line extensions and product Innovations come on who doesn't like options it also allows for a brand to feel less corporate and less like a big box brand which is important for many consumers looking for a product that feels tailored for their specific wants and needs the cons are it can be harder to manage as it may require a centralized Visionary with the design shops to Shepherd this approach it's harder to shop by brand as consistency is less of a focus and therefore managing the subtleties in each Zone becomes more challenging when trying to maintain brand nuances and lastly we have a system that captures The Best of Both Worlds we just discussed it is somewhere in the middle of the spectrum and that is the hybrid system the system relies on a fairly standardized architecture by category but allows for modification to meet category conventions within a group of products this hybrid option is seen largely for brands that cross multiple product category lines but still wants to build that sort of strong brand Recology tension amongst its consumers I like this system a lot as it works incredibly well for predominantly larger brands with a robust portfolio the perfect example is our relationship with calafia as their Brand's life stage matured in its portfolio of products continue to grow we strategically shifted away from a custom system into this hybrid architecture system because it fit better with its future goals as we could tap into this system's strengths the pros for the system are builds a strong brand presence whilst having sort of flexibility to tell a distinct product story made for future proof in a Brand's portfolio as this system has enough sort of creative wiggle room to expand product Innovation and the changing landscape of consumers needs however the system can be a double-edged sword the cons for this it can be harder to maintain the design quality Integrity across all the Brand's offerings this can be mitigated by having a strong Visionary for the brand you can also look and feel too corporate of the standardization of the brand gets too rigid so we talked about a lot in this episode and got into a little of the voodoo that makes so many cpg Brands so successful if we boil it down all this effort and strategic thinking around packaging architecture is designed to do one thing well and that is to make things simple and by simplifying the shopping experience it will inherently make a consumer happier which can lead to building those strong consumer brand bonds and from my experience working in the cpg space the best brand of product doesn't always win it's the one that communicates the clearest so hope you can add this knowledge to your creative Arsenal so you can just slay that next packaging project and remember life is better when you do good work