DESIGN FOCUS
Meet the panel...
NEIL FARMER MD, NEIL FARMER ASSOCIATES
Our forever faithful columnist Neil is managing director of Neil Farmer Associates. He has been a
professional within the packaging industry for over 30 years and holds a wealth of knowledge garnered over those years. He is also a fellow of the Institute of Packaging.
STEPHEN
WILKINS CEO, CHILD-SAFE PACKAGING GROUP
Stephen is chief executive of the Child- Safe Packaging Group, and has been since its
formation in 1995. He is a Chartered Scientist, a Chartered Environmentalist and a Fellow of both the Institute of Materials Minerals and Mining and the Royal Society of Arts.
ANNE & HENRY EMBLEM FELLOWS OF THE INSTITUTE OF PACKAGING
Anne & Henry Emblem have many years of experience in the industry, across the packaging manufacture, packer/filler and retailer sectors. They are both Fellows of the Institute of Packaging and the authors of several texts, including Fundamentals of Packaging Technologyand Packaging Materials and Processes.
the vegetarian logo and the best before date. Both long sides have a white box printed with the M savers logo and ’12 Fairy Cakes’ – which will be easily visible when the packs are stacked on shelf. The full nutritional details are printed on the back of the pack, along with legally-required information such as ingredients and allergy advice. This is clear and easy to read, printed in grey on a white background. There is also some recycling information and the Morrison’s helpline contact details. SW: The graphics are young and friendly, almost babyish I would say.
Q
Do the graphics/lettering /images serve the product well in making it
different enough (USP)? NF: Oh yes. From their appearance you are in no doubt that these are products which should save you money. To prove the point, the marmalade pack retailed at 27p in the store I visited. AHE: Yes, they clearly show what the
Q
What graphics/lettering/images are used?
NF: Their graphics, lettering and imagery are very much of the strong, bold and simple kind. AHE: The film wrap is partly transparent and
and partly opaque to give a solid white background for the pink fairy cake illustration. The Morrisons’s logo for this range – M savers – is in a soft grey against the white background. Information copy on the front, also in grey, provides a clear summary of the calories, sugar etc. for one cake, and includes
product is – and what you can do with it. The split of clear and opaque film on the front surface is cleverly done. The clear section shows the cakes off well; they not only look appetising, but have the slight irregularities associated with homemade cakes, e.g. they are not perfectly shaped and there’s evidence of the occasional drop of cake mixture having hit the side of the paper case, instead of all being uniformly placed. This, we feel, is the USP – homemade cakes with minimal effort. SW: Oh yes, they are absolutely right; a yellow bath-time duck with ‘Baby Bath’ in reverse out. Topped by ‘M-Savers’, in no nonsense black logo style. They work. And they work well in differentiation.
Q
What closures/wrappings/ dispensers have been used and
how do these affect the functionality of the packaging? NF: The jams and marmalades are in glass
jars with lug-cap closures and push-button
tamper evidence feature. The centre of the cap pops-up when the original seal is first opened and the vacuum is released. AHE: The cakes are in their greaseproof paper baking cases and each one is placed in a suitably-sized recess in a thermoformed PET tray, which in turn is flow-wrapped in polypropylene film, sealed along the back and at the two short sides. The tray separates the cakes from one another and provides protection against physical damage in transit. As well as proving containment, the PP film provides a moisture and oxygen barrier, as well as an odour barrier – it is only when you open the pack that you can smell the cakes, so clearly the odour barrier is very effective. SW: On the bubble bath bottle, a round cylindrical 500ml HDPE bottle is used with a 28mm PP flip top closure, which in theory, is ridiculously functional.
Q
Is the packaging easy to use or does it hinder the availability or
usability of the product? NF: Actually, the audible click tamper-
evidence system is one of the best. This is a proven system which has served the industry well for many years. The pack also has great merit in being recyclable , both for the glass jar and the steel closure, something which is clearly stated on the jar label and on the closure itself. The cap is easy to remove and reclose and the glass jar performs its solid reliable function, as glass jars normally do. AHE: The fin seals at the two short ends of the flow wrap are easy to grasp and peel apart, making it a simple task to pull out the tray of cakes. The cakes could be left in the tray when icing them, or even when serving them; the design of the recesses makes it easy to take out one cake, especially by children, and the pack would be perfectly acceptable on the tea table, i.e. it looks good and saves on the washing up. SW: Look closely at the bubble bath and you can see that this packaging is cheap. The
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