Late last year I spent some time working on a short film called The Return with longtime friend, educator, musician and film director Matt Bilen.I worked on lighting for this film. Here is the trailer. Please check out my lighting and photography at www.kscottphoto.com
Graphics and illustration are not the only weapons in your packaging
design arsenal. Here are some inventive ways designers have added
photography to the mix.
If you look at the most creative packaging on retail shelves today,
it's usually graphics-led. When photography is used, it's usually
standard product or lifestyle shots that add little visual flair to a
design.
But for precisely that reason, photography can be a great
weapon in your armory for getting your packaging designs noticed. In
this post, we share 10 examples where designers have gone the extra
mile, and combined photography with clever design to create something
special.
01. Sprout baby food
This clever baby food packaging uses a gardening theme emphasise the product's freshnessThe
baby food market is a crowded and competitive one, so creating a
packaging design that will really stands out is a tall order. But that's
exactly what London agency Springetts Design Consultants
achieved with this design for Sprout, a fresh, chilled range of
part-prepared baby food that allows parents to make their 'own' baby
food easily and quickly. The freshness of the food is conveyed
brilliantly with this gardening-inspired design, which won in the
Packaging Design category of the A'Design Awards 2013.
02. Petrocoll putty
With this dramatic packaging, construction workers will be putting in Petrocoll's handsIt's
not often you see a multi-award-winning packaging design for spatula
putty. But times change and even construction workers want to be
marketed to these days, it seems. Greek agency Mouse Graphics
describe these photography-led designs as a "friendly wink" to that
constituency, with each image relating the product characteristic (the
degree of putty overlap) with the respective garment. It's an eccentric
but effective response to the original brief from Petrocoll, which
apparently was a simple: "We need a new pack for our products".
03. Matsu organic wine
This photography-themed packaging stresses the people-centric focus of the brandSpanish graphic design studio Moruba
created this arresting packaging for Matsu, an organic winery from the
Toro region. It's squarely aimed at conveying the people-centric
philosophy of the company, which aims to create a sustainable, high
quality viticulture. The designs represent Matsu's wine trilogy of El
Pícaro, El Recio and El Viejo, using portraits showing three generations
who've devoted their lives to the field. Shot by photographers Bèla
Adler and Salvador Fresneda, each of these three personalities embodies
the characteristics of the wine that gets its name.
04. Coco Juice
These impactful designs are bubbling with lifeBrazilian
company Coco Juice claims to have perfected a revolutionary new way of
extracting coconut juice so that it can be packaged for the mass market
in a way that's healthier and travels better. Award-winning brand and
packaging design agency Blue Marlin
created this evocative packaging for the brand, using effervescent
imagery that instantly conveys the nutritional and taste benefits of
this premium soft drink.
05. '1300 on Filmore' speciality foods
Landor brings the chef right into the packaging for his high-end food rangeWhen renowned San Francisco restaurant 1300 on Fillmore launched a speciality foods range, it brought in global branding agency Landor
to design the high-end packaging. They in turn brought chef David
Lawrence, co-owner of the restaurant, to the fore in these classy
photography-led designs. The monochrome images put a focus on the
artisanal nature of his craft, and pay homage to where it all happens.
This beautiful packaging shows how powerful photography can be in
conveying a sensual experience.
06. Innocent Drinks smoothies
Innocent combines simple photography and graphics to great effectLaunched
in 1998, Innocent Drinks has become a byword for branding excellence,
and this range of 'not-from-concentrate' juices is no exception.
Designed by packaging agency Family (and friends), with graphics developed by B&B Studios,
the designs combine photography, cartoonish doodles and distinctive
typography with artful humour, imbuing the brand with a sense of both
healthiness and fun.
07. Sigtuna beer
Sigtuna stepped up its brand values with these photo-led packaging designsSigtuna
is a micro brewery in the city of Sigtuna, near Stockholm, that had won
numerous awards for its beer. But it was having trouble getting sold in
restaurants because of its amateur packaging. These cool,
photography-based label designs were created by Swedish agency Morkmen Reklambyra
to highlight the products' premium image, and they worked a treat.
Sigtuna's beer is now sold in Sweden's finest restaurants as well as
Systembolaget, the only retail chain allowed to sell alcohol in the
country.
08. Darling Spuds potato chips
This hand-cooked snack packaging brings the main ingredient front and centreThe
potato chips market is nothing if not overcrowded, so it takes a lot to
stand out on the supermarket shelf. Graphic design consultancy Davies Leslie Smith
was commissioned by Salty Dog Brands to design the packaging for its
new range of hand-cooked, gluten-free crisps, and they came up trumps
with these ultra-clean designs. The unusual combination of a single
photograph of a potato with fun graphical elements really catches the
eye, and clearly conveys the natural goodness of the product inside.
09. Petcurean pet food
There's a sense of verve and energy to this arty pet food designThis
pet food range combines arty, monochrome photography and bold use of
typography to make a serious impact. It was designed by Canadian agency Subplot
for Petcurean Pet Nutrition, a company aiming to produce pet food that,
in nutrition and taste, replicates what families enjoy at home every
day. The confident design gives this unique company a unique visual
presence on the shelves.
10. Hatziyiannakis Pebbles
Photography helps these Greek sweets look extra-appetisingHatziyiannakis
Pebbles are Greek sweets that look like pebbles. As the saying goes,
"The first bite is with the eye", so it was crucial that Mouse Graphics'
packaging was as visually enticing as the product itself. These
beautiful designs, using sensual photography to show the sumptuous
insides, does the job perfectly.
Tom May is a freelance writer and editor
specialising in design and technology. He was previously associate
editor at Creative Bloq and deputy editor at net magazine, the world’s
best-selling magazine for web designers. Over two decades in journalism
he’s worked for a wide range of mainstream titles including The Sun,
Radio Times, NME, Heat, Company and Bella. Follow him on Twitter @tom_may.
For Chicago advertising photography, check out my work at www.kscottphoto.com
