11.01.07
Set the Right Tone
The art of storytelling in cosmetic packaging design.
By Jonathan Ford
Storytelling is a timeless art and a powerful way of connecting with people. More than ever, beauty brand owners view their packaging as a great platform from which to tell their story. But not all stories are compelling. Some are tedious, unbelievable or just irrelevant.
Indeed, in beauty packaging design, there is a danger of storytelling becoming one-dimensional, limited to a series of charming but rather predictable anecdotes. Sometimes the story tries to say too much, losing interest and clarity. Or worse still, the story becomes someone else’s story, lifted from another brand.
Yet packaging design has the power to tell a story that is so much more evocative. I remember when Philosophy was launched over a decade ago and how fresh it looked then compared to all the other oh-so serious brands. Its fresh observations about well-being, products, life and charity just fit together so well and naturally. I’m not surprised they came from the founder’s heart, and defined true brand personality.
Innocent is a UK smoothie brand that has had a global impact on brands in all categories because it tells a very original story in a fresh, distinctive and resonant tone of voice. So much so that just like after Philosophy was launched, it spawned a generation of Innocent wannabees who have tried to adopt the Innocent tone of voice as their own. And there are no geographical boundaries – Do Bem in Brazil and Nudie in Australia both have more than a passing resemblance to Innocent.
But the moment you adopt someone else’s story, you weaken your own. You lose authenticity and credibility. At the heart of a compelling story is a universal truth, and all brand stories should focus on their fundamental truth. Otherwise the story simply becomes at best an entertaining distraction.
Always an original in the beauty world, Marcia Kilgore, the founder and creative visionary behind the spa company Bliss, has created Soap and Glory, a lovable yet luxurious range of products to encourage women to enjoy their beauty regime. Rather than concentrate on the serious matters of wrinkles and stretch marks, Soap and Glory dares to relax with a little more fun and create feelings of light relief and positive energy. Bringing spa products and humorously designed packaging to a wider audience, the range offers a break from reality and a touch of self-indulgence.
There are many ways to tell a story. And the best way will be your way. Humorous and anecdotal may be right for one brand, factual and informative may be right for another and symbolic and suggestive for the next. Yet whole categories can become seduced and blinkered by a certain genre – whiskies love the anecdote of history, perfumes love the rhythm of poetry and skin care loves the authority of science.
Memorable brand stories are the ones that are able to break out of the category style. But more than that, they are able to develop an overall narrative across everything they do. This results in a story that’s not just about words or tone of voice, but is able to tell a much more holistic and coherent story.
Words are an increasing part of, and in my view, integral to packaging design – yet at the same time, stories are not just about words. This is why at Pearlfisher we have a “Head of Dialogue” and not a copywriter as such. It is their role to work with the brand owners, our strategists and designers to make sure that what others call “tone of voice” is transformed into the idea of dialogue between consumer and brand. Ultimately, this is the best connection with people, where brands speak and consumers speak back by empathizing with the brand and carrying on the message by word of mouth to their social groups.
It’s a mistake to see the brand story as the back label copy – or even the front label copy. The whole pack tells a whole story – and as such, draws on the full palette of graphics, typography, words, materials, shape and texture to bring that story to life in a desirable way.
This may seem rather obvious – but if it is so obvious, then why don’t more brands do it?
