Free brand managers for design to flourish

It has become increasingly difficult to sound positive and constructive about a part of the design industry that now has some serious issues.

Put simply, packaging design needs a new direction. The market is filled with practitioners performing work that is just good enough to impress undemanding clients, but no better. Diligent designers who take pride in challenging preconceptions and create good packaging design are few and far between. That is not the way things should be. If the industry as a whole were given a school report, it would be told could try harder.

It has been said that clients get the designers they deserve. Behind a truly smart design there is often a smart client, one who knows what is really needed for their brand. These clients take time to find the right designers for a job.

So clients must take responsibility. They should challenge agencies about their creative processes. An economic downturn can make managers, already fearful for their jobs, understandably less brave at taking risks.

The paradox is that in a downturn they really need to be braver than ever. But before we pass the buck to clients, it has to be recognised that they themselves are often wearing a straitjacket foisted on them by the practices of big business.

The corporate roster system, whereby a brand manager must choose from a pre-selected list of approved agencies, cements this lack of real objectivity by agencies. It rewards design agencies  for fitting in, and for meeting narrow ideas of what is right in terms of creativity. But packaging designers should always challenge orthodox thought.

The packaging of a product is the final touchpoint for a shopper, a final opportunity to seduce the shopper before they place the product in their basket. It can make or break a sale. Good packaging design is a vitally important part of a product’s communication arsenal. So how can it ever be left to a company that has not got under the skin of a shopper and researched fully what they want and need?

By their nature, big companies attempt to regulate things. Establishing a roster of design groups ensures a degree of consistency and a safety net for clients. It takes a leap of faith for brand managers to demand more. But given the freedom to challenge wisdom of their senior management,they could achieve far greater sales.

Unfortunately, getting access to brand managers is becoming increasingly difficult. The crux of the matter is that brand managers are the one link in the chain able to drive change. It is not their fault that company structures restrict their choice of design agency.But they stand to benefit the most from a move away from the status quo.

Stuart Lewin is creative director at marketing, packaging and brand consultancy Vivid Brand. Contact him at Stu@vividbrand.com

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