As a brand and packaging design agency that focusses on innovation, Hurricane are increasingly approached by companies to help develop the next generation of packaging for their products.
The buzz word we hear a lot is ‘design for sustainability’. This isn’t a new thing but it’s great that it has become a ‘must’ rather than a ‘nice to have’ in design briefs.
The projects we help develop allow us to gain insights into the category. Here are some of those observations and learnings that help drive innovation and design for a more sustainable future here at Hurricane.
Observe, Understand & Identify… Collect as much information as you can about how things are currently done and identify the areas of opportunity.
Marginal Gains… Look at what you have and how you can change it for the better. Small changes can make big improvements. You don’t necessarily have to start from scratch, just evaluate your current format and identify possible solutions at every stage.
Compromise… Changes may affect the design aesthetic or physical attributes but the benefits of this change from a sustainability perspective, are greatly increased. Consumers are now willing to make sacrifices in packaging as long as the quality of the product is not compromised.
Simplify… Only include what is absolutely necessary. This often makes for a better user experience.
Round and round… Consider the life cycle of the packaging. Where it comes from, how it’s made, how is it sold, how it is disposed of. Are there new opportunities for manufacturing, consumption, disposal? Can your packaging adopt or adapt these methods?
Deconstruct… Create packaging that can be separated and sorted into relevant material groups. Educate the consumer about new materials and where and how to dispose of them.
Naivety…We design things based on what we know, sometimes the less we know the more novel the idea.
Look backwards to go forwards… Learn from what has been before. Why did it fail, what replaced it? Is it still applicable?
Necessity is the mother of invention… If you take something away, what will you use as an alternative? Does it already exist, or do you create something new?
Be Brave… Challenge the category standards and make your mark.
Packaging is a small part of a big problem: It is very easy to point the finger at packaging, but bottles don’t throw themselves in the sea. Humans are programmed to consume and need to change their behaviour.
Designers need to change too. We will continue to use packaging in our day to day lives and it’s our responsibility to lessen the impact that these products have on the world we live in.
Thanks for listening…
