Packaging is the ultimate vehicle for design: industrial, graphic, and typographic design are all put to the test to create an impression so meaningful that it converts currency into consumerism. This ...
By Jack Hinkel
Design agencies and their clients engaged in the packaging development process and other marketing initiatives must be careful to bridge the gap when moving a creative idea from concept to reality.
Increasingly, forward-thinking agencies are using a focused specialist to bridge seamlessly the functions of design, implementation, and production: the brand identity manager (BIM). Including a BIM in a brand's visual identity or packaging development process can help to improve quality, increase speed to market, lower overall costs, and reduce production problems across packaging and all of a brand's consumer communications and initiatives.
What is a BIM?
The function of brand identity management is to safeguard the communication of a brand's visual identity as it is brought to life. This is not necessarily a restrictive process; rather, it provides focus and continuity for the client/agency team along the design/implementation continuum.
The role of a BIM can vary from brand to brand, client to client, and project to project. Nevertheless, experience and capabilities generally include:
• An aesthetic design background, including a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree (or similar) and extensive, hands-on experience in consumer packaging and design
• Excellent communication skills, especially when working with the project team to ensure expectations are met throughout the entire supply chain
• An understanding of the cost implications and limitations associated with specific packaging structural and decorative processes
• Creative problem-solving abilities to manage technical issues and production challenges while following projects through to completion
• Leveraged knowledge from different working models to help establish and refine best practices, as well as develop learning opportunities
BIM involvement is particularly important when multiple agencies are collaborating on a branding project. The BIM can facilitate a smooth hand-off from one agency to another and provide the necessary tools to ensure the finished artwork is accurate and on equity at each consumer touch point—including packaging.
The successful transformation of creative ideas into product packaging requires the integration of aesthetics and the melding of artistic vision and technical knowledge. A BIM knows from experience that design consistency and quality help to drive brand equity and, therefore, can make the tough choices when technical or production considera- tions dictate a specific creative execution.
Benefits of a BIM
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