Colouring inside of the lines

In South Africa, the new Consumer Protection Act has product manufacturers and distributors in a last minute race to ensure that their products are compliant. From typeface size to the depiction of products and ingredients (specifically in food) and a host of ‘back-of-pack’ information, design studios across the country are finding new and innovative ways to sell brands on shelf.

In a constant debate of ‘form versus function’ designers find themselves challenged to create packaging that delivers on the brand promise, captures attention and drives sales, while adhering to a new set of guidelines that at times seemingly hinders the design process. To counter this, many manufacturers are utilising the opportunity (while bringing their packaging in line with legislation) to do a brand refresh – expect to see a host of new packaging in-store over the next few months.  Given the strong guidelines around how products are represented, the industry looks set to see a host of new design trends coming through – from illustration to typography to iconography – all in order to help attract consumers in an incredibly short moment of time.

Internationally, the trend continues too, where some of the most extreme examples can be found in the tobacco category. In Australia for example, the 1st of January will see new guidelines in place that will ensure all cigarettes are sold in generic olive green packaging, with graphic health warnings and no branding whatsoever. The US and other countries, including South Africa, look ripe to follow suit, raising the debate of informing consumers as opposed to overprotecting them. 

Is this a case of a trend towards over-regulation or will consumers ultimately benefit from these changes – only time and sales will tell.