The secret design formula for turning boring products into killer brands
Despite being born in an English-speaking country, visual language is my mother tongue. One of the many facets of visual language I am forever intrigued by is the world of retail packaging, where visual communication and consumer psychology intersect.
In the past twelve months, I’ve witnessed a noticeable shift in Australian retail packaging, in both manufacturing and design. As someone who is always keen to understand the changing landscape, I decided to sit down with a packaging expert to pick his brains on the current trends and the industry’s future.
Brent Vrdoljak is an Australian FMCG marketing consultant who regularly provides commentary on packaging trends. He’s created a LinkedIn library of iconic before-and-after case studies that illustrate the evolution of FMCG packaging.
Vrdoljak has titled the most iconic of the trends he’s witnessed ‘The Great Grocery Gentrification’, where often ignored product categories have been boldly reimagined, aiming to attract a younger audience with deeper pockets.
“We are seeing the inner aisles of the major grocery stores slowly being disrupted with new brands and interesting packaging designs. Categories that you might think are traditionally ‘stale’ or quite boring are becoming more competitive with new entrants,” he said.
The idea of taking an unsexy product and giving it to the product design gods to enhance visibility and relevance has been a common formula for many business ventures in Australia. I recall this well when the oral care market unexpectedly woke to newcomers Hi-Smile and Gem. Both brands attracted a new generation of oral-care consumers who were drawn to an aesthetic offering; subsequently swapping out their tubes of Colgate for something that made a statement.
As we witness FMCG goods becoming more fashionable, Vrdoljak sees the same unsexy-to-sexy trend in food packaging. “Nice Rice has recently entered major supermarkets with a head-on battle against mainstay brands like Sun Rice — competing for shoppers with a fun personality and modern design,” he said. “Mushiki’s sibling brands Bun Boy and Gyoza Girl offer a new aesthetic to the fresh food fridge, with the promise of premium quality and fun and a cute design.”
Each of these disruptor brands uses bold, block colour, quirky typefaces and illustrations to
stand out on the supermarket shelves.
A few aisles over, bottled water is experiencing somewhat of a revolution. Vrdoljak explained the demand for more sustainable packaging options has seen the emergence of aluminium canned water, namely from brands that hail from the United States. Water has also woken up to a new brand image, one that swaps out the essence of Enya for the likes of Metallica via American brand, Liquid Death.
Vrdoljak noted that Liquid Death’s catchy slogans, ‘Don’t be scared, it’s just water,’ and ‘Murder Your Thirst’, create uniqueness in the category. Following Liquid Death’s lead, newcomers from the United States, “Not Beer and Natural Spirit are two brands that have launched recently taking a ‘vice’ inspired approach to branding, opting to look more like cigarettes and beer companies than sparkling water brands,” Vrdoljak explained.
“These brands are giving consumers more options compared to the traditional plastic water bottle world of sparkling streams and images of glistening mountains. They evoke a sense of individualism and celebrate a culture of cutting back on alcohol,” he said.
Vrdoljak also mentioned the continued presence of dupe brands in the aisles of your local supermarket. He told me, “2024 is the year of the dupe. Not the year that they became popular, but the year they became absolutely socially accepted into the culture.”
When I asked Vrdoljak about the future of the packaging industry, he paused in contemplation, then replied, “It’s a challenging time for FMCG brands. Consumers trading to private labels, costs of goods rising and fear in the economy means brands are cutting back on marketing budgets with a ‘wait and see’ approach. What this means for packaging is that it needs to work even harder.”
Vrdoljak explained the influence of markets across the seas, stating, “Trends in packaging design will come and go, but I think Australian operators are increasingly looking to bigger markets like the US for the next big hits and developing local versions with their own flair. An example of this is Goldi Olive Oil — modelled after the wildly popular Graza brand from the States.”
And then he said something I couldn’t agree with more, “Packaging is one of the most underutilised advertising assets — but I suspect as brands start to feel the pinch, they will look for areas of optimisation and realise that small tweaks to packaging designs can go a long way to drive more sales.”
In the rapidly changing world of FMCG packaging, it’s clear that innovation and creativity are reshaping the way products engage with consumers. However, after chatting with Vrdoljak, it seems that the main idea here is to be boldly unlike your competitors, whether that means using unconventional packaging materials or employing unique packaging designs. If your brand looks like it’s part of the pack, it might be time to head back to the drawing board.
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