Large projects are time consuming and demand spot-on project management. We used Airtable for tracking and sharing status on these large projects. We stay nimble with the tools we use, depending on the needs of the client and the project.

Much of this spring was focused on a blue sky salad kit ideation–doing competitive benchmarks, research and ideation. Different from much of our work, but fascinating. That project was managed through a Sharepoint site. Whatever the needs of the client, we are there. And, we can help you find a tool if you need it–Pageproof, for example, was introduced to clients for easy online approvals for a couple of projects this year.

We find a lot of satisfaction with startups and entrepreneurs. For those folks, communication is usually through email, zooms and phone. Solving small business challenges and improving their branding is our happy place. We spent a lot of time this year helping a Malibu jam company source their jar–no small feat in the current market, and then updating the look and feel of their sell sheets and recipe cards. We have a digital printer partner to economically print a small quantity.

In support of our small business friends, we have also partnered with a social media maven who focuses on small businesses. Having worked for a startup, she knows the challenges of content creation, regular posting and engagement. As a designer, she is able to leverage your assets in building out a social calendar. If you’d like an introduction, let me know. (We mainly communicate thru Slack, as we do with most of our design team. So. Many. Tools.)

And, of course, we’re still helping produce straight up wine! Cheers to small producers and new product launches whilst navigating complex supply chain issues, getting press time and getting to market.

What will the second half of 2022 look like?

By virtue of osmosis through experience, I will, however, accept some kind of honorary degree. With the advent of the Digital Shelf, it has really crystalized for me the definition of good design as well as the value of good design.

How do I define good design? Well, we’ve got Dieter Rams’s Ten Pillars of Good Design as a starting point. While they date back some 50 years, they are timeless. For example, Good design is environmentally-friendly and Good design makes a product understandable. They are all still true today, we’ve just piled on more channels and demands on how the design must work.

Three examples for you:

Making design inclusive and accessible for everyone regardless of ability. This is given a lot of energy when it comes to UX design, but it also needs to be considered for packaging and general design. There are simple things, like contrast. Contrast can be quantified: A tool for you to do just that is here.

Of course, type size is important for those of us of a certain age. In 2005, the European Union (EU) made it a requirement for braille to be on pharmaceutical packaging, and it is seeing expansion beyond that category. The complexities of Braille are fascinating; click here if you’re interested in the technical aspects of producing Braille.

The only winery I’ve found which incorporates Braille is based in France, Chapotier:

As a life-long literacy advocate, I’d be remiss if I didn’t include a shout-out to this Sonoma County Braille hero.

Embracing design which works on the digital shelf: the brand experience of course now extends to e-commerce sites, and there isn’t a much more disappointing brand experience than receiving a product which doesn’t look like the image on the website. Content management is crucial to ensure the right asset is shared, but so is design that considers what the product will look like on one’s phone screen. Here are a couple of before and after to consider—all the enhanced designs still work perfectly on the retail shelf, but also read better on a screen.

According to researchers at the University of Cambridge, Unilever saw an average 24% lift in e-commerce sales with improved images using optimized heros over plain product shots. You could just change the visual, but why not optimize the packaging graphics themselves, and ensure the same product being shown is the product which ships to the customer.

With the strength of social media and influencers, building and maintaining a positive brand image has never been more important.  A study found that positive brand image could influence customer loyalty so that they would repurchase more product or service and recommend others to buy as much as 41.8%. This study also shows that there was positive relationship between brand image and customer loyalty as much as 35.8%.  Those numbers are compelling. A positive brand image comes through thoughtful positioning and impeccable brand stewardship.

To conclude, there is so much to pack into a good design. And good design is that which has been thoughtful about as many pillars as possible, especially those which your brand have identified as priorities. This is all hard—but it is definitely worth it. Positive change in the market comes with companies and brands committing to outreach (be it ADA endorsements or designing for minimal environmental impact), and keeping a strong, consistent brand image. It can be a daunting task—especially if you ask the same creative people who figure out what it should look like to then turn into production experts and produce it. As they say, it takes a village.

This is where Loupe Graphics can help with your workflow—a deep understanding of the value of your design, respect for the design intent, and the technical knowledge to figure out how best to produce it. Let the designers design. Let us print engineers print. We’ll figure out how to bring the vision to life.