Materials: Creating a splash with special ink
Josh Brooks, Packaging News, 07 May 2009
Inks have become an integral part of brand identity, and special effects that appeal to a range of senses can be crucial to making an impact on busy shelves, finds Josh Brooks
Andy Warhol, the American pop artist who famously painted cans of Campbell’s soup along with celebrities such as Marilyn Monroe, put glitter on some of his later portraits. It was a neat, and simple, trick ~ suddenly, an otherwise standard portrait showed off a spadeful of bling.
Most of all, the effect was a form of premium branding. And while Warhol and the so-called Factory, where he produced his portraits of the rich and famous, were brands in their own right, the glitter portraits were the top-of-the-range products.
Modern brands are after that standout bling too and, like Warhol, many are turning to inventive uses of inks and coatings to make their packaging seem that little bit more exciting than everyone else’s. In fact, where inks were once seen as a basic consumable in the packaging production process, they are now often at the very heart of the brand experience. An unusual texture or a pack that changes colour could make all the difference in that critical first visual or physical interaction between brand and consumer.
The more senses you can appeal to, the more likely the success of the pack, says Ann Bonner, marketing manager at beverage can giant Rexam. Sight, touch and even smell are all being used in inks and coatings to enhance brand credentials.
