Creative Director @Inuru | From packaging, with love | Artwork coordination, Graphic Design, Art direction, packaging innovation
Standardizing the luxury? No, thank you. Recent concerning trend in the #perfume world: the emergence of minimalist, standardized collections. Is this really the best direction for the industry? I've always viewed the fragrance sector as a ‘sacred land’ of wild creativity and fantasy, especially in packaging. #Fragrance is unique in that it sells branded emotions and intangible stories, with customers paying a premium for these experiences. Additionally, the low cost of raw ingredients in fragrances, similar to the spirits sector, allows for investment in unique #packaging and #marketing. In short, I always thought perfume sector is a perfect environment for stunning, fine art quality designs to emerge. Sadly, I'm starting to question my perspective as trends shift. More and more brands are now releasing standardizes collections, typically offering a range of fragrances to appeal to diverse preferences. But how do you market a collection that includes both dark, gloomy scents and light, floral ones? This push for inclusivity often leads to a 'minimalist', one-size-fits-all packaging approach. It's so generic sometimes that it’s hard to tell the difference between collections like Dior Privée and YSL Le Vestiaire des Parfums. Is there any data showing that these standardized series perform better in sales? Do brands expect their loyal customers to collect all the products from a series? ◾ On one hand, being part of a commercial series might diminish the perceived prestige of individual fragrances, as they often don't get enough individual promotion to establish their unique value. The focus seems to be more on promoting the collection as a whole. ◾On the other hand, brands like TOM FORD and Maison Margiela have built their fragrance portfolios around a few packaging models and have been very successful. The key difference is that these brands have used this approach from the start, forming their legacy in this way. They also advertise their products as distinct items, despite design similarities. The real issue is the shift from uniqueness to #standardization without adjusting marketing strategies and failing to educate customers about these changes. This transition results in the loss of eye-catching designs and compelling stories, leaving consumers unclear about what they are gaining in return. What exactly are we getting from this new trend? 🤔 PS Minimalism and stock-like laziness are two different things. Some of the standardized bottles presented below look good and are on-brand, but this is not the point.
20+ years of career success in R&D, Packaging Innovation, Design & Development, Brand Protection, Vendor Development, Cost-Reduction Projects, Emerging Technology & Digital Transformation in the FMCG, F&B industry.
9moIt’s all about how packaging is playing the role to pick the product from shelf. If your consumer is feature phone or smart phone based accordingly entire packaging strategy need to design.