TRENDS IN CARDBOARD PHARMACEUTICAL PACKAGING

Pharmaceutical companies are aware of how much influence cardboard packaging has on the choice of the buyer. Due to the possibilities of packaging, the very appearance of the outlets has changed. Many pharmacies now look like small supermarkets. Now, packaging, selling goods as if asking the consumer: Are you a good parent? And how well do you care about your parents? Do you care about your health and those you love? Do you have enough time for all the necessary things? Do you care about your appearance? Do you live the life you would like to live?
Valery Grankina-Zolotarova, Deputy Director of Slaven LLC

Packaging of medicines is an integral part of modern life. Most packages have a design that the customer will react to it, even if he does not need the medicine.

The idea is not new. “The appearance of the container is the same seller as any employee of flesh and blood, and even better,” Richard B. Frankin wrote in his book Packages That Sell in 1928.
Packaging design is not a visual art in the modern sense. And even no one claims the identity of these concepts. One hundred years ago, when packaging was considered as an autograph by the manufacturer, such a comparison was still permissible, but in today’s world, cardboard box designers are required not only to express the essence of the product through packaging, but also to hide what should not be said about the product.

The important role of pharmaceutical packaging design
Studies have shown that in today’s world, consumers are more likely to trust packaging than the seller. The design itself is now characterized as “effective” or “ineffective.” Therefore, pharmaceutical companies hire the best design specialists, psychologists, and marketing specialists in their design departments to create a “shell” for their medicines.
According to other studies, in one thousand eight hundred seconds a consumer’s stay in a store, in a pharmacy, he realizes that there are eleven thousand packages in the hall. There is only one sixth of a second to attract consumer attention. So a huge responsibility falls on the packaging designer: the time he has to attract attention is approximately equal to the time of the lightning discharge. A packaging designer must have not only a high level of creativity, but knowledge of consumer preferences. He must understand for which segment the package is created, at what time of year it will be purchased more often, how it will be located on the pharmacy shelves, under what light, parts of the pharmaceutical cabinet.

Often meetings are held to approve packaging, where designers are invited, as well as the top management of the company. At such meetings, the packaging looks perfect, or, on the contrary, such that requires some work. But, after approval and its appearance on the shelves of pharmacies, it does not show the financial result. Either shows, but too low. Why it happens? Because packaging alone can often be a “star”, and on the shelf, among other packages, such a “star” can easily become a “gray mouse”. But always a reverse variant is also possible – a completely simple pack, unremarkable alone among other packs may turn out to be a “star” and will be the most remarkable of all on the shelf.

In order to avoid such situations, designers conduct their research in the design of packaging. They have questionnaires with hundreds of fairly accurate and complex questions to the consumer in order to be able to understand what needs to be done, so that he will notice it, acquire it, and so that it will remain noticeable at home with the consumer. In each case, are investigated competing products are analyzed, the needs of consumers are analyzed, and then the decision is made to pack in a new way or it will be similar to those already on the market. In such studies, a very important place is also occupied by the questions of the color design of the package. Color is a powerful tool, and small color differences can cause completely different emotional resonance.

“There were a lot of different stereotypes about which colors should correspond to which product,” said Richard Gerstman, industrial designer, honorary chairman of the consulting company Interbrand US. “They all become outdated as new successful packs disprove each one of them.”

Modern pharmaceutical packaging in Ukraine

In our country, packaging design uses foil stamping (often with several foils), hot stamping stamping, applying UV varnish, hybrid varnish and so on. Pharmaceutical companies, creating such packaging, seem to convince the consumer that only high-quality medicines are in such packaging. Most pharmaceutical companies place on a pack of pictures that broadcast the effect of the drug or what is taken as a basis in the production of the drug. You can even highlight the primary colors in order of dominance: blue, green and red.
Companies that have proven themselves in the pharmaceutical market often use their corporate identity, or they combine a simple but sophisticated design with a recognizable logo in a prominent place of packaging. Such enterprises use a variety of colors in packaging design, do not skimp on post-printing processes, for example, foil stamping, but do not combine them all in one package. Very often in such packs the laconic design with a minimum of colors is in harmony with light foil embossing and ultraviolet varnish.

As for the shape of the packaging, basically they are all rectangular. But sometimes you can find a pack that has a triangular or generally broken shape. In addition, it should be said and about the size of the pack. Recently, many drug manufacturers have been forced to switch to packaging of large sizes, firstly, due to the requirement of our legislation to increase the amount of information in the instructions for drugs. And, secondly, these changes help the packaging to sell itself. What I mean: the more packaging, the more likely it is that the look and choice of the buyer will fall on it.

Packaging of European and American manufacturers
In Europe and America, designers are more focused on consumer associations, easy recognition of the necessary drug, light, clean, simple design, but all this together with informative. Such packaging by its design demonstrates which drug is inside and that it helps to heal. She speaks for herself. This is not to say that these packages have a simple design. Not at all, the design is concise and informative. Here packaging is a powerful means of communication, it can “talk” with the patient. I will cite as an example the packaging for Help Remedies. Designers have found a simple and at the same time creative way to directly contact their consumer. On a low-key white in bright letters, the word “Help” is written, and the problem with which a person came to the pharmacy is indicated below. Suppose: “I have a pain in my body,” “I have a headache,” “I cannot sleep,” “I have a callus,” “I have an allergy,” and so on. Not so long ago on this package images began to appear with the internal content of the pack. Such packaging makes life easier for the consumer, simplifies the difficult process of choosing the right drug, and it simply eliminates the need to look for another medicine.
If in the old days of the birth of cardboard pharmaceutical packaging the design of a pack was invented by the drug maker or his wife, today they are being developed by entire design bureaus. Often, foreign companies announce the competition for the creation of the best packaging, and then the winner gets a fee comparable to the years of his usual work. Today, the design of pharmaceutical packaging is developed in accordance with the age of the person. For adults, its design should be sophisticated, uncomplicated, calm and clear. The drug itself, its use, purpose, use should be clear to the buyer from the first second of acquaintance with the package. When designing
Pharmaceutical packaging for children designers often use photos of the child, bright colors, children’s pictures or cartoon characters. Thus, it is easier for an adult to select a child’s drug at a pharmacy, and a child will take it with great pleasure. Colors, textures play an imperceptible, but extremely important role in the decision of the buyer to choose this or that preparation. That is why designers add some special colors to the pharmaceutical packaging in order to give clarity and vibrancy to the pack.
Current packaging requirements

If earlier the carton package performed the function of preserving the drug during transportation, now this function loses its meaning and already for the transportation of the pack itself, pharmaceutical companies order additional packaging. Now secondary packaging must both sell the product and have additional capabilities. Some companies, caring for their customers, produce products in packaging, where medicines are packaged with a clear indication of the time of taking the medicine package for patches has its own function for more convenient use of the patch itself. What else can you say about the importance of the influence of trends and fashion on packaging, even if a company like Bayer, which very rarely and slightly changes the design of its packaging that is recognized throughout the world, has changed it for Aspirin? As for me, it says a lot. At least that packaging affects sales.

As for the colors in the package: designers use mostly bright, rich colors. Understandable, simple font and use a minimum of post-press processes. The entire focus is on packaging design and its message to the consumer.

And finally, I can not ignore the packaging of the medicine, which was created to lift the mood. In 2010, the journal “Archives of Internal Medicine” published the results of one study, which states that people with a positive result for depression consume chocolate in significant quantities. Concerning
English online store offers to use chocolate in the form of tablets, which are placed in a blister. The package also contains the instructions for use, which describes the cases for the use of drugs. For example, “Your buddy annoys you,” or “You have lost your favorite lip gloss,” or “Brad Pitt will never become your boyfriend,” and so on. By the way, the packaging is made in a classic non-minimalist style and clearly stands out from modern packaging.
Every year the importance of packaging design is growing and does not allow pharmaceutical companies to relax. Indeed, to a large extent, thanks to packaging and sales, competing companies take their place in the market. Any pharmacist, as a seller, perhaps, can convey to the consumer information about a particular product, focus on what is important when choosing a drug, what can replace this or that drug. But in the modern world, having a “talking” packaging, the company no longer requires the assistance of the seller.
Packaging is able to sell itself. We need only a competent design, which from the very first seconds will be able to convey to the consumer information about the benefits and benefits of the drug.