If you consider world-renowned design agency Pentagram, your thoughts would not instantly go towards packaging design. But there they had been on the Pentawards Competition stage at Paris Packaging Week, represented by none apart from design legend Paula Scher and their latest associate, Piotr Woronkowicz.
It felt barely surreal to see them up there, as a result of entry to these sorts of studios often solely occurs at occasions with a hefty ticket worth, and this one was free. You may really feel the thrill within the crowd full of packaging obsessives and model groups alike, scribbling notes at velocity (myself included).
I might interviewed Piotr simply final yr when he joined Pentagram as its first industrial design associate, which was a notable rent for a studio traditionally synonymous with 2D brilliance. Seeing him in dialogue with Paula at this explicit occasion felt like an announcement that the studio is actively investing in bodily model experiences and iterations.
Whereas it is possible the primary time we have seen Paula and Piotr on a stage collectively, they’ve truly been collaborating for years. First, when Piotr labored on Paula’s group as a designer in 2012, after which when he launched his personal design studio, Piotrworks, in 2015.
Unlikely inspirations
Paula opened with attribute frankness, admitting that she’s “not a product designer” and “largely design identification methods”. What’s clear is that, at any time when the chance to design packaging has come up over time, she’s known as Piotr.
One among their most notable initiatives collectively was Dr Jart+, the Korean magnificence model straddling the road between dermatology and cosmetics. The start line was very plain, with off-the-shelf bottles, a Helvetica emblem, and medical severity that bordered on intimidation.
The answer was to look in all places besides the wonder aisle. The design group visited paint retailers, backyard centres, and sculpture suppliers, however in the end it was {hardware} shops that unlocked it. One thing in regards to the language of restore and the optimism of fixing one thing damaged.
That unlikely perception reframed the whole system, main Paula and her group to develop a household of plus-sign symbols. Every one represents what the product does (restore moisture, even tone, minimise pores). In the meantime, Piotr reshaped the bottles into compact, sq. types that felt stackable, environment friendly and joyful to carry in your hand.
Within the context of this undertaking, Piotr talked about the controversy of whether or not type or operate ought to come first. Arguably, in packaging, it must be the latter. That is why not each graphic designer can do packaging – it takes a deeper understanding of 3D design.
Within the case of Dr Jart+, Piotr spoke about how the viscosity of the product impacts its design language. For instance, a wider oval opening was wanted for thicker oil lotions, whereas a sharper level was wanted for fast-flowing formulation. He additionally talked about twisting mechanisms that get rid of product waste in journey and rounded corners that make plastic really feel virtually “mushy and comfortable”, as Paula put it, remodeling your emotional relationship with the item.
Years later, the road continues to be evolving in-market, which is a testomony to how aesthetics and system considering work collectively fantastically to make a design last more and permit the consumer to maneuver it ahead on their very own into new traces and merchandise. Pentagram did not simply ship fish; they taught the consumer how one can fish.
Magnets, rituals and the enjoyment of frictionless type
Subsequent got here ICD Magnificence, the place a round emblem grew to become the blueprint for a magnetised lip color and gloss pairing. When you’ve ever needed to fumble via your purse to your make-up, this one is for you.
The 2 types basically “discover one another” inside your bag. It is practical, but additionally fairly poetic. Peter described it as fixing “the stress” of product separation, a small however actual friction level with most of these merchandise. I’ve seen packaging that makes use of magnets as a little bit of a gimmick, however right here it is an instance of commercial design logic assembly model storytelling.
Pentagram additionally confirmed an equally pleasant packaging expertise they designed for a premium tea model from Singapore.
Impressed by tea farms and pop-up books, the packaging opens ceremoniously. Inside, a watertight “porter” pocket holds the tea between steeps, as a result of this explicit tea is designed to be infused 5 occasions in an hour. The system is complicated internally however intuitive externally, making a ritual object that is way more than a field.
Plainly a lot model discourse at this time centres on digital ecosystems, and right here was Pentagram investing critical mental capital into bodily ritual. The whole lot they confirmed you simply wished to succeed in out and contact, and that appears to be one thing individuals are craving after half a decade of disconnect.
Packaging as efficiency
Paula’s part moved again into what she jokingly known as “packaging buildings”, a reference to the identities she’s created for establishments just like the Memphis Artwork Museum and the Curtis Institute of Music. The truth that she creates customized typefaces for each undertaking is spectacular, and it actually makes a distinction if you see the case research. She additionally mentioned how some methods are intentionally constrained to make sure longevity and the way animation is used as a type of governance.
What struck me most throughout the entire discuss was how seamlessly the dialog moved between bodily construction and graphic language. It bolstered one thing that usually will get misplaced in packaging debates: nice packaging is not separate from model. It’s “model”, simply made tangible.
Why this second issues
Pentagram hiring its first industrial design associate in New York is not incidental. It occurred at a time when design narratives skew digital, exhibiting that they are doubling down on 3D considering, supplies and tactility.
Sure, shoppers store on-line greater than ever, however the field nonetheless lands in your doorstep. The bottle nonetheless sits in your toilet shelf. The tea nonetheless unfolds in your kitchen counter. Packaging is without doubt one of the few model moments you bodily maintain.
Through the Q&A, AI inevitably surfaced. Paula known as it “a quicker pencil”. Piotr was extra cautious, cautious of promoting hype versus precise utility in bodily design. Each had been clear on the truth that instruments do not exchange originality, although.
It was particularly resonant in a room devoted to one thing as stubbornly materials as packaging. AI can simulate construction, however it might probably’t replicate the feeling of a rounded nook in your palm. It could render a magnet, however not the satisfaction when two objects click on collectively.
Strolling out of the discuss, I stored serious about that debate of operate over type. It appears to me that one would not have to return earlier than the opposite, as a result of they will each work concurrently in the event that they’re each a part of the dialog initially. It is apparent that that is what’s taking place at Pentagram and that the 2 are lastly talking the identical language.
Maybe that is the actual shock of seeing them at Paris Packaging Week. It isn’t notably surprising {that a} world-renowned identification studio can design packaging, nevertheless it’s sort of superb to see them championing packaging as one of the crucial refined phases for identification to carry out.
