Greg Hrinya, Associate Editor12.08.15
Nilpeter’s Open House. The event took place on November 12, 2015, at the company’s North American headquarters in Cincinnati, OH, USA.
In order to illustrate the importance of perception in the labels and packaging industry, Tonkin recounted a story from Massachusetts. Joshua Bell, a renowned violinist, dressed down and took his musical talents to the Boston subway system. Erykah Badu recently conducted the same experiment in New York City.
In Bell’s time performing in front of public transportation, he accumulated $32. Badu, a Grammy Award winner, made far less. The following night, Bell played to a sold-out audience at the Boston Symphony.
Tonkin utilized several other examples to illustrate what a consumer “thinks” is high- or low-quality matters almost as much–if not more so, in some cases–than the actual quality. He termed this behavior, “sensation transference.”
In the labels and packaging industry, a product’s appearance is just as important in feeding the perception of high quality. According to Tonkin, 85% of customers will make a purchase without ever picking up an alternative product. “Does it really matter if the beer tastes better or the butter tastes better? If people think it does, does it really matter that it doesn’t?” Tonkin said. “There are all sorts of examples where you can change people’s perceptions of the product they’re eating or drinking by changing the packaging.”
During a recent redesign, Tropicana experienced a 10% dip in sales, simply because the orange juice manufacturer tinkered with the classic packaging featuring an orange. The juice did not stand out on the shelf, and the packaging gave the appearance of lesser quality, even though it was the same product.
At Clemson, Tonkin has researched the importance of dynamic packaging, including eye-popping graphics and consumer behavior. Products that undergo a brand makeover need to “work better” than the previous packaging.
Therefore, Clemson has popularized eye-tracking with a design in mind. Tonkin has surmised that the order in which a product was viewed is just as critical. As part of his studies, he attempts to find out why products get noticed, and how does this ultimately affect label printers? “Our view is you need some kind of objective way to measure how a shopper is shopping the shelf, and we use a technology called eye-tracking,” explained Tonkin. “That’s just one of our many tools, and you’re going to see is more and more designs are going to be done this way, where you design with something in mind. Then you want to use some objective way to analyze how well that worked. Did they actually see these things? Did they behave the way I had hoped they were going to behave? Then you’ll redesign your packaging to make it work better. You can design this experience where you get real information back.
“Putting yourself in the heads of the consumer, this is going to be a trend,” added Tonkin. “This is not just us as an academic experiment. This is trend that folks like Procter & Gamble have been doing for years, but most people haven’t. This is not a standard part of the toolbox for designers but it will be, because it works.”
A sustainable new world
Many companies boast about their friendly environmental practices, and Tonkin believes that the industry still has a long way to go. Today, he says, more companies are promoting sustainability because of the positive perception associated with a green business model.
In the future, however, more brands will realize the economic benefits to going green. “What will really drive sustainability is you’ll see it tied to money,” said Tonkin. “If you start reducing your energy use, it almost always directs to saving money at some point. Maybe not right away, but if you find ways to reduce your backend CO2 emissions, it directly translates to lower energy costs. It will eventually start driving the process.”
According to Tonkin, sustainability needs to become part of the design process. SolidWorks offers a 3D CAD program that incorporates environmental measures right into prepress. Designers can estimate how various aesthetic changes will affect a product’s carbon footprint and CO2 emissions tracking.
Not only can products become more sustainable, they could one day provide safety measures in the grocery store. Tonkin cited emerging technology involving sensors and an antenna that could alert customers to spoiled food. For example, if a bag of spinach has become infected with e.coli, the label will change colors.
The future of advanced packaging will also feature using print as manufacturing. The key is how. Tonkin describes the endeavor as “doable but challenging.” Could there be a day where smart phones are printed? Tonkin would not rule it, and he states that finding out new and exciting ways to utilize printing fits into the Clemson mission statement.
The label’s impact on a consumer’s purchasing decisions cannot be understated, and Dr. Chip Tonkin, director of Sonoco Institute of Packaging Design & Graphics, Clemson University, explored the science behind this very topic at In order to illustrate the importance of perception in the labels and packaging industry, Tonkin recounted a story from Massachusetts. Joshua Bell, a renowned violinist, dressed down and took his musical talents to the Boston subway system. Erykah Badu recently conducted the same experiment in New York City.
In Bell’s time performing in front of public transportation, he accumulated $32. Badu, a Grammy Award winner, made far less. The following night, Bell played to a sold-out audience at the Boston Symphony.
Tonkin utilized several other examples to illustrate what a consumer “thinks” is high- or low-quality matters almost as much–if not more so, in some cases–than the actual quality. He termed this behavior, “sensation transference.”
In the labels and packaging industry, a product’s appearance is just as important in feeding the perception of high quality. According to Tonkin, 85% of customers will make a purchase without ever picking up an alternative product. “Does it really matter if the beer tastes better or the butter tastes better? If people think it does, does it really matter that it doesn’t?” Tonkin said. “There are all sorts of examples where you can change people’s perceptions of the product they’re eating or drinking by changing the packaging.”
During a recent redesign, Tropicana experienced a 10% dip in sales, simply because the orange juice manufacturer tinkered with the classic packaging featuring an orange. The juice did not stand out on the shelf, and the packaging gave the appearance of lesser quality, even though it was the same product.
At Clemson, Tonkin has researched the importance of dynamic packaging, including eye-popping graphics and consumer behavior. Products that undergo a brand makeover need to “work better” than the previous packaging.
Therefore, Clemson has popularized eye-tracking with a design in mind. Tonkin has surmised that the order in which a product was viewed is just as critical. As part of his studies, he attempts to find out why products get noticed, and how does this ultimately affect label printers? “Our view is you need some kind of objective way to measure how a shopper is shopping the shelf, and we use a technology called eye-tracking,” explained Tonkin. “That’s just one of our many tools, and you’re going to see is more and more designs are going to be done this way, where you design with something in mind. Then you want to use some objective way to analyze how well that worked. Did they actually see these things? Did they behave the way I had hoped they were going to behave? Then you’ll redesign your packaging to make it work better. You can design this experience where you get real information back.
“Putting yourself in the heads of the consumer, this is going to be a trend,” added Tonkin. “This is not just us as an academic experiment. This is trend that folks like Procter & Gamble have been doing for years, but most people haven’t. This is not a standard part of the toolbox for designers but it will be, because it works.”
A sustainable new world
Many companies boast about their friendly environmental practices, and Tonkin believes that the industry still has a long way to go. Today, he says, more companies are promoting sustainability because of the positive perception associated with a green business model.
In the future, however, more brands will realize the economic benefits to going green. “What will really drive sustainability is you’ll see it tied to money,” said Tonkin. “If you start reducing your energy use, it almost always directs to saving money at some point. Maybe not right away, but if you find ways to reduce your backend CO2 emissions, it directly translates to lower energy costs. It will eventually start driving the process.”
According to Tonkin, sustainability needs to become part of the design process. SolidWorks offers a 3D CAD program that incorporates environmental measures right into prepress. Designers can estimate how various aesthetic changes will affect a product’s carbon footprint and CO2 emissions tracking.
Not only can products become more sustainable, they could one day provide safety measures in the grocery store. Tonkin cited emerging technology involving sensors and an antenna that could alert customers to spoiled food. For example, if a bag of spinach has become infected with e.coli, the label will change colors.
The future of advanced packaging will also feature using print as manufacturing. The key is how. Tonkin describes the endeavor as “doable but challenging.” Could there be a day where smart phones are printed? Tonkin would not rule it, and he states that finding out new and exciting ways to utilize printing fits into the Clemson mission statement.