I'll admit it isn't hard to tempt me into a few impulse buys in the supermarket — no matter how hard I try to stick to my shopping list, a new type of cereal or innovative dental care product usually finds its way into my basket.
Judging how easy it is to sway me, I was surprised to read how packaging on a supermarket shelf has less than three seconds to grab the attention of a potential customer.
However, my fickleness when it comes to brand loyalty could be explained by the fact more than 70% of purchasing decisions are made at the shelf — and packaging designers make it their job to ensure the product they have helped create is the one which catches my eye during those crucial three seconds.
A tough challenge indeed considering a supermarket can contain on average 40,000 different types of packaging, according to the Design Council. As part of our series of Q&As looking at the different types of design and the careers available within them, we are going to ask our experts what it is like working as a packaging designer.
Our panel will be answering your questions about the skills and qualifications you'll need to break into this area – join them on 20 October at 1pm.
Our panel:
Tim Clarke is one of the founders and CEO of packaging design company, Burgopak. The Burgopak patented sliding mechanism has been used to package CDs, DVDs, mobile phones, cosmetics, confectionary and pharmaceuticals all over the world.
Ben Harris is the brand development director at branding and design agency Anthem Worldwide. Ben has more than 12 years experience in brand and brand marketing. Ben is joined on this Q&A by Ruth Ward, who is design director at Anthem London UK. Ruth has more than 20 years experience in packaging design across various high profile brands.
Satkar Gidda is sales and marketing director of SiebertHead, a brand and packaging design consultancy in the UK. At SiebertHead Satkar works with many clients, helping them create a one-to-one communication between the brand and the consumer.
Anthony Nikou is a product development technician at food packaging company Sharp Interpack. Anthony joined Sharp Interpack on the IT help desk before joining the product development team.
David Jenkins is creative director at brand consultancy Dragon Rouge. David's creative focus is in packaging, brand identity, brand creation and innovation. He has experience across most consumer brands sectors and has worked with some of the world's leading brands.
Craig Barnes is a senior designer at brand design agency Coley Porter Bell, managing a team of three designers. Craig graduated with a first from Northumbria University in 2002. Since then he has worked for five top design agencies on on a wide range of well known brands.
Oliver Campbell is worldwide senior manager of packaging at technology company Dell. His global organisation focuses on packaging design for product protection, optimisation of packaging size, increased sustainability factors and brand experience.
