Package Design Goes Seasonal

by TED MININNI, president and creative director, Design Force

The bells are jingling and stores are filled with holiday-themed products once again‭. ‬As spending increases during the holiday season‭, ‬it’s no wonder many manufacturers try to capture their share of sales with holiday-specific campaigns‭.‬

For us toy industry folks‭, ‬this is our time to shine‭. ‬Our products are on everyone’s shopping lists‭, ‬and‭, ‬hopefully‭, ‬they’ll find their way into everyone’s shopping carts as well‭. ‬This is the time of year we get to see if our packaging is doing what it’s meant to do‭: ‬capturing the attention of consumers to inspire a purchase‭. ‬For most toys‭, ‬packaging doesn’t change to accommodate the holidays‭, ‬but what about brands with seasonal items‭? ‬How should these brands establish a holiday-themed packaging look without diluting their core brand messaging‭? ‬Let’s take a look at how brands can develop seasonal packaging without deviating completely from their established and equitable look‭.‬

When developing a holiday-themed look‭, ‬the most ideal scenario would be to not have to completely rethink a brand’s package design to appeal to consumers during the various holiday seasons throughout the year‭. ‬Why‭? ‬Because any change made to‭ ‬a brand’s package design can potentially compromise the connection that the brand has already established with its consumers at retail‭. ‬There are a variety of visual assets within a brand’s package design system that resonate with consumers on a subconscious level‭ ‬—‭ ‬the brand identity design and placement‭, ‬the design architecture‭, ‬the brand color palette‭, ‬the treatment and placement of benefits and features communication‭, ‬the product imagery‭, ‬and the overarching visual aesthetic‭ ‬—‭ ‬all of which take time to establish an association with the brand in consumers’‭ ‬minds‭. ‬Therefore‭, ‬modifications to any of these assets as a brand develops its holiday-themed packaging should be made with careful consideration‭.‬

With this in mind‭, ‬brands should consider changing only one or two aspects of their everyday look‭. ‬Maybe add a holiday-themed pattern to the overall background color‭. ‬For Christmas-themed packaging‭, ‬perhaps strategically integrate a ribbon and a bow into the current design‭. ‬For Valentine’s Day‭, ‬maybe a red-and-pink snipe in one corner or a heart-shaped call-out will do the trick‭.‬

To achieve a perfectly seamless transition to a holiday-inspired design‭, ‬a brand’s everyday package design should be developed with its holiday versions in mind‭. ‬This is especially true for brands that create‭ ‬dedicated packaging for four major holidays‭: ‬Valentine’s Day‭, ‬Easter‭, ‬Halloween‭, ‬and Christmas‭. ‬Brand owners need to establish which areas of their package design will change to holiday colors or be replaced by holiday-specific assets‭, ‬while also determining which aspects of the package design system will remain consistent to ensure brand recognition and to continue to build visual equity throughout the year‭.‬

When Peanuts Worldwide decided to refresh the global packaging program for its core Peanuts licensed products‭, ‬the company wanted to establish a new look that would accommodate everyday products as well as seasonal‭, ‬holiday-themed products‭. ‬The objectives‭ ‬for the design refresh were to create a simple‭, ‬contemporary visual aesthetic that would work consistently across any conceivable packaging format‭, ‬while paying homage to the origins of the beloved Peanuts brand‭ ‬—‭ ‬the comic strips by Charles M‭. ‬Schulz‭.‬

Although our primary focus during design development was to create the look for everyday Peanuts licensed products’‭ ‬packaging‭, ‬we never lost sight of the need for that very same look to transition to the packaging for holiday licensed products‭. ‬Our design solution leverages iconic elements associated with the Peanuts brand‭. ‬There may be nothing more iconic in the world‭ ‬of Peanuts to represent the brand than the device we employed as the primary package design architecture‭ ‬—‭ ‬the zig-zag graphic from‭ ‬Charlie Brown’s sweater‭ ‬—‭ ‬which bisects the design‭. ‬Above the zig-zag graphic is a repeat pattern made from a collection of Schulz’s‭ ‬Peanuts‭ ‬comic strips from both the vintage and classic eras‭, ‬appearing in a gray-on-white tone to serve as the backdrop for the Peanuts‭ ‬logo‭. ‬Below the zig-zag is a distressed halftone pattern‭ ‬—‭ ‬a nod to the comic strip printing process‭ ‬—‭ ‬in shades of yellow‭. ‬Snoopy serves as the primary character representing the Peanuts brand‭. ‬However‭, ‬the full cast of Peanuts characters is made available for licensees to utilize on packaging for character-specific products‭. ‬Side panels depict scenes that portray the familiar relationships between the characters‭, ‬and also leave room for product imagery as well as product benefits‭ ‬and features communication‭.‬

Every aspect of the look established for everyday core Peanuts licensed product packaging plays a role in the seamless transition to holiday-themed variations‭. ‬The placement and relationships between the key components of the overarching design remain exactly the same‭. ‬However‭, ‬the color of the Peanuts logo‭, ‬the halftone pattern‭, ‬the call-out violator‭, ‬and the window box insert shift to red and pink for Valentine’s Day‭, ‬a pastel palette for Easter‭, ‬bold orange with green and purple accents for Halloween‭, ‬and classic red and green for Christmas‭. ‬The extensive Peanuts art asset archives allowed us to swap everyday character artwork for dedicated‭, ‬holiday-specific character artwork and props‭. ‬And‭, ‬since Schulz created countless comic strips for each holiday‭, ‬we were able to create a unique‭, ‬holiday-themed comic strip pattern for the upper portion of each holiday’s package variation‭.‬

When viewed alongside the everyday core Peanuts licensed product packaging‭, ‬the visual continuity in the holiday-themed variations is glaringly obvious‭, ‬and so are the benefits to this approach to package design‭. ‬Everyday and holiday-themed products can coexist at retail without compromising the brand statement‭. ‬Furthermore‭, ‬the overarching new look for the global packaging program‭ ‬for core Peanuts licensed products can continue to build recognition among brand enthusiasts throughout the year‭.‬

This article was originally published in the 2022 Innovation & STEM issue of The Toy Book. Click here to read the full issue! Want to receive The Toy Book in print? Click here for subscription options!