A portable, talking barcode scanner from Matthews will make life easier for Australia’s vision impaired.

The scanner, known as ID Mate, can help the blind and low visioned at home, school or work — and even while doing the groceries.

ID Mate has been released by Visual Independence, a not-for-profit Australian charity set up to bring happiness through using assistive technology to those who are blind or live with low vision.

Visual Independence is managed through an all-voluntary advisory committee from Vision Australia, Guide Dogs Victoria, GS1 Australia and Matthews Intelligent Identification.

Visual Independence’s Bernie Slagtman says ID Mate is an exciting step forward that would allow the vision impaired to become more independent and empowered in their daily lives.

ID Mate uses Omni directional technology to scan an item’s barcode. Users then listen to spoken descriptions from the scanner’s database, which holds details of more than one million Australian bar code products.

via Talking barcode scanner from Matthews.

It would appear that whether it be as an ingredient for the product, or as a component of the packaging, Bamboo is making quite an impact.  Used as a component of the packaging it can add to the ‘sustainability story’ of the product – great opportunity for the marketers! (Jane)

Bamboo has become the ingredient of choice for companies who want to bolster their sustainability credentials, according to the recent Consumer Packaged Goods trend report from market researcher Datamonitor.

via Bamboo is sustainable ingredient of choice.

Well, the anti-aging colour foundations have already proved very popular, as have the anti-aging lipsticks, so I suppose it’s only natural that the eyes should be the next target. (Jane)

The cosmetic-skincare hybrid category is, according to Nica Lewis, director of beauty innovation at market researcher Mintel, a new class of products in the prestige beauty sector that combine color cosmetics with skincare functions.

via Innovation leads to anti-aging color cosmetics for eyes.

The normal packaging development  process would involve firstly developing a pack to fit the product in an optimum manner. Then any legally required text would be positioned (including any required symbols, such as recycling logos). Finally the marketing requirements would be implemented, in terms of claims, branding etc. More often than not, there is then a need to go back to product marketers to get them to reduce their marketing copy on the packs, because it simply won’t fit……..and the situation is getting worse!

Other options that can help tackle this problem are:

A, reducing the font size – but this can have implications on readability, print process constraints and there is often a legal minimum size which needs to be adhered to.

B, Using paginated label leaflet formats – where, on occasions, we have developed up to a 10-page concertina style leaflets. However, these multi-layered add-ons can add a huge on-cost onto the price of a pack – for which marketers don’t always want to pay.

C, Printing on the inside of pack (e.g. cartons) – but not visible until a pack is opened. So one can’t do this with certain text which needs to be visible at time of purchase

D, Finally, if all else fails, considering increasing the overall size of the packaging.

An example of a multi-page label solution

This latter route is sometimes unavoidable, especially with pharmaceutical packs, where the packs are very small, and even after taking measures such as reducing the bar codes from 13 digit to 8 digit, there is simply not enough room to display the mandatory legal minimum required text (let alone any marketing text).

Furthermore, it is now the law for any new medicines to incorporate Braille on the packaging (it will be a requirement for all existing medicines by October 2010). This will have to detail the product name, the strength [of the medication] and the dose form – yet another constraint to bear in mind. New products also have to conform with the readability guidelines which are in place to ensure that the packs can be read clearly and understood by the patient/consumer).

It’s worth remembering that it’s not just the basic information that one has to put on the pack. Very this has to be repeated it in a number of  different languages. It’s not unusual for a European product to have a need for 12 languages. And then there might be a need to repeat ‘country of origin’ for every language, and could require five countries needing to be listed (for a range of ingredients). The result could be a situation where  all one has room to display is a list of ingredients  & addresses, and any wish for aesthetic beauty just ‘goes out of the window’.

At Design Cognition, we review the whole space to find an ideal design that looks most aesthetically appealing and hopefully doesn’t look too cluttered – but it’s not always easy!

Incorporating logos of different colours, or trying to mix varying colours of text with backgrounds, can add its own issues and problems. Sometimes ‘house colours’ do not lend themselves to readability, White text on a pastel or black background for instance, can be even harder to read, so we may need to redesign [the pack graphics], using the principles and processes detailed above.

Overall our job is to develop a pack that is fit for purpose and not over-packaged. Things are becoming increasingly challenging but, so far our use of creativity and lateral thinking has provided a suitable solution.

Moving forwards technology could aid some of the issues raised above. Nowadays, certain consumer/marketing information can be shown ‘on-line’, cutting down the need to put it all on-pack – maybe just a web address for further information. There have also been great leaps forward in microchip technology which will enable ‘talking packs’, ‘moving pictures’ and a whole new interactive consumer experience – taking packaging to a new level. These are all areas in which Design Cognition has a strong interest and is working with a number of suppliers to develop cost-effective solutions.

If you’d like more information on these areas, sign up for further information HERE

Chris Penfold

A researcher at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) who used to be a brand manager at luxury goods firm Louis Vuitton Moët Hennessy (LVMH) asked hundreds of fake bag buyers about their habits in an unpublished study ‘The Real Value Of Fakes’.

Renee Richardson Gosline interviewed the consumers who knew when they bought them that the bags were fakes and found that 46% of them bought authentic branded bags within two years.

“For some status-seeking people, at least, the social power of luxury goods means that consumption must not just be conspicuous, but real,” said a statement from MIT describing the research.

“The counterfeit actually served as a placebo for brand attachment,” Gosline told news service Bloomberg . “People were becoming increasingly attached to the real brand even though they never possessed it at all.”

You can read the full article here: OUT-LAW New

You can find further information on counterfeiting and evolving technologies, via Design Cognition’s sister site ‘The Pharma Gateway‘. Also, if you are interested in our forthcoming counterfeiting workshops – let us know.

The dangers of counterfeiting drive the need for package and brand security. The following is an extract from a recent Converting Magazine event in the US, detailed by Natalie Hasselbacher, Converting Magazine, 3rd June 2009, which provides some useful insights into successful anti-counterfeiting and security techniques and technologies.

Three speakers presented during an anti-counterfeiting session on the importance of product security and possible ways for its implementation among capable converting facilities. Discussions highlighted a desperate need for package security to save a company’s brand whilst also ensuring safety to consumers.

Jim Reiman, Sales Director at Sun Chemical Security, said once anti-counterfeiting technology is applied to a package or label, the most important thing for brand owners to consider is a strategy and who will authenticate. “Articulating a high-level strategy and defining the problem is important,” he said. “Clearly articulating requirements with metrics and an internal agreement among company employees for proper implementation is a must. You have to question whether consumers, customs, investigators or retail will authenticate.”

Reiman also discussed Sun Chemical’s newest technologies that reportedly fight counterfeiting. The Verigard is a low level taggant that is said to work in any ink or adhesive while printing using most methods including flexo, gravure and offset.

A second speaker, Jim Colby, a Consultant for ExPev Solutions, referred to interdiction, authentication and a secure supply chain as the three ways to stop counterfeiting.

Thirdly, Juliet Midlik, Sales Manager for Prime UV Systems, mentioned that most of the company’s customers purchasing UV drying systems are applying anti-counterfeiting coatings and inks on food packaging.

The full article can be read here: http://tinyurl.com/yaq3nf4

You can find further information on counterfeiting and evolving technologies, via Design Cognition’s sister site ‘The Pharma Gateway‘. Also, if you are interested in our forthcoming counterfeiting workshops – let us know.

Interesting article and data  on the importance of continued investment into innovative packaging and graphics (Annie)

Year long survey consistently finds that structure might best communicate innovation, especially with supportive graphics. Materials and production also are good barometers. In any economic environment, innovation is key to growth. But, during a recession, many companies are tempted to reduce spending on innovation to save money. Luckily, this is not an absolute rule. Daring brands still pushed the boundaries of packaging innovation in 2009.Earlier this year, Shelf Impact! and international brand consultancy Dragon Rouge formed a partnership to ask branding and packaging professionals to evaluate recent product and packaging innovations. Each quarter, we asked a sample of hundreds of Shelf Impact! readers, from brand managers to designers to materials suppliers, to rate a selection of packages on matters of innovation. View an image and brief description of each of the 10 packages reviewed this quarter.

via Shelf Impact: “Achieving attention-getting innovation” Filed In:.

Sounds like there will be a lot of artworks that will need changing – I hope the smaller businesses out there fully understand the regulations (Jane)

Canadian manufacturers of antiperspirant products have until the end of 2011 to alter product claims and labeling under new regulation. Following new guidance on the classification of products on the cosmetics drug interface, aluminium containing antiperspirants are now classified as cosmetics in Canada.

via Antiperspirant labels and claims change in Canada.

The internet is ‘afrenzy’ at the moment with stories relating to a possible sale or merger of Reckitt Benckiser. We’ve picked it up here from a couple of sources which contradict each other slightly, but this is not surprising and is normal in any takeover/merger rumour situatuion. SSL International and Colgate-Palmolive are both ‘in the frame’ (allegedly), but it’s not clear who’s buying whom or what (guess that they could also be considering buying & selling business divisons or brands). We will let you read them and make up your own mind. Chris

Rumours fly over sale or merger of Reckitt Benckiser

Simon Pitman, Cosmetics Design-Europe.com 19 Nov 2009

Talk of a multi-billion euro transaction involving Reckitt Benckiser, a global brand owner of personal care and household products, has sent share prices rocketing.

The UK company has been linked to big names such as SSL International, owner of the Durex brand, but according to well-placed sources used by British newspaper The Daily Telegraph, the most obvious candidate is US consumer giant Colgate-Palmolive.

The report stated that Reckitt Benckiser was close to making a cross-border transaction that would probably be structured as a merger if it were to take place with a business such as Colgate-Palmolive.

Such a deal would also tie in with the company’s desire to no longer be headquartered in the UK, due to the unfavourable tax situation and economy.

You can read the full Cosmetics Design-Europe article here: http://bit.ly/4B2Uxx

The story has also been covered in the  British press (amongst other places). In yesterday’s UK  Daily Telegraph, they carried the following:

Talk of Reckitt doing a big deal

Ben Harrington, www.telegraph.co.uk, 18 Nov 2009

The latest tale is that Reckitt Benckiser is close to announcing multi-billion pound cross-border transaction.

It is not clear which company Reckitt is targeting. SSL International, the maker of Scholl footwear products and Durex condoms, has always been tipped as a target for Reckitt. However, well-placed sources think the most obvious candidate is US giant Colgate-Palmolive.

The theory is that any deal between Reckitt and Colgate-Palmolive would have to be structured as a merger as they are roughly the same size.

Earlier this year, David Hayes and Alex Smith – the Nomura analysts who first raised the prospect of a Kraft bid for Cadbury – argued that Colgate-Palmolive could merge with a British company. However, they thought it more likely that Unilever would be the US company’s obvious merger partner.

You can read more of the Daily Telegraph report here: http://bit.ly/2GcdEy

This has been reported previously in the press. See related article ‘Reckitt Benckiser considers quitting Britain over tax‘ published in the UK Daily Telegraph 13th Aug 2009.

Whatever, your thoughts, it’s an interesting story that has wide ramifications and we’ll keep you posted as and when updates are available. Chris

Does this apply to any of your products?  This new ruling comes into affect on the 18th November 2009 and all new products entering the market need to be compliant by November 2011. (Jane)

The European Commission has changed the labelling requirements for formulations that contain certain hair dye ingredients. Amendments to the Directive are in response to a conclusion from the Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety SCCS previously known as the SCCP – Scientific Committee on Consumer Products that said contact allergies caused by hair dyes are an increasingly important health problem. These types of reactions can cause ‘acute and severe dermatitis’ in affected individuals, according to the SCCS. In an attempt to better inform the consumer of these dangers, the Commission has altered the warnings that must be included on the labels of oxidative hair dye products and some non-oxidative products that contain strong sensitising substances. 

via Cosmetics Directive amended to flag up hair dye allergy dangers.

www.cosmeticsdesign.com