{"id":16564,"date":"2025-03-18T13:19:50","date_gmt":"2025-03-18T13:19:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cpmirror.com\/?p=16564"},"modified":"2025-04-02T12:00:49","modified_gmt":"2025-04-02T12:00:49","slug":"inclusive-packaging-design-an-opportunity-to-create-better-experiences-for-all","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cpmirror.com\/index.php\/2025\/03\/18\/inclusive-packaging-design-an-opportunity-to-create-better-experiences-for-all\/","title":{"rendered":"Inclusive packaging design \u2013 an opportunity to create better experiences for all"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Inclusivity can never work as an afterthought \u2013 it has to be built into the core of packaging design from the very start. That\u2019s why many are taking a holistic approach and adding value via inclusive packaging design, says Lucy Burgess<\/strong>, Strategy Director at Touch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a leading structural design agency, Touch has an up-close-and personal level of insight into how inclusivity and accessibility must be incorporated into packaging design. At\u00a0London Packaging Week, Touch\u2019s Strategy Director, Lucy Burgess, shared some of those insights in a rousing panel discussion titled \u2018Conscious Consumerism: Inclusive Packaging Designed for Everyone\u2019 \u2013 and we caught up with her afterwards to hear more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lucy argues there are reasons to be cheerful about the topic. \u201cAcross the panel, I think we were aligned on the fact that inclusivity is an opportunity rather than a cost, hindrance, or compromise when it comes to packaging design,\u201d she says. \u201cWe all wanted it to feel optimistic and to inspire action.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFor businesses looking to take action, I would say the first step has to be to shift the mindset within your business. Touch is doing a lot of work in helping businesses to create design principles rather than just designing products. A lot of the businesses that we work in don\u2019t have any definitions or principles around how to design inclusively, and we want to support them in embedding those principles into their design processes from the offset.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Taking a comprehensive approach<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This comprehensive approach, she says, is key to how Touch works. \u201cWe\u2019ve been supporting businesses for over 17 years with structural expertise. We understand the intricacies of the landscape we\u2019re innovating within \u2013 there are some specific nuances around the way we research with consumers, and the legislation and infrastructure we\u2019re working within.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAs a result, we encourage our clients to do their due diligence. Not just from an inclusivity point of view, but also in terms of sustainability legislation, technical limitations, and costs. When dealing with inclusivity, you have to tread sensitively. We want to make sure that when we have these holistic conversations with the teams we support, and that we capture the multitude of ways that packaging can add value.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The process is being made easier as momentum starts to snowball \u2013 as some of the world\u2019s biggest brands are now paying greater attention to inclusivity. \u201cWe work with some of the world\u2019s biggest, most forward-thinking brands,\u201d she adds. \u201cAnd it\u2019s in their hands to drive inclusivity since, unlike sustainability, there\u2019s a lack of legislation pushing it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The power of packaging<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMore brands are recognising the power of packaging, and its ability to deliver tangible value. Packaging is the brand in the hand. It’s the physical thing that people actually interact with. It’s the first thing they see. And because it’s physical, it’s really connected to emotions and memory, so it’s an integral part of a consumer’s experience and perception of the brand. We want to make sure that our work is consistently in line with what the brand wants to convey, the experience they want to deliver, and their specific values.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Inclusivity\u2019s role in this is obvious \u2013 few things are more frustrating than purchasing a product you are physically unable to access, and no brand wants to come across as frustrating and hostile to its consumers. And taking a more holistic approach to inclusive design means that what Lucy calls \u201cthe power of packaging\u201d is greater now than it ever has been. The advent of digitalisation means it can extend beyond the packaging itself, and into the virtual world. So, what else can packaging bring to the party?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a conduit for lots of information,\u201d she says. \u201cWhat\u2019s really valuable about digital technology is that it\u2019s possible to add value without adding material. For a structural designer \u2013 we\u2019re tasked with stripping material away rather than adding to it \u2013 so we must ensure we pull the right design levers to add value.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Balancing function with form<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Of course, packaging can\u2019t be all function \u2013 it has to have an appealing form, too. \u201cWe don’t ever lose the fact that we want packaging to be beautiful, we want it to last, we want it to build brands. That means we need to combine creativity with technical expertise and strategic insight so the finished pieces of packaging are really future-proof.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThat\u2019s our responsibility, and we take it seriously. As we specialise in the structure of packaging, anything we do influences millions of pounds worth of machinery and supply chain operations, so if we\u2019re going to put a piece of packaging on the market, we want to make sure it\u2019s been fully considered.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, while overhauling a pack to be accessible and inclusive may involve balancing many different priorities at once, the rewards are ultimately worth it, argues Lucy. As inclusivity continues to become a more prominent priority for consumer brands, those who do not act risk jeopardising the loyalty of their consumers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For agencies like Touch, that means the future is bright. \u201cI feel fortunate, because when we take on a project, we might be commissioned by R&D, but we often work with multiple parts of the business to put it together. More and more so, there’s an increasing number of stakeholders, specialists, and experts getting involved. This sort of collaboration is something that\u2019s really ramping up for us and will continue to do so over the next year.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Inclusivity can never work as an afterthought \u2013 it has to be built into the core of packaging design from the very start. That\u2019s why many are taking a holistic approach and adding value via inclusive packaging design, says Lucy Burgess, Strategy Director at Touch. As a leading structural design agency, Touch has an up-close-and<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":16565,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[64],"tags":[1299],"class_list":{"0":"post-16564","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-latest-news","8":"tag-touch"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cpmirror.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16564","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cpmirror.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cpmirror.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cpmirror.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cpmirror.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=16564"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/cpmirror.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16564\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":16566,"href":"https:\/\/cpmirror.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16564\/revisions\/16566"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cpmirror.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/16565"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cpmirror.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=16564"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cpmirror.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=16564"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cpmirror.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=16564"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}