Packaging Experts Directory
01/2007

[…] Up to 74% of purchasing decisions are made at the POS (point of sale) – and up to 60% are made based on product packaging and presentation. In order to reach consumers of various cultural backgrounds, it is of the utmost importance that international branding managers adapt their packaging to local market specifics. This requires sensitivity and “crosscultural awareness” on the part of corporations and agencies.

“Packaging that is successful with customers in Germany may not work as well in France, and will probably not work at all in Russia,” observes Stefan Mannes, Managing Director of the agency, kakoii, in Berlin. According to the expert, even in an increasingly global society, it is important to differentiate between the various cultural traditions that define markets. In order to develop internationally customer-centric packaging, packaging trends should not solely be observed from a national perspective.

With offices in Germany and Japan, kakoii serves numerous national and international clients in the areas of packaging and corporate design. […]

• Packaging design by kakoii Berlin/Tokyo

Moving boxes, cans, milk jugs, medication bottles – more and more, designers are putting their scents and cosmetics into ordinary packaging. A review.

DiePresse.com, 27.09.2007 (ThePress.com, 9/27/2007)

(…) Visions of the tetra-pak were floating in designer Thekla Heineke’s head as she developed the packaging for a hair coloring product by Shiseido. The new feature of “Tasting Tone” is its quick and uncomplicated use, and this is precisely what Heineke wanted to highlight. “The familiar shape of a tetra-pak represents the simple, daily use of a product”, says the designer, along the lines of: open, use, and toss. She explains that the strategy to use cheap, or at least ordinary, packaging for luxury cosmetics represents a quest for understatement. Thekla Heineke designs for the Berlin-based agency, kakoii, which is also responsible for the design of the cosmetics line “FSP” by Shiseido. FSP’s foil closures, which do not instill a sense of exclusivity and seem familiar since we are used to seeing them on medications, also play on the aesthetics of the ordinary. Heineke describes the attraction of products designed in this manner as: “It is not high-end, but insiders know nonetheless that it is expensive.”

• Packaging design by kakoii Berlin/Tokyo

Creativ verpacken (Creative Packaging) – Luxury packaging, October – Designer’s Opinion

Thekla Heineke, Creative Director at kakoii Berlin: “What do you expect from packaging that promises us luxury? A direct relationship with the product, an idea or concept that has been encapsulated without simply using popular stereotypes. Keeping the promise to be there just for me. For example, let’s take a look at the Ipsa fragrance line by Shiseido: a small, round flacon produced in a limited series. What is the appropriate packaging for a scent that is fresh, dry, and light? This scent is embedded in a round form, wrapped in a white leather bag that can be opened by zipper. The front is covered by a double-layer of sheer gauze which holds a feather of the same blue color as the flacon. Is it possible to create packaging that is more personal or sensual to the touch?”

• Packaging design by kakoii Berlin/Tokyo