The works of famous artists might seem inaccessible. Do you have to visit art galleries or purchase expensive paintings to see their works? But we are constantly encountering such works through the product packaging that are found in our daily lives. Many companies study design as a critical tool of management in addition to product quality and technology. Through various changes in design, they have stimulated customers’ sensibilities and realized corporate values. The SPC Group has also collaborated with several artists to enhance our product designs. Through these collaborations, we are pursuing customer satisfaction by offering diverse design experiences. Today, let’s look into design management, which is emerging as an important social issue, and how SPC Group’s packaging design reflects it.
The Importance of Design Management
Concept and definition of design management
“Design management” is studied by experts to achieve organizational goals and create lifestyles by using design as a management strategy. In the early days of industrial society, design merely conveyed the value of products by enhancing their aesthetics. Today, with narrow technological gaps between companies, design has emerged as an element that satisfies consumers’ emotional needs. In other words, companies are increasingly adopting design management because the aesthetic design of products, as much as their functionality, has become an essential factor that stimulates consumers’ desire. Companies research and optimize designs throughout their operations from the initial stage of product development to R&D, purchasing, manufacturing, sales, marketing, and service.
SPC Group’s corporate culture also regards design as the core value of its management and proactively invests in it. It is evident in SPC Group’s Design Center, envisioned by Chairman Heo Yeong-in’s management philosophy. “Every member of our company must be a designer,” he emphasized. Over 100 designers in graphics, VMD (Visual Merchandising), and interior design work here, visualizing our beliefs in design management. As such, through investment in design and our members’ efforts, we are producing remarkable results and winning several world-renowned design awards. Now, shall we explore which brands and products reflect SPC Group’s design management?
Packaging that represents identity through artist collaborations: Paris Baguette, teatra, and Paris Croissant
Paris Baguette’s collaboration with French illustrator Jean Jullien
Paris Baguette is working with the French illustrator Jean Jullien. Known for humorous and lighthearted illustrations, he is very popular in Korea as well. His works are characterized by trendy colors that express his rich imaginations and witty sensibilities. Such freewheeling style was combined with Paris Baguette’s signature colors to create the “Fresh Daily Milk” packaging. The stylish packaging suits the image of 1st-grade premium milk with fortified calcium. It was favorably received for effectively presenting the product features, known to be especially tasty when enjoyed with bread.
teatra’s collaboration with the British illustrator Fee Greening
teatra is a premium tea brand created by SPC Group’s Innovation Lab researchers who explored major tea fields around the world and blended those ingredients in the optimal ratio. Six types of “Premium Blended Tea,” launched in April, are made with ingredients that are selectively chosen from worldwide to enhance the authentic tea flavors. The elegant design elevates the sophistication of these delicate blends. The artist responsible for this design is the UK-based illustrator Fee Greening, known for her pen drawings. Before SPC, she had already worked with several popular brands. For this collaboration, Greening captured symbolic figures such as butterflies, birds, and the sun and created miniatures of plants to accommodate the characteristics of each product. In line with teatra’s eco-friendly philosophy, this packaging was made of tin cans that can be reused in various ways. It is quite useful as a storage box, plant pot, and indoor prop.
Paris Croissant’s collaboration with the French illustrator Thibaud Herem
Paris Croissant’s “Premium Baked Goods Gift Set” is made of carefully selected ingredients such as domestic eggs and French butter for a differentiated taste. It makes an excellent gift for family and friends. The packaging that matches the delicacy of baked goods like Baumkuchen, full of buttery flavors, became widely popular. Inspired by landmarks in Seoul, the French illustrator Thibaud Herem designed this chic packaging. He is an illustrator who travels around the globe and captures each city’s architecture and daily life in detail, portraying buildings masterfully with delicate pen lines. His artistic sensitivity and passion were duplicated on the packaging design. Detailed drawings of Gwanghwamun, Gyeongbokgung Palace, and Namsan Tower, the iconic places that symbolize Seoul, were a feast for our eyes.
Baskin Robbins’ international design award-winning packaging
Baskin Robbins’ collaborations with numerous artists
Baskin Robbins also solidified its brand identity by renewing its packaging design through collaborations with various artists. First, in 2016, it collaborated with Italian designer Alessandro Mendini, a master of industrial design, to introduce its unique packaging. His witty and limitless imaginations were commercialized into packaging, as well as napkins, party cups, hats, and candles, and became hugely popular. Alessandro Mendini, one of the most influential names in Italian design, is an innovator of minimalism and post-modernism. Arguably his most famous work, the wine opener “Anna G,” was so popular that he practically sold one every minute. He has created numerous masterpieces that made their marks in design history. For Baskin Robbins, he designed brilliant packaging that captures its identity and proved his prowess by winning the main prize at the 2016 Red Dot Design Award and 2017 iF Design Award.
Baskin Robbins also worked with the world-famous pop artist duo, Craig & Karl. Craig & Karl is an illustrator duo formed in 2011 by Craig Redman and Karl Maier. They are beloved for their youthful and trendy designs, vibrant colors, and witty art installations created through teamwork. The Baskin Robbins X Craig & Karl Packaging presented the brand’s ice cream and cakes with bright colors and illustrations. It emphasized their signature simplistic shapes and patterns and enticing colors, creating a unique pop art look. It was praised for effectively reproducing the brand identity of Baskin Robbins, which aims for fun and differentiated experiences, and won the main prize in the communication category at 2019 iF Design Award.
Baskin Robbins also collaborated with the world-famous industrial designer Stefano Giovannoni on the packaging. With a decorated history of awards, he has recorded high sales for each product he launches. Giovannoni visually expressed the brand identity of Baskin Robbins as “presenting renewed senses of joy to customers.” On the packaging, he depicted how children become friends through enjoying the sweet flavors of ice cream and run around together holding hands. It won the main prize in the communication category at the 2019 Red Dot Design Award.
Moreover, it recently partnered up with a global design consulting firm Turner for the new packaging design attuned to the “New BR” concept of a fun and smart Baskin Robbins. As shown above, Baskin Robbins is practicing design management through constant collaboration with artists and steadily growing into a more accessible brand for customers.
Through this article, we explored brands and products that incorporate SPC Group’s design management philosophy. We can’t help but anticipate the future of SPC Group, which is nurturing design-related talents and introducing new and valuable products through continuous collaboration with experts. SPC Group will continue to approach customers with designs that inspire their hearts and provide unique experiences.
