Jill Chase - Art Director of Go Dog Design Group

Article originally published on DrToy.com October 2011

© 2016 Go Dog Design Group,LLC. All Rights Reserved.

In this super competitive atmosphere of the toy world, it's so

important to get your packaging just right. It isn't enough to

have a good product. If the packaging isn't great it might not

even make it to the toy aisle, let alone get off the shelf and go

home with someone. A great package gives the toy a perceived

added value, and a bad one can make it look cheap. In our

more than 15 years creating branding for the toy industry, we

have come up with some universal truths about great packaging.

1. Know your brand.

This might seem obvious, but it's so important to immerse

yourself in your brand and really feel it. If it's a movie or TV

license, you can't fake it, you need to really watch it, and know

it. Your branding will have a verisimilitude that can't be achieved

by just reading a synopsis or script. When we worked on Michael

Jackson packaging we constantly had MJ videos playing in the

background, and when we worked on Terminator we the worked

to sounds of the action movies.

2. Know your market.

Again, this may seem obvious, but it's important. If your product is aimed at an 8 year old boy,

it helps if you can really channel that 8 year old boy inside yourself. We really never grew up,

so it's not hard for us. This gets tricky when the brand is really aimed at an older audience than

your market. This happens. For instance a movie such as Terminator might be a brand that can

be a bit dark at first glance. Coming up with a look that satisfies both the brand and the market

is a tricky tightrope act.

3. Know the competition.

I don't want to dwell too much on what others are doing, but you have to know what's out there

to stand out from the crowd. What seems like a great design solution in the isolation of your

studio might seem quite stale when you see it in the context of the shelf, next to the competition.

What is your product’s point of differentiation?

Can I highlight that difference more?

The apocalyptic subject matter of the Terminator Salvation movie skewed a little older than the

target market for the toys. We succeeded in

making the packaging more kid-friendly without losing the flavor of the brand.

Stewie demands your attention first,

then you go on to see the various

attributes of the toy.

Jill Chase - Art Director of Go Dog Design Group

Article originally published on GlobalToyNews.com January 2012   © 2016 Go Dog Design Group,LLC. All Rights Reserved.

Whatever the creative project, be it branding or toy design, internet or print, it all should start with a good creative brief. A good brief is the foundation of understanding between Client and Creative team. All too frequently, people skip this step which is shocking because a project launched without it is like a house built on sand. If a client provides one - great! If not, you had better ask the questions up front and get your understanding down on paper, and then you will avoid problems later. Here are some of the things I like to get straight before starting a project, but keep in mind that questions will vary depending on the project.

Get a good general description of project parameters. You should have a solid idea of the scope of the project or you may find that you haven't the resources available and haven't given the client an estimate that is realistic. When a client says "What I need is so simple," find out exactly what they define as simple. Their definition might be totally different than yours.

What is the objective? Is there a marketing goal or a measurable objective? What do we want the consumer to think or do?

What is the time line? Does the full scope of the project work with the schedule that has been proposed? The old adage of "Anything is possible with time and money" is true. Make sure you cover one with the other.

Are there pre-existing assets or media? Know up front if you need to integrate with some campaign or branding or if you are at liberty to start from scratch. If there is equity in an existing tag line, you had better know about it.

Who is the target market or intended audience? Tween girls or boys 3-8, it’s critical to know or you might

turn people off.

What are the key points or communications? What features need highlighting and what is the hierarchy of communication?

Make a competitive analysis. In the case of packaging, we like to know where our product might sit on the shelf and who is competing for the shoppers’ cash. Try to find the thing that makes your product great. I find that when a client sees the competition all lined up it is so much more simple to determine the tone and direction to take.

Determine tone. If you look at the product and think Extreme Sports and your client is expecting a General Sporting Goods vibe you will be wasting a lot of time. It is best to get on the same page now, rather than figure it out on round 3 of the creative.

A good brief is meant to protect both the client and the creative team. Don’t think of it as a limiter. Without knowing what the boundaries of the job are, how can you push them? With this necessary step out of the way, everyone is free to explore the project fully and end up with the best product possible.

Jill Chase - Art Director of Go Dog Design Group

Article originally published on GlobalToyNews.com February 6th 2012   © 2016 Go Dog Design Group,LLC. All Rights Reserved.

Whatever your product is, eventually it will need to stand bravely next to another product and compete for someone's hard earned dollars. This is where killer packaging makes all the difference. Packaging is where the rubber hits the road and your product gets traction or not. You can have the best product with the most innovative features, but if you don’t get anyone's attention it doesn’t matter. To make stand out packaging we start with a comprehensive analysis of the competition and a trip to the store - or maybe

 2 or 3. Where would your product be logically and what do the competitors look like? This exercise isn’t about copying their look, just the opposite. We want to make sure we don’t blend in and vanish on shelf.

Let’s start by looking at their product and packaging. Are they open or closed boxes mainly? Do they use a lot of photography or illustrations or show the actual product? There are practical reasons that help determine this, but take note of where it works and where it doesn’t help. Do they all use the same color palette? Maybe there is an opportunity to jump off the shelf with a different use of color. Believe it or not, there is no actual law that dolls have to be packaged in pink.

Now let’s look at your product. What about it makes it great? What is the point of differentiation from the other guy’s product? Highlight that feature. If your product is waterproof, moves, makes noises or transforms better than any other toy let people know at a glance. If it has several awesome features - great! Determine an order of importance so we can create a visual hierarchy. Is there an opportunity for a “Try Me?” Nothing engages a kid right in the store like a well designed “Try Me.”

Whether designing a new product or designing packaging for that product, knowing your competition is essential. Only then, when you are armed with a full understanding of what’s out there, are you ready to get down to the business of making your packaging the best it can be.

Jill Chase - Art Director of Go Dog Design Group

Article originally published on GlobalToyNews.com March 2014   © 2016 Go Dog Design Group,LLC. All Rights Reserved.

Does your packaging feature Kewpie doll faced little girls in ruffles and bows or outdated fonts and color schemes? Unless you are going for a real retro look it may be time for a brand face lift. Done correctly, a brand can evolve with the times for many years. Whether you have one successful product on the shelf or you are lucky enough to have an evergreen brand, with time a package look can get stale. Highly successful brands such as Power Rangers, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Barbie have all evolved over the years without losing any brand equity. A well done re-vamp will give your brand new energy.

Deciding what to retain is the first step. What is your brand’s essence? If you are Hot Wheels you probably want to keep the idea of flames, and if you are Barbie you wouldn’t dream of giving up pink. Once you have determined what the heart and soul of your property is, then the rest is up for discussion. How big a move you make depends on your comfort level. Do you need to update your logo, develop new textures, fonts and design elements or maybe simply rethink the proportions of existing packaging elements? Keep in mind that if you make only small design tweaks you will probably want to revisit your brand look more often. The evolution of an existing look should feel natural. People should still know at a glance that it’s your brand, but better! Remember too that this is an opportunity to make sure your packaging is really working as hard as it can to sell your product. Is this your chance to add cool action shots, or really show off a new feature? Now’s the time for that too.

The internet puts new demands on a brand to stay fresh. Consumers need new content constantly to keep interested. Developing a brand identity that has the flexibility to change elements within the character and color palette of your brand will help with this.

Sometimes it’s hard to let go of something that once upon a time you thought was great, but just like that outfit in the back of your closet you wouldn’t wear on a bet, sometimes it’s time to move on. A full exploration takes time and careful deliberation, but when done well the reward is a revitalized brand.

Jill Chase - Art Director of Go Dog Design Group

Article originally published on GlobalToyNews.com January 2016   © 2016 Go Dog Design Group,LLC. All Rights Reserved.

Today, people talk about branding in in such a broad way. It is no longer solely the concern of companies selling cereal, sneakers and toys. I’ve heard teen age girls refer to re-branding themselves for the start of high school. It’s become a part of our vernacular. Much thought goes into creating an identity. Clients go to design firms and marketing agencies to gain from their expertise on logo and packaging design, in order to develop a visual language that should carry through everything the consumer might come in contact with. Then WHY does that same company end up with such a bad website?

I have a couple of theories on this:

First, I think that designing the front end ( the look, feel and function) and the back end (coding to make it real) of a website use very different parts of the brain. Design is a right brain function, and web coding is engineering and is left brain. Have you ever seen an engineer fix something around the house? It might function perfectly but have pipes or wires outside the wall or use unattractive parts that don’t exactly go with your decorating scheme. Function but no form. Rarely are both skill sets found in one person or organization. Too many people who claim to design websites are technicians who don’t possess the design sensitivity one wants to cary on your brand image.

Second, there are so many "do it yourself", web templates out there. People can call themselves a web designer with very little up font effort. They can just shoe-horn your design elements into an existing template. The result of this is usually an inelegant site with bad typography and little continuity to your carefully thought-out brand identity.

Third, web fashions evolve. A site that seemed great 10 years ago might seem clunky and dated today. Making sure your brand evolves with the times is important in keeping it fresh.

I think the solution is to keep it all in one house. Do your homework and select a design firm with the capabilities to cover all of your needs. You will be much better off in the end. My theory is that a designer (or design firm) that specializes in design first but does web sites will go the extra mile to hire or consult the right tech people to execute their design vision perfectly, no mater what. They are protecting their design baby. A web designer who was not involved with all the thought and process that went into putting together your brand will not be as invested. They are unlikely to realize that they are falling short of your carefully cultivated brand look.

For many brands a website is where a first impression is made. Is your website the weak link in your branding portfolio?