I’ll admit it isn’t hard to tempt me into a few impulse buys in the supermarket — no matter how hard I try to stick to my shopping list, a new type of cereal or innovative dental care product usually finds its way into my basket.
Judging how easy it is to sway me, I was surprised to read how packaging on a supermarket shelf has less than three seconds to grab the attention of a potential customer.
However, my fickleness when it comes to brand loyalty could be explained by the fact more than 70% of purchasing decisions are made at the shelf — and packaging designers make it their job to ensure the product they have helped create is the one which catches my eye during those crucial three seconds.
A tough challenge indeed considering a supermarket can contain on average 40,000 different types of packaging, according to the Design Council. As part of our series of Q&As looking at the different types of design and the careers available within them, we are going to ask our experts what it is like working as a packaging designer.
Our panel will be answering your questions about the skills and qualifications you’ll need to break into this area – join them on 20 October at 1pm.
