08.07.08
| Dior Capture's serum cap blends well with the entire package. |
Recent projects highlight the many ways a cap can effectively enhance a package—and the consumer’s experience.
By Leah Genuario, Contributing Editor
Caps and closures have a tough job. Not only must they be hardworking, they need to look good, too. A successful closure must effectively relay the brand image, integrate seamlessly with the rest of the package and serve a functional purpose.
Some closures also dispense; other closures protect the actuator. No matter what its job, brand marketers spend a lot of time on its design and execution.
“With many projects that we design, we actually choose the closure first and then find a bottle or jar that will work with that closure,” says Glyn Eppy, president of design agency The Design Spot in New York, NY.
| Hard Candy teamed with HCT Packaging to create a jewel-like cap. |
Equally important is functionality. “Your first interaction with the product starts with the closure, so how the closure works is also extremely important,” advises Eppy. “From a technical standpoint, you want to make sure the product will dispense properly, that the material is compatible with the type of product that it’s going to be used with, that the cap fits and doesn’t leak and that it operates well.”
There are a number of different ways to differentiate a cap from the competition. Eppy suggests the use of color or metallization to add personality as well as upgrade the product’s perceived value.
Grubow notes a number of trends impacting cap and closure design. Double-walled thick plastic remains a popular choice for brand marketers for its “upscale impression” and its glass look.
She also emphasizes the impact of creative uses of color. “Introducing unexpected touches of color, instead of coloring the cap overall, provides a delight factor and leaves the consumer with the impression that the brand considers every detail,” Grubow adds.
| O. Berk's The Masterpieces Collection utilizes glass stoppers. |
“At the same time, we are also seeing a number of offerings that are positioned in the professional products arena that are understated and under-designed to reinforce a credible, authoritative aesthetic,” says Grubow.
Following is a look at several recent projects outlining noteworthy caps or closures, proving there are many ways to successfully design and execute this vital component.
The Crowning Jewel
This cap is a real jewel—or at least it’s designed to look like one. Brand marketer Hard Candy and HCT Packaging, headquartered in London, teamed up to create a cap and package for Hard Candy’s new fragrance that’s intended to resemble a multi-faceted jewel.
The final look—which took approximately six months from concept to launch—is a proven showstopper, with the cap playing a vital role in the overall effect.
The cap is “young and playful” says HCT European communications manager Julie Neigher, to keep with the “lighthearted feel of the Hard Candy image and brand. It isn’t slated for any specific age market, but it is supposed to be cheerful, fresh and not heavy.”
The 1.69-oz. eau de parfum is crowned with a bright pink cap while the 3.38-oz. size utilizes a bright-green one. The cap is a perfect complement to the slender bottle, which was created from DuPont Surlyn resin and features a black swirling design of flowers, berries, branches and curls. The logo on the bottle is a color match to its respective cap and stands out well against the black-and-white background.
Light shines through the cap, which was a very intentional effect. Surlyn was chosen to achieve this type of clarity, in addition to its molding and chemical resistance characteristics.
The cap pushed the limits of HCT’s manufacturing capabilities in several ways. The facets on the cap were difficult to achieve in an injection molding tool. Removing the Surlyn from the tool in one piece was also a challenge to overcome, says Neigher.
Complementary Cap
Not all caps require the spotlight, however. The packaging for the recently launched Dior Capture R 60/80 Ultimate Wrinkle Restoring Serum features components that blend together seamlessly for a cohesive, unified look. The cap does not specifically stand out, but rather was designed to complement the entire look. The brand is known for its upscale, prestige image and the new packaging does not
disappoint.
Rexam Personal Care, located in Paris, provided the brand with a complete packaging solution, including the bottle, cap and pump.
As closure product manager Elisabeth Benoit explains, Rexam was given a specific marketing and development brief. The supplier then determined a “technical proposal closest to [the brand’s] expectation in terms of aesthetics and functionality.”
The cap features two pieces, both of which were manufactured in-house by Rexam. Polypropylene was chosen for the inner piece due to its functionality. The outer piece is made of plastic raw material ABS. For a prestige look, it is vacuum metallized in silver. The outer piece also includes a Dior logo to clearly emphasize the brand name, a feature which is achieved during the injection process.
The cap’s shiny silver color is carried over to the bottle for a cohesive look. Hot stamping was used to create the silver text on the bottle, while the black text was pad printed. The primary
container also features a frosted texture effect and pink metallization on the inner bottle.
Simplicity Is the Best Choice
Other brands have also chosen an understated look for product closures that blend into the overall packaging decor. Olay Definity Illuminating Cream cleanser, for example, offers a hydrating formula that’s for dull, dry, uneven skin.
Its packaging is equally refreshing. The brand worked with design agency LPK Beauty Group to create the look. A purple and silver color scheme was chosen to communicate the luminosity of the product.
The angled tube is finished off with a cap at its bottom. “The product has a simple closure, which has been carefully considered; the shiny silver finish provides a beautiful quality
impression and makes the primary tube more distinctive and appealing at shelf,” says Grubow.
The cap also plays an important functional role. To ensure ease-of-use, the product dispenses with a simple turn of the cap.
Assembly Required
While some brands look for simple caps, the innovative cap for prestige fragrance Chopard Happy Spirit took no such avenue.
The entire package harkens to its consumer’s romantic side, featuring a clever heart-shaped bottle, parallelepiped cap and hues of pink. The intricacies of the design exude luxury and it’s easy to see why the cap, manufactured by Rexam Personal Care, is a manufacturing achievement.
The cap features two side-by-side rectangles at the top in complementary colors. The base of the cap is colored pink.
| The intricate cap for Chopard Happy Spirit features two glued-on rectangles. |
In order to achieve the look, the Rexam team utilized a polypropylene outer piece for its foundation. The outer piece was metallized in pink. Then at the top, it was hot stamped silver
to prepare for the attachment of two rectangles.
The two rectangles were injection molded and made from plastic resin PCTA. The PCTA rectangles were then glued to the outer piece, over the hot stamped footprint. The combination
of silver hot stamping underneath and the use of PCTA “gives strong brightness,” explains Benoit.
These manufacturing processes delivered a luxurious look. To also create a luxurious feel
to the cap, Rexam added two weights inside the outer piece.
Convenience in a Closure
Feel and interaction are often as important to closures as their appearance. Interactive packaging has seen increased interest among brand marketers, according to Brenda Chamulak, director of strategic innovation for Seaquist Closures, Mukwongago, WI.
“It is not just about the package and how it looks, but also about the actual experience with the package,” she states.
That’s why Seaquist Closures has signed with MFV International Corporation, Morristown, NJ, to design, manufacture and sell stock and custom Push Open Closures throughout all of Europe and the Americas, a technology that allows consumers to open a closure with the push of a button. Seaquist Closures is in the process of completing its first stock design, a 2-in. diameter flared closure marketed under the One Touch product name.
The first design will include flared edges and a press-and-release finger recess button. When pressed, the top panel opens and exposes the dispensing orifice. The closure is assembled in
two pieces.
“It’s coming and we have seen major marketers very interested in it because of the interaction with the
package. Hair care, shower gels, and baby care products are the major focus for the 2-in. flared design, [which can be paired with] upright and inverted tubes.”
One Touch can be customized in a variety of different ways, including custom shapes, colors and decorating options. Its construction makes changing the button color a breeze, enabling brands to differentiate based on various Stock Keeping Units (SKUs).
Upscale Closure
Seaquist Closures provides another example of how closures can improve a consumer’s experience. The supplier recently joined forces with German brand owner Dr. Scheller Cosmetics AG to launch Manhattan Clearface SOS skin treatment.
The acne treatment product utilizes a 10mL tube, paired with Seaquist Closures’ Pinpoint. Pinpoint is a new dispensing closure for tubes that dispenses product from a conical-shaped silicone valve.
The silicone valve’s major asset is its soft touch, which enables a gentle application. It also provides an excellent way for brands to differentiate themselves from the competition through packaging, especially when tube options are limited.
As Chamulak explains, “What’s happening is there is so much going on within the anti-aging and anti-acne treatment categories, there has been little to no innovation in small diameter tubes. In the past, there was nothing in the packaging you could use to differentiate the product. Silicone tips encourage the consumer to apply the product directly to the skin.”
Nice Glass
There are other materials available for brands looking to make a splash with their caps and closures. While many brands choose plastic caps and closures, for those upscale brands that insist on using glass, O.Berk’s Designer Glass Packaging Group, Union, NJ, is offering a new line of faceted fragrance bottles and stoppers.
The company’s Masterpieces Collection includes glass stoppers made with a semi-automated process, one that merges hand-blown details with convenient automated features. The luxury stopper is hand-polished and a molded plastic piece is added to ensure a leak-proof closure.
Why glass over plastic? “Glass is extremely nice looking; it’s attractive,” states Hughes Thibaud, manager of special projects for Designer Glass Packaging Group. “If you look at the bottle with a glass stopper and you look at a stopper made in plastic with the same shape, you’ll like the glass better. They function the same, but it is like the difference between a Rolls Royce and a Chrysler. Both are cars, but one is better.”
The stopper and bottle can be colored the same, or can feature different colors for a completely different effect. The company envisions that the product will be used by prestige fragrance brands, as well as small companies attracted to the low product minimums.
The Goal
No matter what the final look and the desired functionality, a properly designed and well-executed cap can make or break a product. It offers yet another way to connect with the consumer and to communicate a brand’s message. Not only must it attract at the point of sale, it also needs to meet functionality requirements from the moment it is brought home to the moment it is disposed of or recycled.
“We believe that cap choice is a major defining factor between the consumer’s purchase or re-purchase,” says Chamulak of Seaquist Closures. “How that cap performs through the life of the package is critical.”
