Pack design semiotics and why signs and codes are crucial in branding.
Pack designing calls for semiotic thinking — one must think of the colours and the signs that are used in packs; which colour means what to the viewer, must also be considered in the sociological, psychological and cultural context. Now, one of the easiest ways of associating the product with the pack is to have a picture of the product itself. For example, a picture of pouring water presented on the label of bottled water. The other is to have another image that connotes one of the values / virtues of the product eg having a picture of the Himalayas with a stream of water running down the mountains to depict mineral water. In India, the river Ganges is presumed to be the water body emanating from the Himalayas and since many associate purity with the Ganga river, hence the packaging codes connote purest of pure water. The colour blue is associated with clean rivers or clean water and therefore the use of colours like blue makes a difference. Signs, symbols and narratives work in the above fashion with regards to above example.
Packaging codes and design codes are basically the terms used for signs or symbols or visual mnemonics used in the packaging of a product; these signs, symbols, colours and shapes mean more to a viewer than just plain colours and shapes. When seen in the cultural context, the water stream in the above example connote purity, without even using the word pure in the text.
Experts who work on these things are called semioticians and they help with packaging codes, design codes and colours. We asked Leapfrog Strategy Consulting, one of India’s pioneers in semiotic thinking and co-founder of Semiofest, Hamsini Shivakumar about how semiotics is important in packaging design. She says, “people subconsciously interpret visuals, signs or symbols in a particular way. All design especially pack design must make use of semiotic thinking; applied semiotics plays an important role in brand building.
