Volume 9: Packaging for a Flat World: Part 1 of 2

In this special two-part edition of The Digital Edge, we’ll examine international packaging design. In this edition we look at how internationalization and localization affects package design. Next time we’ll examine the technology necessary to design international packaging - software applications, fonts, operating systems, and keyboards.

International Packaging Design

In his 2005 best selling business book, The World Is Flat: A Brief History of the Twenty-first Century, author Thomas Friedman reminded us that all companies, big and small, have the ability to sell their products and services, globally. Companies like Microsoft, Gerber, PepsiCo, Sony, and Nestlé, market their products all over the world. In order to do so, these companies design unique localized packaging based on the region and its cultures.

Internationalization and Localization

Most of the packaging in the United States is designed specifically for the domestic market. Design elements such as text, images, and color - are based on uniquely American cultural values and social norms. Marketers tailor packaging to specifically attract the attention of United States consumers. All nations and regions of the world have their own unique cultures, which must be understood when designing localized product packaging. Designing a new package, or adapting existing packaging for foreign markets requires two complimentary processes - internationalization and localization.

Internationalization (sometimes called globalization) is the process of removing all cultural, political, religious, historic, and ethnic idiomatic phrases, colloquialisms, metaphors, slang, jargon, terminology, images, graphics, and even colors from an existing package, in order to repurpose it for another, non-native region. In order to create a more universally acceptable package, designers often substitute recognizable graphic icons for product usage directions, disposal, recycling, and safety instruction copy. Package designs that rely too heavily on typography or local imagery are often difficult to convert effectively to foreign markets. The result of internationalization is a culturally neutral package template, which can be repurposed for multiple global markets.

Once the process of internationalization is complete, localization can take place. Localization is the process of adapting a package’s contents, design, and marketing message to reflect local cultural sensitivities. Text is translated and images, artwork, and colors are selected, based on local cultural norms and social values.

Translation

Translation of text is the most obvious step in the localization process. Wikipedia loosely defines translation as the interpretation of the meaning of a text in one language (the source language) and the production, in another language (the target language), of an equivalent text, which communicates the same message.

Word-for-word translation of text from one language to another is analogous to learning to speak a foreign language without learning the proper pronunciation or phrasing - it’s literally correct, but difficult to understand by someone who speaks the native language. Localization of text is best performed by a translation specialist who is fully conversant in the native language. Localization requires an idiomatic understanding of both the source and the target languages. Translators also convert weights and measures, dates, times, and currency formats to regional conventions. Translators adapt legal copy, safety warnings, nutritional facts, disposal and recycling information, and food ingredients, to meet local regulations.

Localized packaging often contains more than one translation. For example, packaging for the North American market which has grown rapidly with the advent of NAFTA, is often trilingual - English for the United States, Spanish for Latin America, and Quebec French for Canada. Likewise, European packaging frequently contains translations for multiple languages. The European Union, comprised of 27 member states, has 23 official languages.

When setting multilingual copy there are a number of factors to be taken into consideration. The cultural make-up of the target audiences may determine the order that the language translations appear and their relative font sizes. Government regulations in some counties can influence the order of priority and relative size of multilingual copy.

Images and Artwork

An image is worth a thousand words it is said, and is therefore often they most culturally sensitive elements of the package’s design. In addition to text, designers must localize images and artwork. Designers should refrain from using photographic images and artwork that contain sexual, racial, religious, political, and race- and gender-specific themes. This includes the use of certain body parts, animals, geographic locations, and social settings, as well as national symbols like flags.

There is the now famous legend of how Gerber baby food was first sold in Africa, using the same packaging that used in the United States - featuring the cute Gerber baby on the front. What Gerber failed to realize was that in many third-world countries, like Africa, it was common practice to feature a picture of the food package’s contents on front label to assist the largely illiterate population. Of course you can imagine the horrified reactions of the local residents to seeing the baby’s face prominently featured on the front of the package!

Color

Color should also be examined for cultural sensitivities when designing product packaging. White for example, a symbol of purity and cleanliness in Western cultures is often worn at weddings, but is the predominant color at funerals in Asian cultures. Conversely black, is worn during times of mourning in the West, but is strictly a color of formality in the Asian cultures, and is considered to bring good luck at weddings. Red, the color of passion in Western societies and representing happiness and cultural festivity in China, is conversely a sign of purity in India. In Japan, red can have a negative marketing connotation because of its use for price tags on deeply-discounted products. Blue is regarded by many experts to be the most culturally-neutral color. In both the West and East, blue represents peace and serenity. In the West however, blue can also represent depression and sadness. The same variations in symbolism can be found in other colors as well. When designing for a global audience, cultural bias for color symbolism must be considered.

Best Practices

Experts recommend that the last step in producing localized packaging for an international market should be a localized marketing review. A package’s contents and design elements should be evaluated for marketing effectiveness as well as cultural sensitivities by an in-country representative. Full compliance with local regulations and conventions should be verified. -gs

In Part 2 we’ll examine the technology necessary to design international packaging - software applications, fonts, operating systems, and keyboards.