High Tension - Episode 1
Glamour in business used to be simple. Deals were sealed over a multi-course lunch, with fine wine flowing, and by dessert, the name, logo, and marketing strategy were done. That’s it. Today, that ritual has ballooned into a billion-dollar industry.
But why ?
The physical product is a big chunck of experience your customer going through, there are three distinct touchpoints, noticing it on the shelves, grabbing it and examine the product and if you are lucky, they will eventually interact with the product, and let's say if you have done a hell of job, they might keep the package for future reflection, so four touchpoints.
The world of packaging is like smoke: if done wrong, it stings your eyes; if done right, it fades, but the scent lingers. Packaging isn’t just an afterthought. For tangible products, it’s the crossroads where consumer psychology, sustainability, supply chains, and creative business collide.
But enough of the buildup. Let’s cut the fluff and give you something real to chew on.
One of the simplest, and smartest examples of this is from Piper Heidsieck and Victor & Rolf.
Piper Heidsieck and Victor & Rolf
They didn’t design a new package, add prints, stickers, or even change the bottle. They just turned the damn thing upside down. Simple, but brilliant. By flipping the product on the shelf, they created tension, drew attention, and stood out. All with what they already had. No waste, no new prints, no new strategy, as simple as old days. This approach only altered the first touch point, but the impact? It made the product stand out and get chosen.
Why does the flipped bottle work?
Your brain is always making predictions. As Lisa Feldman explains, every moment your brain constructs a mental model of the world around you. [1] It guesses what’s coming next based on past experiences because it’s more energy-efficient than analyzing everything in real time. Most of the time, this system works beautifully. What you expect matches to your sensory inputs (sights, smells and etc.), and you glide through life without much thought.
But what happens when reality doesn’t match the brain’s prediction? That’s where Daniel Kahneman’s two systems come in. “System 1” is your autopilot—it handles routine tasks quickly and effortlessly. But when something unexpected disrupts the pattern, “system 2” takes over.[2] This is the conscious, deliberate part of your mind that steps in when something grabs your attention or doesn’t make sense.
Now, picture yourself walking through a supermarket aisle. Your brain has seen rows of upright bottles a thousand times before, so it’s running in system 1, barely noticing what’s in front of you. But then, something breaks the pattern. A bottle is flipped upside down. The visual input doesn’t match your prediction, so your brain is forced to engage system 2. Suddenly, you’re not just browsing. You’re focused, intrigued, maybe even curious enough to pick up the product.
That’s the power of packaging design that surprises and disrupts. It’s not just about looking good on a shelf—it’s about stopping a shopper in their tracks, turning a routine moment into an experience they can’t ignore.
This is just the beginning. Packaging and branding are about to get a whole lot more intense, so hold on tight. These posts may be short, but the impact will hit hard.
References
- Lisa Feldman Barrett. (2017). How emotions are made the secret life of the brain. Mariner Books.
- Kahneman, D. (2011). Thinking, Fast and Slow. Farrar, Straus and Giroux.
- Wiedemann, J., Jean Jacques Evrard, & Evrard, B. (2010). The package design book Pentawards ; [from the winners of the pentawards package design prize]. [1]. Köln Taschen.
- EasyFairs. (n.d.). Pentawards The:Portal - The Winners. Pentawards.com. https://pentawards.com/directory/en/page/the-winners
