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Improving Collaboration between Designers, Artwork Coordinators, and Regulatory Affairs Professionals

Midjourney

In the complex world of product packaging and labeling (Pharma and Food mostly), effective collaboration between designers, artwork coordinators, and regulatory affairs professionals is crucial for ensuring compliance, efficiency, and overall success. With ever-changing regulations, tight budgets and timelines and a large set of very different stakeholders, having a streamlined process that connects everyone is essential. Below you will find some key aspects of how to optimize collaboration centered around the benefits of using an Artwork Management System (AMS) like Twona NeXT.

Establish Clear Communication Channels

One of the main challenges every organisation faces when there is a large number of SKUs and stakeholders involved is maintaining clear and effective communication. To address this, you must establish a clear communication channel for each project, where all stakeholders can share updates, feedback, and relevant information. While tools like Slack or Microsoft Teams can help facilitate these conversations, they are hardly suitable for highly regulated environments due the lack of traceability. Additionally, they tend to be disconnected from the projects themselves, serving only as a platform for discussion. Ensuring a Single Source of Truth is key wile Slack or Teams can be used as secondary channels by means of an integration. This means, for instance, a notification can be sent from your system to Slack when a project reaches a certain milestone.

Define Roles and Responsibilities

It is essential to outline the roles and responsibilities of each team member involved in the packaging workflow. Clearly defining who is responsible for what tasks or step ensures accountability and helps prevent confusion and potential bottlenecks. Create a detailed SOP that outlines each step in the workflow, add your work instructions to facilitate adoption and prevent errors and arrange training for every stakeholder involved in the process.

Implement a Centralized Artwork Management System

Using a centralized AMS like Twonas can significantly improve collaboration between designers, artwork coordinators, and RA. Twonas offers a unique set of features that are tailored to meet the needs of the Pharmaceutical, Food, and Retail Industry, making it a perfect choice for managing your artwork projects.

Some of the unique selling points of Twonas include:

  • Automated Workflows: Twonas streamlines the entire process by automating tasks, reminders, and approvals. This helps to eliminate manual processes and reduce the risk of errors or delays.
  • Real-Time Collaboration: Twonas allows team members to collaborate on projects in real-time, ensuring everyone is always on the same page. This feature is particularly useful for reducing the number of feedback rounds.
  • Version Control: Twonas offers a robust version control system that tracks changes and maintains a complete history of all artwork files. This feature helps to prevent confusion and ensures that everyone is working on the latest version of the project.
  • Integration with Third-Party Tools: Twonas integrates with key applications making it easy to connect your existing workflow and systems.

Continuous Improvement

Finally, always be open to learning and improvement. Regularly review your processes, gather feedback from your team (both internal and external), and identify areas for improvement. Implementing a culture of continuous improvement will help ensure that your team is always working efficiently and effectively.

Want to know more? Then drop us a line and we will be happy to discuss your process needs.

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Claves del éxito al afrontar el diseño del packaging de un nuevo cliente

En el mundo del diseño, la creación de plantillas de diseño o templates a partir de ahora, es esencial para el éxito de cualquier proyecto. Un template es un documento o archivo que se utiliza como base para la creación de nuevos diseños o materiales. Pueden ser simples, como una página en blanco con un borde, o pueden ser más complejas, con una estructura detallada que incluye una variedad de elementos y características.

Call-E image

Necesito encontrar todo o casi todo lo que necesito en un mismo lugar, si no pierdo demasiado tiempo en buscar recursos y no en el propio diseño.

Cualquier diseñador

La importancia de crear templates adecuadas para futuros proyectos radica en la eficiencia que proporciona al proceso de diseño. Un template bien diseñado asegura que los diseños sean coherentes y que se mantengan dentro de la marca o la identidad visual de la empresa. Además, permiten que los diseñadores trabajen de manera más rápida y eficiente, reduciendo el tiempo de creación de un diseño y, por lo tanto, maximizar nuestros recursos.

Al crear los templates, es fundamental asegurarse de que su contenido sea apropiado para el proyecto en cuestión. Si no está diseñada específicamente para el proyecto puede generar problemas de coherencia, o peor aún, puede llevar a errores costosos. Por ejemplo, si una empresa tiene un template para un folleto que se utiliza para anunciar un producto específico, pero luego se utiliza para anunciar un producto diferente, el resultado puede ser una confusión entre los clientes potenciales y una pérdida de credibilidad de la marca.

Los documentos de apoyo son la base para un proceso de trabajo eficiente, se debe tener en cuenta que el template no solo debe ser funcional, sino que también debe ser fácil de usar. Los diseñadores que trabajan en el proyecto deben poder entender y utilizarlo de manera efectiva para que puedan trabajar con rapidez y eficiencia. Por lo tanto, es importante que sea claro, intuitivo y fácil de navegar.

Un ejemplo real para producir el packaging de un nuevo cliente por ejemplo en el sector farmacéutico sería de la siguiente manera:

  • 1. Proyecto piloto: es importante que haya un proceso inicial de aprendizaje donde trabajamos con una muestra que debe abarcar gran parte de los tipos de productos y siempre es importante que contenga ejemplos difíciles. No nos interesa aprender implementaciones sencillos para sufrir inevitablemente cuando lleguen productos complejos obviando que no podemos cubrir todas las opciones.
  • 2. Documentación de apoyo: una vez hayamos trabajando y aprendido los productos en la fase inicial es hora de generar los documentos de apoyo necesarios como templates, procedimientos y los checklists pertinentes. Siguiendo con el ejemplo debería haber tantas triadas (procedimiento, template y checklist) como categorías de productos: Envases, prospectos, aluminios, etiquetas, sobres, etc.
  • 3. Formación, uso y mejora constante: es necesario apuntar que dichos documentos deben ser de uso común y dado que son documentos vivos deben estar en continua revisión partiendo de su uso continuo mejorando y simplificando dichos archivos periódicamente. Es muy común que el contenido inicial de dichos documentos sea más extensiva que concentrada por motivos de seguridad y calidad.
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Resumiendo, el diseño del packaging tiene muchos detalles que hay que conjugar alineando también agentes externos con detalles técnicos de los fabricantes y excepciones que no encontrarás en ningún documento. La clave esta en tener una fase inicial que nos ayude (piloto), para nutrirnos de archivos de apoyo que nos faciliten el proceso (templates, procedimiento, checklists) para acelerar el diseño del 90% de los productos y así tener tiempo para las excepciones y seguir creciendo.

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Streamlining Label Design Projects: Leveraging Google Sheets and Twona Integration for Efficient Artwork Coordination

With Midjourney

In today’s fast-paced retail environment, companies specializing in providing products to retailers require efficient solutions to manage the high volume of label design projects. When selling a product, these organizations need to create or adapt and existing label and sometimes even customise it for their clients to include their details and design components. For Artwork Coordinators, streamlining the project management process while maintaining accuracy and efficiency is crucial. A remarkable solution that we have found works well with our customers is the integration of Google Sheets and Twona, our artwork management system, using an API via Zapier – a connector system.

This innovative integration has proven to be a game-changer for many organizations, as it allows them to create 50 or more label design projects in one go. The process is simple: Artwork Coordinators fill in the required details in a Google Sheet, which can be fully customised, and the API connection with Twona automatically creates projects for each entry. This setup provides the best of both worlds – the familiarity and speed of a spreadsheet, combined with the robust tracking capabilities of a project Artwork Management System. Furthermore, the sheet can then be kept updated as the project proceeds, giving teams a great deal of visibility.

The benefits this integration brings to the workflow include:

  1. Familiarity and ease of use: Google Sheets is widely recognized for its user-friendly interface and seamless collaboration capabilities. Teams can effortlessly input project details and requirements into the spreadsheet without any additional training.
  2. Speed and efficiency: By merely filling in a Google Sheet document, companies can create 50 or more projects in one go. This bulk creation feature significantly reduces the time spent on setting up individual projects, leaving more time to focus on other aspects of the work.
  3. Accurate tracking: Twona’s Artwork Management System enables organizations to monitor the progress of each project, from design to completion. With the integration in place, manual data entry and miscommunication among team members are eliminated. Real-time status updates help manage deadlines and ensure project deliverables are met.
  4. Time and cost savings: The integration of Google Sheets and Twona eliminates the need for manual data entry, significantly reducing the time spent on project setup. Consequently, this translates into cost savings, as resources can be allocated more efficiently.
  5. Error prevention: The API connection between Google Sheets and Twona ensures that data is transferred accurately, reducing the risk of errors. This not only saves time but also helps maintain a high level of quality across all projects.

The integration between Google Sheets and Twona via an API through Zapier has been instrumental in optimizing label design projects for some of our clients who manage very large volume of designs with short timelines. By leveraging the familiarity and speed of a spreadsheet along with the tracking capabilities of a project Artwork Management System, organizations can streamline their workflows, save time, and prevent errors. If your organization is looking for ways to improve artwork coordination processes, consider integrating a popular spreadsheet tool with a reliable Artwork Management System – it might just be the game-changer you need.

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Improving your Artworks Workflow

With Midjourney

As an artwork coordinator working for a pharmaceutical company, I oversee the packaging design process from start to finish. It’s a complex process that involves multiple stakeholders and departments: regulatory, supply chain, printing houses, customers (we also do Contract Manufacturing), Quality Assurance, etc. It requires careful coordination to ensure that everything runs smoothly. Over the years, we’ve refined our process to the best of our abilities, but as with any complex system, there’s always room for improvement. We make our process work, but it requires constant emails, reminders and nudges to certain stakeholders to keep everything in check.

When we decided to purchase an Artwork Management System, we agreed to bring in an external workflow and process consultant to help us optimize our packaging design workflow as we intended to digitise our process. At first, I was a bit skeptical. After all, I knew our process inside and out, and I wasn’t sure how an external consultant could provide any value. Our initial plan was to simply move from a manual email based workflow to a digital one. However, after a couple of phone calls regarding the process, we realized that an external set of eyes can sometimes identify issues in your process that you simply cannot see because you’re too close and too busy.

The Consultant

The consultant that came in had extensive experience working with other pharmaceutical companies, not only within brands, but also in CMOs, design agencies, etc. He got us started by going thought our current process, which was drawn on a white board and asking a lot of questions as we went through every stage: who is involved, what information is provided, when, what are the challenges, what happens in this and that scenario, etc. Very quickly he was able to spot a few areas where we could make improvements. There were a couple of key aspects that were particularly interesting where he suggested some changes in the process by analysing and justifying those suggestions. The following was one of the most relevant ones:

Our Process

In the beginning of our process, the Regulatory Department provides the key information related to the change that has to be implemented in the packaging material: a new text, a set of annotated changes due to a change in regulations and anything in between. When this information is received, the Artworks Team checks it and forwards the request to the agency to execute the changes. Later in the process, once the design has been implemented, the Regulatory colleagues check the artwork to make sure it complied with their request for change. The consultant asked: how often does an artwork need to be redone because Regulatory spotted a mistake in the content (not a mistake introduced by the design agency). The answer across my team was consistent…..very frequently. The consultant then made an estimate of the amount of hours involved across all teams between the moment the request is sent by RA and the moment the design is sent back to them for changes. We calculated around 40 to 50 hours of work.

The Suggestions

His suggestion was simple: add a four eye principle on the information provided by Regulatory BEFORE the artwork request is sent to the agency. The objective was to validate the information before those 40 to 50 hours of work were spent on the artwork so that the number of iterations would be reduced. We quickly involved the QA team, who happily agreed to review the data before it was sent to the agency. It was brilliant. A simple suggestion, a nudge to the colleagues in QA and the potential time savings were incredible.

At first, I was a bit intimidated by the prospect of implementing all suggested changes. After all, change can be difficult, especially when you’re dealing with a process that has been in place for years and many stakeholders involved. However, with an open discussions and proper justification of each suggested change, I realized that these changes were all aimed at making our jobs easier and more efficient. By embracing these changes, we could reduce the amount of time and resources we spent on each project and ensure the best possible outcome. Having an external set of eyes also helped align all relevant parties (external people are not afraid of starting difficult conversations).

Over the next few months, we worked closely with the consultant to implement the changes he had suggested. It wasn’t always easy, and there were a few bumps in the road, but overall, the process went smoothly. We saw an consistent improvement in in our process. and our workflow became much more streamlined. We were able to complete projects more quickly and with fewer errors, which made everyone involved in the process much happier.

Looking back, I’m so glad we decided to bring in an external set of eyes to help us optimize our packaging design workflow. I’m excited to see what other improvements we can make in the future, and I’m grateful for the opportunity to work with such a talented consultant.

If you want an external set of eyes on your process, setup a call with us and let’s work together to make your workflow flawless.

Contact us

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Your Quality Assurance in Check

Our Studio works under a four-eyes principle when it comes to artwork production. In any workflow, either our own or one that the customer decides upon, we always introduce an internal QA step. None of our Artworks are sent to the clients before they go through the review of a different person within the department who was not involved in the initial design.

Why is that?

Instructional brochure image – generated with Midjourney

Very simple. When you have been working on a leaflet or an instructions brochure for an hour (sometimes even more!), you are no longer able to distinguish a small mistake. A separate person who was not involved in the original design is the perfect person to take a fresh look at the artwork and detect any potential issues.

It is also essential that this person knows what they need to review, aside of the obvious mistakes that one could have introduced.

  • The internal QA check needs to start from a clear check of the briefing /work order request that has been received. This is because sometimes there are requirements in these that deviate a bit from the customer guidelines.
  • These guidelines are the next step. Clients often have very clear instructions on there about their fonts, colors, and graphics. It is crutial to have them accesible but also include your own annotations on how the guideline is generally interpreted, as you will find that sometimes they can be a bit ambiguous.
  • Regulatory information must be kept updated. Because of regulations being constantly evolving, it is helpful to make sure that you keep any documents related to rules that apply to your packaging designs up to date for anyone doing a QA review, so they can fall back on to it when checking the artworks.
  • Check for consistency – does this package/label/blister have major differences with others produced earlier on? If so, what are the reasons for that? (new regulations, change in guidelines, specific customer request…).

One thing that our team uses frequently when undergoing the internal QA process is to refer to a checklist that they have developed. This checklist starts as a template (which you can download for your own use), with generic areas to review, although they often create one specific for each customer, to make sure that the client’s peculiarities are included and always visible to the review team.

Using such a checklist has many advantages for our Studio:

  • Error reduction – with a four eye principle in combination with a proper checklist, we are able to reduce the amount of oversights and not pass imperfect artworks to our clients – incorrect information, missing or incorrect formats, or design inconsistencies. We may have an extra internal version on occasion, but we make sure that the changes the client sends back are reduced to a minimum. This is one of the reasons why our average number of versions on artworks is so low.
  • Compliance – we obviously follow the guidelines and industry regulations when we create artworks but by using a checklist, we are able to reduce risk of not being compliant with these as the specific requirements are included in the checklist making them hard to miss.
  • Time and Cost Savings – by potentially catching errors or issues before they reach the client, we are able to save both time and money. Imagine that these errors lead to a recall packaging redesign, the effect that this would have on both our team and our clients’ would be massive.
  • Collaboration – for us, checklists are also a way for our team to remain a good working team. By sharing the checklists not only with designs but also other involved departments, we are able to give visibility to all the team members and make them part of the same shared objective. So it may be a soft advantage, but in the long run, a close team who works together would be a much stronger one.
  • Competitive advantage – not all studios provide these type of quality services. A lot of times there is a GiGo mentality, and imperfection is rewarded (e.g. when each single subversion of an artwork is charged for). For us, it is really mandatory that the product we deliver is as good as it can get. Therefore, this quality control step is a key one.

If you also find quality an essential step in your artwork process, and need some help getting started, you can download our checklist template from this link. Remember that adding your own items to the list is very important!!

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Asking vs SOPing.

In today’s fast-paced business world, every second counts, and no one wants to waste time on repetitive tasks. One area where this is especially true is in the supply chain of packaging design processes where not only time matters but reducing risk is a key factor of the process. Frequently, supply chain teams are asked to supply information that is mostly static and unchanging, yet the requests for this information continue to pour in. For every artwork material surely comes an email requesting the same information. In these cases, identifying repetitive tasks and documenting the necessary information can help save time across the supply chain while reducing unnecessary risks related to information processing.

Let’s consider the following example: An artwork coordinator requests information from the supply chain team regarding the technical specifications of serialisation printing. The details provided by the supply chain always relate to the market where the product is going to be released (different market, different rules) and change only every one or two years when the regulatory bodies change the laws. The request for information is done for every product, and therefore the response from the supply chain is almost always the same. Furthermore, supply chain is the only team up to date on when the regulations change.

In this situation, creating a set of technical specifications in the form of a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) can help streamline the process. The SOP would describe the serialization requirements per market (what information can be printed where and under which technical specifications), and the supply chain team would become the owners of these documents. By creating and documenting these technical specifications, the supply chain team can prevent the information from being requested for every product, thereby saving a tremendous amount of time while reducing the risk of misinformation.

The benefits of creating SOPs and technical documents go beyond time-saving. By documenting and standardizing information, it becomes easier to communicate and collaborate with team members and stakeholders. This standardization can also reduce errors and improve the quality of the work.

Furthermore, the benefits of documenting information go beyond the immediate supply chain team. If the information is needed by other teams, such as quality assurange or regulatory affairs, having a documented SOP can ensure that everyone is on the same page and using the correct information. This can help prevent delays and ensure that all aspects of the product development process are aligned.

In conclusion, identifying repetitive tasks and documenting necessary information can help save time across the entire supply chain of packaging design. The example of creating an SOP for serialization requirements illustrates how this process can be applied in practice on any company that markets products across different countries. By creating and maintaining such documents, teams can save time, reduce the risk of misinformation, and improve the overall quality of their work.

Do you email or do you SOP?

Interested in hearing more?

Click the button below to receive a call, or send us information on what you are looking for to improve Artwork Management. We will be happy to help you!

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The Jack / Jacqueline of all trades

Labeling and Artwork management is a critical aspect of product development and packaging. It involves the creation, organization, and distribution of all labeling and artwork used on a product, including packaging, promotional materials, and instruction manuals.

To guarantee that the packaging meets your brand’s requirements and is produced to a high standard of quality, companies hire Artwork Coordinators. This role, which is often undervalued, is critical to the success of product launch. Why is that?

Artwork coordination is a multi-faceted role. It involves a lot of juggling between activities that are interconnected, and working as liaison with diferent departments or stakeholders even external to your own team. It also involves some technical knowledge and a good eye for detail. All this makes an Artwork Coordinator a complex role with a lot of hidden skills needed to be successful.

Brief Creation

The artwork coordinator creates a brief/work order/request for the designer or agency responsible for producing the packaging artwork. The brief outlines the packaging requirements, including the brand guidelines, technical specifications, and any other relevant information. Being able to collate information from multiple sources, make it understandable and actionable, and distinguish between relevant and accesory information is a key still to have for this role.

The coordinator needs to ensure that the brief is clear and concise, allowing the designer or agency to create the packaging artwork that meets the brand’s requirements. If you want to know more about how this brief should look like for success, take a look at our earlier post on this matter.

Juggling of Multiple Projects and Deadlines

The role of an artwork coordinator also requires them to manage multiple projects simultaneously. It is not rare that an artwork coordinator would be dealing with tens of projects at the same time. Some of them would be more urgent than others, and some would have extra complexity or require extra time to produce (e.g. think of a label versus a leaflet, or a new product versus a change).

This is why good time management and being able to see the big picture are relevant criteria, so that the workload is effectively managed, and they can ensure that all projects are delivered within the specified timeline. The coordinator needs to be able to prioritize projects based on their importance, deliver and receive input on time, and not loose control of which status each project is at.

Coordination (of course!)

Artwork coordination requires effective communication skills to gather requirements and input with different teams involved in the packaging production process. The artwork coordinator needs to understand the needs of the brand, the regulatory teams, the translation agencies, the quality team, the printer, the suppliers… to ensure that the packaging artwork meets everyone’s requirements. They need to be able to manage the project timeline and update all the parties involved with any changes or progress made. The coordinator also ensures that the artwork is produced on time and meeting the quality, regulatory, and industry requirements.

Chaser

An artwork coordinator is also responsible for obtaining approvals from various stakeholders involved in the packaging production process. They need to follow up on the approvals, ensuring that the artwork is approved on time, and any feedback is incorporated into the artwork. The coordinator needs to be persistent in chasing approvals while maintaining good communication with all stakeholders, which at times could be a hard thing to do.

Final Reviewer

An Artwork coordinator is responsible for bringing a packaging product from start to end succesfully. Therefore, after they have all feedback incorporated into the design, they will then proceed to ultimately review and confirm the artwork meets all required quality standards. They check for any errors or inconsistencies in the artwork and make sure that the files are print-ready.

The coordinator also ensures that the artwork files are compatible with the printer’s specifications, minimizing any issues during the printing process. All this requires a certain level of technical knowledge about how printing works, which can be aquired with time, but always comes as a nice to have /must have criteria in job offers. So learning about color separation, bleeds, kerning, pantones, varnish or proofing is not a bad idea if you are considering a job like this!

We have put together a simple PDF explaining the multiple “hats” of an artwork coordinator.
Download it if you are interested in being an artwork coordinator or want to explain to your parents what it is that you do for work 🙂

Download PDF

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La sinergia como esencia en el diseño de tu packaging

Midjourney image

Llevo más de 15 años diseñando packaging y si hablo de proyectos como serialización, puede ser que tengas claro a que industria destino mayoritariamente mi tiempo de trabajo, pero no es importante el sector en este caso, ya que trabajar para y con tu cliente no es nuevo para ti.

Ir juntos es un comienzo; mantenerse juntos es progreso; trabajar juntos es el éxito.

Henry Ford

Cuándo y por qué

No, Henry Ford que tanto ha aportado, no fue el primero en hablar de sinergía, ¿o si?, el término se acuño en el siglo XIX aunque hasta finales del siglo XX no se puso de moda en el mundo laboral. En cualquier caso, cuando menciona que el trabajo juntos o en equipo es el éxito, no hay duda de que tenía claro que remar todos en el mismo sentido es mejor.

En este sentido, la creación de sinergias con el cliente es crucial para garantizar el éxito del proyecto. Ambas partes deben estar alineadas a la hora de hacer un proyecto común compartiendo y mejorando la información disponible constantemente, dado que las reglas y/o normativas, las terceras partes como impresores o las necesidades pueden cambiar a lo largo del tiempo.

La comunicación entre el diseñador y el cliente debe ser constante a lo largo del proceso de diseño. Es importante compartir ideas, discutir los detalles y recibir comentarios para poder mejorar el proyecto.

¿Has tenido la sensación de que a veces se acumulan los cambios o notas en un procedimiento a seguir durante demasiado tiempo? ¿Cada cuánto se debe hablar con el cliente para alinear detalles?

No creo que haya una fórmula que aplique a todos los casos, pero estaremos de acuerdo en que tener una reunión una vez al año es insuficiente. Insuficiente porque en el mundo de hoy todo va rápido y todo cambia y si no crees que sea así puede ser que haya que pararse a pensar y estudiar con detenimiento los detalles porque todo proceso, siempre, es susceptible de mejora.

En resumen, el diseñador, como experto en el diseño de packaging, debe actuar como un facilitador que coordina y une a todas estas partes para lograr un proyecto exitoso y para ello que eso ocurra, en relación con nuestro cliente, son vitales ciertos aspectos:

  • Comunicación fluida
  • Recursos compartidos y comunes
  • Trabajar en soluciones en lugar de perseguir “razones”
  • Revisión y mejora continua en los procesos

Además, la creación de sinergias con el cliente también implica estar abiertos a cambios y a adaptarse a las nuevas circunstancias que puedan surgir durante el proyecto. Por ejemplo, pueden aparecer nuevas regulaciones o restricciones que afecten al diseño del packaging.

¿Puede ser el futuro y cercano cambio respecto a los plásticos en la UE una buena excusa para reunirte con tu cliente?

https://www.linkedin.com/posts/twona_recycled-plastic-foods-activity-6993122601833226240-vT5z?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop

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Por qué exigir documentos técnicos correctos para el diseño de tu packaging

Midjourney image

A la hora de diseñar un packaging hay tres pilares fundamentales:

Guideline donde se describen las reglas corporativas respecto, colores, proporciones, posición de elementos y logos, en definitiva la esencia de nuestra organización.

Los textos a implementar, generalmente un documento word idílicamente revisado por el departamentos de asuntos regulatorios o marketing según el tipo de producto.

El documento técnico aportado por el fabricante o impresor donde se definen las medidas, tipo de material, grosor y reglas en códigos visuales.

Photo by Sigmund on Unsplash

Centrándonos en el documento técnico, en primera instancia no debería ser un problema dado que el impresor, debería aportar un documento con sus reglas para que el diseñador implemente los textos necesarios con la esencia del cliente.

Cuando me preguntan que hago en mi trabajo me gusta decir que hago puzzles, y para ello las piezas deben encajar, ¿verdad?.

Cómo debe ser un documento técnico

Los detalles en estos documentos son esenciales para garantizar que el diseño y la producción del envase se realicen de manera eficiente y efectiva. Después de más de 20 años produciendo packaging con miles de modelos el proceso se puede hacer tan complicado como poco claro sean sus reglas además de las muy comunes omisiones de información por lo que básicamente debe incluir solamente cinco detalles bien definidos, sólo cinco:

1.- Escala 1:1, es decir, una escala correcta sin proporciones incoherentes. Del mismo modo ya se ven poco, pero no hace mucho podías encontrar planos hechos con el famoso Autocad con diseños mal escalados e inservibles para su uso y edición en herramientas básicas de diseño como Illustrator o Indesign.

2.- Especificaciones respecto al material, incluyendo gramaje, grosor, si es un material reciclado y siendo exquisito una ayuda visual para sabes si es un papel continuo en rollo o si es tipo cliché entre.

3.- Límites y máximos, donde debe especificarse detalles como los márgenes, zonas de impresión o por el contrario zonas libres de texto donde no debemos incluir información dado que dicha zona tiene una reserva para incluir los datos variables o es una zona de plegado, por ejemplo. Otros detalles serían la posición del braille, localización de las etiquetas para garantizar la inviolabilidad, los datos variables como loteado o fecha de caducidad y posición de los datos de la famosa serialización.

4.- Reglas respecto a los códigos visuales, en éste apartado hay mucha variedad como laetus, códigos 128, datamatrix, collating marks (perdón, no conozco la acepción en español). En cualquier caso todos estarán bien definidos si se define: posición, orientación, dimensión y color.

5.- Colores, definiendo aspectos como el máximo de colores posibles, especificar si debe tener un color específico como negro muy común en un prospecto. La excelencia en éste apartado sería tener una nomenclatura de los colores técnicos, es decir, lo contrario a recibir un documento en cuatricomía (CMYK). ¿Es mucho pedir un documento con colores bien estructurados?. Si recibes de tu impresor un documento técnico con colores con una nomenclatura como la siguiente: dimensions, cutting, creasing, guides, perforating, Text Area, Text Free, Ink Free, solo me queda aconsejarte que felicites a tu impresor y que sigas trabajando con él todo lo que puedas.

Para terminar, exige a tu impresor que cumpla con éstas cinco pautas, la excelencia esta en la búsqueda de la mejora continua, de ésta manera te vas a ahorrar mucha frustración cuando te llegan una y otra vez rechazos de tus materiales incurriendo en versiones innecesarias y los nunca deseados retrasos sin mencionar la gran importancia si hablamos de nuevos lanzamientos.

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Ingredient information on food packaging

Image generated with Midjourney

There are some basic elements that always must appear on a food product’s label/packaging:

  • Name of the product and manufacturer’s details
  • Ingredients
  • Weight, calorie count, servings & serving size
  • Nutritional information
  • Freshness – is it a fresh product, recently produced or harvested or how has it been preserved, and what is its best-before date
  • Whether it is organic or not and does it have any GMOs – generally modified organisms – present in the product?

When it comes to the ingredients, these are expected to appear listed from highest to lowest according to their amount, but there is not always a clear explanation on when the percentage of the ingredient needs to be shown on the label. This, however, is of high importance for consumers so they can make informed decisions about the products they purchase and consume.

This information is typically required by regulatory agencies such as the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) in Europe or the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the United States, to ensure that consumers are provided with accurate and relevant information.

But why is this so important?

Having the ingredient percentage on food labels helps consumers understand the nutritional content of the product. For instance, knowing that a product contains a high percentage of sugar would be useful for those who are trying to limit their sugar intake.

More importantly, information about the percentage of whole grains or allergen substances such as peanuts or gluten can also be critical for individuals with dietary restrictions or allergies.

In addition to nutritional and allergen content, the percentage of ingredients used can also impact the overall quality and taste of the product. Take for instance a product that contains a high percentage of filler ingredients. Its flavour or texture may differ from that of one that contains a higher percentage of high-quality ingredients.

By providing information about the percentage of ingredients used, consumers can make more informed decisions about the products they buy and determine which products best meet their needs and preferences.

Furthermore, when a product’s packaging uses an image that depicts a certain ingredient, the label must clearly indicate the percentage of that ingredient used in the product. This is because images can be misleading and give consumers the impression that a product is something that it is not really. Imagine that you place a picture of juicy strawberries on a carton of strawberry yogurt, but it mostly originates from a concentrate juice that contains only a small percentage of fresh strawberry. By indicating the percentage of the ingredient used on the label, the consumer is given a more accurate representation of what they can expect of the product.

Products where, unless the percentage of an ingredient is mentioned, a user could fail to distinguish them from other foods, must certainly have it showing in their labels.

Another reason for the requirement of ingredient percentage information is to ensure that products are properly labeled and marketed. If the ingredient appears in the name of the product, very much so! For example, if a product claims to be “whole grain,” , “light” or “low-fat”, the label should indicate the percentage of whole grain ingredients used/ percentage of fat or calories that are reduced so consumers can be sure they are getting the product they expect.

As seen, there are various reasons – regulatory and not – why including information on the amount of each ingredient in your product is relevant. The fact that some of these are not mandatory, makes it a hard decision sometimes as your product label are in general already quite full, and the font sizes are already small so adding more information only makes it harder. However, the decision to include them can have a competitive advantage for you when customers are comparing seemingly similar products. Nowadays there are alternative to traditional labeling to help you, and your designers, be more creative about what comes where in the packaging – think of peel labels, or QR codes, which can take some of the load of the information.

Deciding what stays visible and what is “hidden” behind those techniques is a different matter… how would you make that decision??

Relevant links

Post that inspired this article

European Food labeling rules