Most discussions about the communication function of packaging are about its role as a marketing tool, first conveying brand name, product category, and line-variety. Beyond that—using structure, graphics, and text—packaging bestows personality and aura. Particularly for retail products, such communication is essential for shelf impact and for a competitive advantage. Consumers seek products to satisfy wants and needs, and packaging is tasked with communicating that a given product delivers that satisfaction.
What should never be overlooked nor undervalued, however, is that consumer satisfaction has to be delivered safely. It’s the rare product that’s incapable of posing a hazard and/or inflicting harm. Products differ along that spectrum, and packaging should communicate commensurately. Brand owners might be tempted to soft pedal safety communications, concerned about triggering consumer reluctance. That concern runs counter to the reality that all products carry an implied warranty of safety. A consistent and overarching reality is that federal and state statues hold that companies only are to place into the commercial stream products that are reasonably safe.
