In launching his line of luxury men's hair styling products selling for $60 and up, Patrick Kidd knew that he would be relying almost exclusively on packaging to convince first-time buyers to pull out their wallets. To that end, he worked with Berlin Packaging's Studio One Eleven to create what he calls a "beautiful little object" that bears no resemblance to the category's ubiquitous circular jars and tubes.

The final design – inspired in part by personal electronics and automotive styling – looks, feels and even sounds like a durable goods product with an aesthetic that would be at home on the sink of a bathroom in Architectural Digest. Unique features range from a rectilinear form factor and aluminum plate appointments that also serve as the label substrate, to an ingeniously engineered opening and closing mechanism utilizing a hinged closure with a double-lock system that ensures the package will not open in storage or transit.

The Studio-designed minimalist Patricks brandmark debossed on the cover, the sophisticated visual identity system with its abbreviated product descriptors, the elegant but practical matte finish, and the no-slip rubber gasket integrated into the base reinforce the differentiation from other products in the category as well as the luxury image.

The heft of the package in the hand, the audible engagement of the latch, and the gentle sound of the package when the rubber grip on the bottom makes contact with a hard surface similarly raise the design bar to a new level by addressing not just how a package looks and functions but also how it feels and sounds.

Within just two months of launch, this obsessive attention to details helped the brand earn coverage in GQ magazine, placement in the carefully curated ranks of luxury goods retailer Mr. Porter, and at least one reviewer's praise describing it as one of 'the finest grooming products known to man.' Since then, Patricks has gained distribution ranging from Neiman Marcus USA and Sephora Australia to Joyce and Lane Crawford Hong Kong/China.

After several years of intense research and development on his luxury men's grooming products, including development of a hair loss prevention compound that is included in each SKU, Patrick Kidd turned to Berlin Packaging's Studio One Eleven to develop a package that would convey the luxury image critical to the line's success. The structural package design and visual branding needed to visually match Patricks' premium positioning and $60+ price point, leading shoppers to subconsciously measure the quality of the product by association with the quality of the package.

STRUCTURAL DESIGN

The final package's elegant rectangular form factor, aluminum appointments and minimalist branding instantly create an upscale impression, set the brand apart from the circular jars and tubes typical of the hair care category, and elevate Patricks to the pinnacle of luxury in men's grooming.

The rectilinear form factor itself is unique, suggesting an expensive durable goods product. It also makes Patricks products easy to pack for travel to the office, gym or around the world. The double-lock latching mechanism ensures that the package will not open in transit, while the size complies with carry-on and hand luggage regulations for all commercial and private airlines.

The use of aluminum details – again unique in the personal care market – reinforces the first-class image. The front edge and base of the injection-molded polypropylene package are fused with thick plate aluminum that provides strength, durability and a machine aesthetic that is a striking visual separation from the rest of the category. The labels are silk-screened directly onto both aluminum surfaces, eliminating the need for paper labels that would cheapen the products.

A thin rubber gasket seamlessly integrates into the fully decorated aluminum base, preventing slippage on wet surfaces, protecting bathroom surfaces, and creating an audible resonance when the package is set down – just one example of the attention paid to the consumer's sensory interactions with the package. Others range from the audible engagement of the styling products' jar latch to the heft of the cleansing products' machined aluminum fitments, again contributing to the upmarket image.

For the design of the solid products, the Studio team went back to basic visual harmony principles, employing the golden ratio that has informed works from Pythagoras to Le Corbusier. The resulting dimensions are described on the side of the package to memorialize this deliberate proportioning decision. The front edge functions as the closure latch, swinging forward to free the lid and reveal a well containing the product.

For the liquid packaging system, which will be released in a few months, the Studio engineered a closure that can be locked for travel, will not drip when left in the open position, and will not change in appearance during use. The final patented closure design incorporates an internal sealing plug propelled up and down within the closure by a helical cam, a silicon valve at the end of the fluid path to prevent drips, and solid aluminum plates to infill the inverted bottle's push and add heft to the closure.

VISUAL BRANDING

From a visual branding perspective, Studio One Eleven's visual branding practice group began the project with an audit of the men's grooming, fragrance, automotive and personal electronics categories, as well as interviews with salon owners and target consumers. Based on the team's branding strategy recommendations, they developed a positioning strategy and visual identity system including a minimalist Patricks brandmark and a highly structured communication architecture.

The Studio's field research into men's shopping psychology indicated that they place a high value on 'shopability' and appreciate brand communication that facilitates a quick return to the product they trust. Studio One Eleven's visual architecture elevates abbreviated product descriptors to the top of the communication hierarchy and ties back to a 'Patricks Product Matrix' that guides men to the SKU best suited to their hair and styling types.

Taken together, Patricks' truly original structural package design and high-concept visual branding distinguish the brand from everything else in the category, create a "beautiful little object" that appeals to Patricks' uber-style-conscious target customers, and support Patricks' positioning as an elite line of men's grooming products reserved for those willing to spend whatever it takes to look their best.