Packaging responds to the

quest for simple pleasures

Rethinking Happiness

The lockdowns reminded us that our health, along with simple, everyday life is more

important than everything else. There was a sense of uncertainty, with one

exception – life is short. Ideals have been questioned: how can we rethink this happiness

so that it is accessible?

56% of global consumers have sought out comfort foods, such as confectionary, more than usual this year. 62% reported that they like to enjoy moments of indulgence where they pay little to no attention to nutritional intake in moments of ‘pure hedonism’. (FMCG Gurus, 2020)

In our quest for happiness, people found reassurance in their everyday lives through nostalgia, playful entertainments and childish pleasures.

Three trends to explore

Positive Nostalgia

Reinterpretation
of intergenerational classics.

Playful Experiences

Hands-on experiences as a source
of micro-joy.

Sweet Childhood

Reclaim happiness by connecting with
our inner child.

Positive Nostalgia

In times of uncertainty, people tend to feel more nostalgic, relying on their memories to restore a sense of assurance and stability. This highly-romanticised nostalgia offers both an ideal and a sense of meaning in an uncertain day-to-day existence.

81% of French people believe that thinking about positive memories brings a sense of optimism into their day-to-day lives. (Insites Consulting, 2021)

When it comes to food, this retrospection drives people to go back to the classics. They want to make grandmother’s recipes, enjoy cakes and pastries, and create special moments of indulgence.

63% of global consumers said they want more nostalgic offerings in the food products available to them. (FMCG Gurus, 2021).

Retro Tins

We observe a return to the classic formats of retro-style biscuit tins.

These often boast a positively kitsch and cheerful spirit, using traditional patterns and colours with the look of an “old-school” print.

Family Tins

Tins displaying old advertising are revamped and printed on timeless metal tin shapes.

Back to ancestral recipes: natural, simple, sustainable.

PAOS, an eco-friendly cosmetics brand offering solid and dry products. The products’ playfulness (solid toothpaste, powdered shower gel) takes a cue from the past with reusable packaging: shower gel in aluminium flasks, deodorant in metal tins.

Playful Experience

In the wake of health restrictions and government directives, people are more than ever looking forexperiences that take them out of their day-to-day lives and give them back a feeling of freedom.

It is an experience-driven society, where people are looking to regain a sense of care-free fun andexcitement.

61% of consumers said that they have become more experimental with food and drink in the past fiveyears (FMCG Gurus, 2020).

In terms of food, this quest will favour experimental practices that play with flavours, appearances, andnorms. People are looking to create new habits of indulgence based on play, recreation, andentertainment.

Food packaging will have the opportunity to take inspiration from other sectors, from entertainment to make-up. The idea will be to offer containers that experiment with flavours and textures, with a designthat blurs the line between form and function.

Cosplay

Between cosmetics and play, packaging is turning into a game that invites users into experiment with containers, appearances, and edible materials in a spirit of fun. Drawing inspiration from cosmetics packaging, the home of appearance and disguise, food packaging from chocolate bars to lunch boxes is transforming into a palette of flavours.

Collection of edible make-up

HipDot Cosmetics has teamed up with the Reese’s confectionery brand to offer a limited edition of five edible make-up products, including brushes, milk chocolate eyeshadow palettes, and lip balms in delicious flavours.

Perfume or make-up?

Made by Me now offers a palette of signature fragrances that looks just like an eyeshadow palette. The palette offers a new way to wear perfume that is both sensory and fun.

Switching it up

Ouate uses a whipped cream aerosol as a shampoo dispenser for kids (or grown-up kids) to play in the bath.

Sweet Childhood

The quest for both reassurance and new experiences is converging and people are in search of pleasure.

The emotion and comfort of the foods we grew up with will drive epicurean eating in the future. Pleasure is still in high demand, with 70% of the world’s consumers claiming to have moved towards a healthier diet, without having given up on indulgence. (SIAL, 2020)

Food is increasingly emotional, and people are rediscovering their inner child by indulging their appetites in ways that free them from the diktats of what is right and proper. People want to relive their childhood experiences and are thus reintroducing childlike gestures that promote a sense of optimism and innocence in packaging formats.

Tomorrow’s packaging will appeal to our inner-child. Regressive, genuine, almost naive, simple and colourful, it will help consumers rediscover pleasure in their day-to-day lives.

Naive Optimism

Packaging that brings a sense of optimism into day-to-day life by playing with colours and formats, inspired by a naive childhood aesthetic in terms of illustrations, formats, and graphic design.

Marks and Spencer's revisits childhood memories

Marks and Spencer’s childhood revisits childhood memories this season with a collection of Christmas glitter globe liqueurs and the Percy Peggy collection for kids and adults.

Chocotop collectible chocolates by Qing Yan are inspired by nordic toys. This project aimed to create a brand new experience of sharing chocolate, delivering a sense of play while maintaining a level of elegance for both parents and children.