Hygge (pronounced hue-guh) is the Danish principle of creating coziness in everyday life to increase happiness. This concept started trending in 2016 and drastically grew in 2017. Now, it’s time to examine how hygge benefits label design. Because, yes, really it does.
Hygge Basics
There are some items and activities that Danes find particularly hygge. These include:
- Soft pools of light, and well-lit rooms
- Yes, also fireplaces
- Especially candles
- Long walks
- Homey food, like soups
- Warm drinks and spicy cocktails
- Enjoying the company of friends and family
So, while all of these things are lovely, how do you incorporate it into your label? There are simple tricks to trigger a feeling of coziness with your customers. Whether that’s with the design or the copy, any product can improve a customer’s mood right there in the grocery store aisle.
Add Light To Your Label With Labeling Techniques
Okay, so you can’t exactly add a candle to your label, but there are some exciting ways to manipulate light to make your design glow. As customers walk down the grocery store aisle, the packaging will catch the light and literally outshine the competition. Plus, it subconsciously draws a connection to that hygge feeling of home and warmth.
Cast & Cure
Don’t just add light, add the rainbow. Cast & Cure is a holographic labeling technique that comes in many various patterns. While holographic designs are trending due to nostalgia, it also replicates the colorful waxing and waning of an open fire. Again, it doesn’t outright try to be something it’s not. Instead, this Bissell R&D label relies on subconscious implications to evoke a sense of nostalgia on various levels.
Foiling
Like Cast & Cure, foiling shines in any light. Better still, it can be used anywhere on the label, including intricate designs. The below Brewhouse label incorporates foiling over the title to make it shine against other techniques.
Motion Coat
MotionCoat, as seen in the background of the above Brewhouse label, creates dimension using texture and light. What’s special about this technique is that it can match any Pantone color, perfectly fitting in with established branded color schemes. Create dark depths like above, or shining bright light with silver instead.
Emphasize How The Product Creates a Cozy Lifestyle
Beyond using implications, flat out share how the product creates a hygge life. Even color schemes communicate a lot. Warm colors bring up warm feelings. Especially for spiced drinks like cider.
Color
As mentioned, color is an important tool in conveying your message. Warm colors denote warm feelings, and spiciness. When creating product photography, consider how to create a cozy atmosphere.
Inspirational Imagery
How can your product create hygge? Show it! Use imagery where people are taking your snack for a walk, or drinking your wine snuggled up by a bonfire. This can be trickier for industrial products, so show how your item can lead to something else? Does this medicine make a cottage getaway possible? Do the pencils allow for making morning doodles in a breakfast nook? Show the possibilities right there on the label.
Let Labeling Technology Make Direct Connections
Use labeling technology such as RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) or NFC (Near Field Communication), and yes, even a simple QR code, to connect to customers after the point of purchase. Use it to link customers to videos, blogs, and even apps that promote the hygge ideology. Share tasty recipes that use your product, or a hygge home decor video tutorial featuring your home fragrance. Not only does the extra content help you outshine competition by providing the customer with more value, but it develops a relationship.
Create On-Trend Promotions and Collaborations
Work with influencers or other brands to create a promotion for your product. Add associating social media handles right on your label. Collaborate on powerful imagery or social media marketing that features the product. Better yet, add an IRC (Instant Redeemable Coupon) secondary label for your collaborator! This label then could offer new hygge design instead of completely redesigning your established label. Stay loyal to your company’s branding while also experimenting.
Will This Trend Continue to Grow?
If the trend started to grow in 2016 and exploded in 2017, will it actually remain prominent in the years to come? Likely, yes. See, mental wellness is developing in many ways and impacting label design. Hygge only serves to further increase the popularity of mindfulness and self-care. Maybe the word itself will go away, but the concept will not. Consider how your brand serves your customers to be better and do better.
Authenticity is in Demand
This leads to the topic of authenticity. Customers, especially younger generations, prefer empowering, valuable, and empathetic branding. Find ways to use your label to help customers elevate their lives in positive ways. Even if it’s a reminder to slow down and take a deep breath. A label seems simple, but it holds the power to spark a complex idea. To make someone feel. Beyond regulations, what does your label do to serve your customer? How does your brand go above and beyond? Because if you opt not to consider the needs and values of your customers (or potential customers), your competitors will. Be the first to dive deep into the power of hygge and offer coziness.
Learn about how innovative labeling techniques can bring your spooky design to life! Download our e-book, The Complete Guide to Innovative Labeling Techniques.
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