It’s a wrap – Q&E rethinks packaging design

As Sri Lankan consumers become more brand-conscious, local and multinational companies have intensified their competition for the hearts, minds, and wallets of these shoppers. A key front in this battle is the need to define a distinctive and consistent brand identity through packaging design.

At Q&E, a team of brand architects and designers takes a holistic approach to this process, relying on research-driven insights to create compelling packaging that stands out on store shelves.

The team begins by evaluating the existing marketplace, assessing local, regional, and international conditions and competition while carefully analyzing distribution channels. Having conducted the necessary research, Q&E then commences the design process, ensuring that the final result strikes a chord with consumers, resonates with the brand’s values and is aligned with the client’s marketing objectives. The company’s work with a diverse range of national and multinational brands exemplifies the strength of its strategic approach.

Senior Art Director at Q&E Nishantha Gammudhuwatta said: “When Milco tapped our team to overhaul its Highland line of dairy products, we leveraged market research to rebrand the client’s condensed milk product and redesign the packaging for its ice creams and yoghurts. The resulting packaging designs melded contemporary visual aesthetics with mass-market appeal, creating a unified look that could accommodate classic flavours as well as newer offerings. Consumers have taken a liking to the reinvented Highland dairy brands, with distributors struggling to keep up with demand.”

Although Q&E has successfully undertaken packaging design for a number of food brands, such as ‘Pacific,’ ‘Fish Curry,’ ‘Mom’s Choice’ and ‘Lanka Soy’ from Delmege Distributors, its expertise is not limited to this consumer segment. Indeed, the agency has created iconic designs for industrial, medical and household products as well.

After winning the opportunity to create packaging designs for Lanka Walltile’s Swisstek brand of hardware products, Q&E devised a unique packaging identity that could be extended to include products as diverse as aluminium windows, decorative pebbles, and tile cleaners.

Q&E’s Account Management Director Asiri Abhayaratne said: “Our design expertise has been exported to foreign markets as well.”

He said that Lalan Rubber tasked the agency with designing packaging for its American Safety Products range of safety gloves, which are on sale in the US.  Conversely, multinational giants have engaged Q&E’s services to redesign foreign product packaging for maximum local impact. Reckitt Benkiser, for example, commissioned the agency to freshen up the packaging for its Cardinal and Mansion brands of floor polish for the Sri Lankan market.

This design flexibility is enabled by the research-based, strategic approach that Q&E adopts in all of its work. Established in 1994 as an independent marketing and communications agency, Q&E has distinguished itself through a commitment to the fundamentals of its craft.

Whether creating innovative product packaging for local and overseas clientele or architecting 360 degree advertising and communications campaigns, Q&E produces work that touches the hearts and minds of consumers.