Dialogue with the market A new design for De Keyn / Akzo Nobel : TEAM It all started when Marnix Denys, Product Manager at De Keyn (Akzo Nobel) paints, received a CD in a polished and embossed steel case from APEAL. An idea was originated and five key partners rallied together to turn it into a reality : product manager, designer, can manufacturer, steel maker and APEAL. Sent by APEAL, this mailing highlighted the qualities of steel as a packaging material. At that moment in time, Marnix Denys was thinking of new ways to promote his company's range of metal paints. How to make them stand out on the shelves and how to draw the customers attention to the specific nature of the product? "My initial idea," says Denys, "was a distinctive design for the shelves themselves to allow for product identification through the use of metal displays. However, I was faced with one technical problem after another as shelving varies from one outlet to the next and paints are not laid out in the same way. The APEAL mailing inspired me to use a distinctive embossed metal look to differentiate the product and to draw attention to the metal paints. It also struck me as a much more cost effective solution than providing 300 retail outlets with promotional displays." Emotional impact Marnix Denys sees investment in packaging as the most tactical way to face the competition. "Packaging plays a decisive role in consumer choice at large retail outlets," explains Erik Vantal, Art Director for the packaging agency Design Board. "Its emotional impact can influence consumers 'purchases'. Packaging is also the best way to guide consumers to the right product for the job, particularly important in large retail outlets where more often than not customers have to find the appropriate product themselves. It's not simply a question of buying wall paint and painting the radiator with it! Packaging's informative role is key to the De Keyn brand which models itself on simplicity and easy choice. "My ideas were received with immediate enthusiasm by APEAL" says Denys, who took contact with Charles Reuland, APEAL's Communications Manager. A meeting was immediately arranged with Erik Vantal, Art Director at Design Board, Jean Delfosse, the Managing Director at Kouperman and Luc Neuville, Product Manager at Cockerill Sambre, to discuss the project in detail.   A new design for De Keyn : the result of fruitful collaboration between (from top left): Charles Reuland (APEAL), Erik Vantal (Design Board), Jean Delfosse (Kouperman), M. Dessy (Kouperman), Edwige Fallon (Kouperman), Marnix Denys (Akzo Nobel).   Team work right from the start "Steel for packaging has even greater potential when the can manufacturer is involved right from the start, as soon as a marketing concept is defined," explains Jean Delfosse. "De Keyn were looking for an embossed can, so the feasibility of the project had to be checked out immediately with the steel maker. Luc Neuville of Cockerill Sambre recommended the quality of steel required to withstand the effects of embossing and to fulfil the design criteria set out by Marnix Denys and Erik Vantal." It's the steel that makes the design so effective. Sections of the can display the metal in its original state, subtly enhanced by the print design. The embossed section is complemented by a pictogram which draws attention to the specific nature of the product. "We wanted to create an original looking can which is appealing to the touch," says Erik Vantal. "This appeal emanates from the roundness of the can and the polished appearance of the raw metal, enhanced by the embossed effect. Steel denotes strength and is perfectly suited to metal paints, which are mainly bought by men : it gives the packaging a masculine look." "Steel can be used to enhance an industrial product by giving it a unique finish,” says Jean Delfosse. "De Keyn's use of the raw metal and printing to convey the brand message help to differentiate the product and attract the eye on the shelves." "This packaging shows that we are dynamic and will make people notice us", adds Marnix Denys. "We are really updating our image and accelerating the growth of the brand. Consumers and our competitors will feel the effect, and that is a boost to our sales team!" In the new De Keyn packaging, the embossing and the metallic appearance draw attention to the specific nature of the product.   Valuable experience "This project has really opened up new horizons," says Erik Vantal. "We have discovered that a whole new generation of steel exists. We used to think that a design based on a metallic appearance was mainly limited to cosmetics, but I am now convinced that it can be used to enhance products in most other segments of the market." It has proved to be a valuable experience for all those involved because they have worked on the project as a team, constantly exchanging information to achieve the best possible result. Jean Delfosse points out the demands arising from new market trends: "The trend in the past was towards productivity and therefore simplicity of form but the sector is now opening up to change. Packaging also has a sales function. Industrialists recognise the tendency towards segmentation of the market and small production volumes. At Kouperman, we have decided to play the game, one hundred percent."