The human touch

A good few of my LinkedIn connections are in the marketing business, and recently they’ve been highlighting success stories, all with the same thing in common: the campaign’s ability to appeal to appeal to their target audience’s emotions in an authentic way.

I also saw an Instagram slide deck the other day about 2022 marketing on that platform vs now, and how previously it was all about your pitch-perfect slogan and your painstakingly curated Canva images, whereas now, the most interaction with a brand is seen via its stories and reels, featuring real people, showing the human side of its business and using compelling storytelling to convey the brand’s message.

A recent piece courtesy of London Packaging Week‘s organiser, Easyfairs, also solidifies this technique of honing in on the human touch – “putting people first and experts front and centre,” as explained by Claire Hoe, design director and Andy Johnson, commercial director, from Sun Branding. 

The three trends identified as shaping this movement are as follows:

Digital and analogue

“There’s a huge drive toward interaction with packaging trends,” Hoe explains. “It’s increasingly about the packaging itself, the format, the substrate and how brands are enhancing their brand offering through technology and assets such as QR codes, [which] can take you somewhere beyond the surface area of the pack: usage instructions, ingredients source, lifestyle guidance. Offering a functionality for both the brand and consumer – but also the opportunity to immerse consumers into a brand world.”

This potential, Andy Johnson emphasises, “makes technology not just an add-on, but an indispensable catalyst driving the transformation of packaging into something far more meaningful and engaging.”

From tech to touch

However, this embrace of technology does not come at the expense of the human touch. Hoe highlights a compelling counter-trend emerging alongside the digital wave: “Last year, we talked about how anything new and exciting can at times feel a little overwhelming at first, often fuelling an opposed direction. So now we are seeing the rise of analogue experiences. Think glow in the dark, colour change and holographic finishes, as well as a shift towards natural, handmade and artistic, the total contrast to tech.”

This duality reflects a collective yearning for reassurance amid uncertainty. “There’s a level of mistrust and negativity – the state of the world isn’t great. So, there’s a need for reassurance and connection. The question is: how can design and branding use packaging to communicate trust, to comfort people?”

Easyfairs notes this call for authenticity is a marked evolution from the previous year: “while 2024 was dominated by visual experimentation rooted in positivity, nostalgia, and the early promise of AI, the narrative for 2025 and beyond shifts to ‘reassurance, pleasure, and experience.’ Technology remains vital, but it is woven into a broader tapestry of emotional storytelling and consumer connection,” the company highlights.

Stripping back with purpose

Hoe explains how minimalism is “not just about stripping elements back for an aesthetic purpose only. There still must be meaning and consideration. When a brand strips away its design, it leaves itself vulnerable, so what’s left has to be honest, true to the brand, and relevant.”

This honesty is crucial because packaging stripped of sincerity risks becoming hollow. And yet, within this pared-back style, playfulness emerges in unexpected places: “Minimalist doesn’t have to appear boring, we’re seeing brands add personality through simple illustration and little one liners that rasie a smile – all connecting emotionally,” said Hoe.

Through all of this dialogue, it’s clear that packaging is no longer a secondary accompaniment to a brand – it is a dynamic gateway where connection with consumers can flourish.

At London Packaging Week, Claire Hoe and Andy Johnson will present “Emotion through packaging: Designing trends driving connection,” during a session on 15 October, 11:15 to 11:45, on the Food and Consumer stage, as part of The Consumer Reshaped track.

If you’ve harnessed connection successfully through a metal packaging campaign, we want to hear about it. Get in touch via my details below.

• Alex Rivers (she/her), CanTech International editor
  Keep in touch via email: [email protected] Twitter: @CanTechIntl or LinkedIn: CanTech International magazine