Key Points
- Brian Llagas worked as a designer in Vietnam and Australia.
- Our experiences, culture, personal preferences and context affect how we perceive certain colours.
- A study found that people have stronger responses to known and familiar brands.
Listen to the podcast
'I retrain my brain and understand culture': Pinoy paves the way in designing Tim Tams and Arnott's packaging
SBS Filipino
23/03/202415:41
"With packaging design, it allows me to become different types of designers. You're a typographer who crafts a logo; an art director; a negotiator and seller. It keeps the day from becoming boring."
From Vietnam to Australia, Novaliches-born Brian Llagas is proficient in the art of creating packaging that makes people want to reach out for products on the shelf.
The psychology of colour
"After graduating from UP, I went overseas right away because I wanted to see the world.
"I worked as a branding and packaging designer in Saigon for 11 years, working with local and international brands.
"One of the biggest brands I handled was Coca-Cola. I did their Lunar New Year campaign for two years."
Llagas shared that he had to retrain his brain to "what looked good" when he moved to Vietnam.
I would do a lot of designs that I thought were good, but the clients wouldn't use them.Brian Llagas, Product and packaging designer
"I was used to the Westernised designs in the Philippines, so I did a lot of research to have a better understanding of the nuances of the Vietnamese market.
For example, there are certain colours you can't use like black and white. There are lucky colours, like red and yellow that you should include in your designs.Brian Llagas, Product and packaging designer
According to the study ',' factors such as experiences, culture, personal preferences and context affect how certain colours are perceived by people.
Factors such as experiences, culture, personal preferences and context affect how certain colours are perceived by people. Credit: Envato/DragonImages
Like a carefully chosen brand name, colour carries intrinsic meaning that becomes central to the brand’s identity, contributes to brand recognition, and communicates the desired image.Lauren Labrecque and George Milne, Researchers
Australian cheekiness
While reds and golds were the favoured colours in Vietnam, Llagas shared that he made a concerted effort to understand Australian preferences when he moved to the country in 2015.
"In Australia, it's all about the cheekiness, the larrikin. The larrikin! It was always in the product brief. I had to Google what that meant," he laughed.
"In Australia, it's all about the cheekiness, the larrikin." Credit: Envato / MirkoVitali
Branding in Australia is about not taking oneself too seriously. It's generally light-hearted, which I think is such a reflection of the culture here.Brian Llagas, Product and packaging designer
New, but not too different
Llagas said that the process of product and packaging design is long and arduous.
"I'll spend an hour and a half in the supermarket just looking at the designs of products for inspiration and research.
"I'll spend an hour and a half in the supermarket just looking at the designs of products for inspiration and research." Credit: Envato / akedynamic
Designing is tricky for known brands because it's all about coming up with something new, but nothing too different from what is familiar.Brian Llagas, Product and packaging designer
The familiarity and security consumers have with known brands were also confirmed in a study conducted by the Radiological Society of North America.
The study found that MRI scans showed that the brains of participants had stronger responses to known brands. Credit: Envato / Pressmaster
Part of something
As for Llagas, working on well-loved brands has made a trip to the grocery all the more satisfying.
I feel a sense of accomplishment looking at the shelf of Arnott's biscuits we worked on - like TimTams and Iced Vovo.Brian Llagas, Product and packaging designer
"You're part of something that people love. As a designer, that's really fulfilling."
