Branded packaging consultancy LFH has co-operated with Unilever to develop a colour harmonisation process that is expected to “revolutionise” the household goods giant’s food approach to printed packaging.
LFH’s Chapter 1 patented system, known within Unilever Foods as Rainbow, is said to have reduced printed packaging costs significantly with the Spreads & Cooking Category, Europe (SCCE) on an on-going basis - by reducing the number of printing colours/inks used across its hugely diverse packaging range.
Following an audit, LFH found that over 100 different colours were being used in combination for SCCE. The consultancy the created a tailored and fixed colour palette based on only six colours to recreate the hundreds of packs in the category.
A print trial where 12 complex designs were printed together on the same sheet found that senior stakeholders and brand owners could not tell the difference between the current and new colour harmonised packs.
“No one could quite believe that such quality could be realised when using six colours, considering our printers had in many cases been using well over 100,” enthuses Matthew Daniels, Unilever Foods best practice manager.
Supply manager packaging Gijs van Schoot adds: “Revolutionary is a strong word to use, but that’s exactly what we’re talking here - cost savings as a result are set to be significant, to say the least”.
