David Dombrowski is a speaker at the marcus evans AmericaPack Summit 2020, taking place in Las Vegas, Nevada, February 24-25.

1. Interview with: David Dombrowski,
Director Industrial Design &
Innovation, GSK
“Design is often outsourced or is an
underutilized internal resource, but for
companies to deliver great products to
consumers, it needs to be internally-
focused as an asset,” advises David
Dombrowski, Director Industrial Design
& Innovation, GSK. “Industrial design,
graphic design, human factor and user
experience design manifest in so many
different ways, they should play a
collective role in the packaging decision-
making process. Design should not be
an afterthought,” he explains.
Dombrowski is a speaker at the marcus
evans AmericaPack Summit 2020,
taking place in Las Vegas, Nevada,
February 24-25.
What is the “moment of truth”?
How does it define the mindset and
behaviors of a consumer?
It is the first interaction a consumer has
with a package or product, that first
moment it can attract the consumer.
The first opportunity for a company to
define what the product is, who they
are, what they mean to the consumer,
and what promises they are making,
which ultimately becomes the
experience the consumer has with the
product. That is especially true in
healthcare and medicine, where the
package and product are often
homogenous and used up together. How
can the manufacturer stop someone in
his tracks, and get them to pick up the
product? That is the real purpose of the
first “moment of truth”.
From a psychological aspect, the
mindset behind consumer behavior, our
brains recognize objects in a certain
sequence; first, the color of the
package, then the shape, and finally the
text. Manufacturers need to design
products with those in mind, to make
sure they stand out on the shelf. It can
take a microsecond for a consumer to
make the choice between their product
and another.
Which of those three areas need the
most improvement? What are
packaging directors and manufac-
turers most likely to overlook?
More than anything else, they need to
understand the entry level, what they
are competing against in their category.
What does the shelf set look like? What
does innovation look like in that
category? What changes can be made
without losing the context or equity
behind the brand, in order to be
different? But different for the right
reasons, not change for the sake of it.
What do packaging directors need
to know about the Design Pyramid?
Packaging Designers need to recognize
that the CPG (Consumer Packaged
Goods) model is not flat, as your typical
Venn Diagram would suggest with
Marketing, R&D and Manufacturing
overlapping each other. For a CPG
product to truly come to life, we must
move to a three-dimension model or
Design Pyramid, where the consumer
and customer are included. You cannot
design or deliver a successful CPG
product to market without understand-
ing the consumer, empathy, and the
customer to whom you are selling
through. This is where Design is critical
and holds a position central to the
pyramid, to consider all internal and
external factors to bring ideas to life.
What opportunities for making
packaging more innovative and
appealing are often missed?
It is Design. Design is an art, the
conceptualization of what a product
looks like, the consumer interface.
Considering ergonomics, aesthetics,
visual communication and other human
factors, designers can create a product
that can be used or operated intuitively.
But Design is the key, and it is an
underutilized resource.
We want consumers to keep their bottle
of vitamins on the counter the same
way they would with their perfume
bottle. They are more likely to take their
vitamins if they are not stuck in the
pantry or under the sink. We want
packaging that wants to be left out on
the counter.
Why is Design underutilized? Are
most organizations lacking a Design
culture? Is that the issue?
More and more companies are bringing
in Chief Design Officers or Lead
Designers, reporting directly to
Marketing. They are playing a key role
in the decision-making process, an
equal player amongst R&D, Manufactur-
ing and Marketing. Design should be
part of the conversation right from the
beginning, and not an afterthought.
When it is an external resource, it is
often left till later on in the process,
when it is usually too late. That ends up
costing more, and the intent of the
design gets lost.
For companies to embrace Design, they
need a Chief Design Officer. Design
should be held close to home as an
asset and not relinquished to agencies.
Agencies can provide support, but you
need an internal focus on Design to
make sure the intent and throughput of
Design is maintained within the
manufacturing discipline.
Design should
be held close
to home as
an asset
The Role of Design in
Packaging that Stands Out

2. About the AmericaPack Summit 2020
The AmericaPack Summit is the premium forum bringing elite buyers and sellers
together. The Summit offers FMCG packaging executives and suppliers and solution
providers an intimate environment for a focused discussion on how to win the battle
for market and mind share through packaging. Taking place at Caesars Palace, Las
Vegas, Nevada, February 24-25, the Summit includes presentations on capitalizing on
disruptive technologies to meet new age requirements for sustainability, reusability,
safety and cost efficiency, innovative packaging designs to elevate the unboxing
experience, creating brand awareness, and adjusting packaging to international
standards for a competitive advantage.
http://h1.americapack.marcusevans-summits.com
About marcus evans Summits
marcus evans Summits are high level business forums for the world’s leading decision-makers to meet, learn and discuss
strategies and solutions. Held at exclusive locations around the world, these events provide attendees with a unique opportunity to
individually tailor their schedules of keynote presentations, case studies, roundtables and one-on-one business meetings.
For more information, please visit: www.marcusevans.com
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