I think that adding Braille to consumer packaging is an excellent idea (I'm not blind, by the way.)

I don't know about the US, but here in the UK the vast majority of products are wildly overpackaged, and I'd certain that Braille could be incorporated at the expense of something else.

Example: My favourite "bisuits for cheese" used to come with the biscuits in a plastic wrapper, and that assembly in a cardboard box. About a year ago, the manufacturers added a SECOND plastic wrapper round the outside of the box. No idea why... Lose that, add Braille!

Interesting comments, Mark. It's always nice to have people who live in different countries share their insights and experiences with us.

I agree with you. The incorporation of Braille is an excellent idea for packaging. Let's hope it catches on universally. I confess

I'm baffled by the fact that some of your products in the UK are seeing additional packaging, also. The trend is going the other way in the U.S. By minimizing packaging and shedding extraneous layers of packaging, we're able to conserve natural resources, save energy and slow down the tons of materials ending up in landfills.

Interesting observations, Mark. Consumers ought to push companies more and more in the U.S. and UK to minimize packaging materials. We can be creative utilizing less. And in this case: less is more.

Thanks, Mark, for weighing in. I appreciate it.

Ted,
Great post! I've often wondered why more isn't offered to the blind, when it's so easy to add Braille to more places.

• What do you think of the idea of adding Braille to consumer packaging?

It's such a no-brainer, it's only fitting companies aren't smart enough to have done it yet. You know, because that would require being selfless and aware of the world around them. Most companies are too busy worrying about the bottom line to see the big picture.

• Do you think it a good idea to incorporate more or less information in Braille? For example: do you think Braille ought to be used for more than product expiration dates?

Information should be universal, not just for the majority. On a 4-panel package, there's no reason 1 or .5 of those panels can't be in Braille, giving as much info as possible. Imagine being blind and being allergic to certain foodstuffs!

I'd also be interested to know the practicality of adding Braille on top of certain types of full-color packaging.

• Would you be willing to perhaps pay a bit more for products that may cost slightly more to package due to the addition of Braille?

Certainly, I would. We already pay for extraneous packaging, why not useful packaging? But I certainly see the bulk of people not wanting to. It's not an option though. Kind of like lower-sodium foods: if you take the salt out and don't say anything people's bodies will adjust and they won't notice (but if you mark the box, people will think it doesn't taste as good).

Thanks, Michael, for answering the questions I posed. Personally, I don't think many companies have even considered adding Braille to packaging in the past. Now, there is more impetus for them to do so. When it comes to pharmaceuticals, there is a definite safety issue involved. But I do think most consumer product categories, including food, would benefit from the addition of Braille. In that way, many more consumers would be able to get the information they need, as well. Sure, it will take some effort, technology and money to make this happen. But my gut says that most consumers would probably be willing to pay a bit more so that everyone would be able to access product information.

Thanks for adding substantially to my post, Michael. I appreciate your input, as always.

Ted, some companies are probably thinking, 'why should I increase my costs to meet the need of a group of select and niche group of consumers'.

In most instances, one less and unneccessary feature/functionality in the product pays for Braille on the packaging.

Exactly, Paul. And how about the idea expressed by CEO Barolozzi that adding Braille to his product packaging "was consistent with the company's goal to be socially responsible, as well as profitable". Companies, large and small, are looking for ways to be socially responsible. How about the idea of some CPG companies taking a leadership role and incorporating Braille into their packaging?

Thanks for weighing in, Paul. You always have meaningful things to say.

Hello,

Auchan, a big French supermarket, has been putting Braille onto all it's own brand packaging for a number of years. They use a kind of inflatable ink to do so.
Here is the link to their page in English about this initiative.
http://www.groupe-auchan.com/developpement_durable/clients.html
Hope it helps.

Cate

Cate, it's nice to see that the EU's efforts to add Braille to packaging is paying off. The link to the page you gave me is in French, but it's obvious that this supermarket chain is offering hundreds of products with Braille incorporated into the packaging. Not a bad idea given the fact that France, much like every other country in the West, is faced with aging populations.

Thanks for adding this information to the conversation, Cate. This is excellent.

"Information should be universal, not just for the majority."

I second that notion.

Correct web design necessitates that you use proper alt tag descriptions to provide context to images and links for the visually impaired.

The same thinking should apply to consumer packaged goods. Especially for basic necessities such as food and medicine. It's the socially responsible thing to do.

However, without government requirements similar to that in the EU, I doubt we'll see many CPG companies start wholesale adoption of braille packaging here in the US. Without a large market at present , most will pick the wait and see approach before jumping on to an unproven trend.

Those first movers who adopt the technologies now to accomplish this end will do it because it aligns with their broader agenda "to do the right thing." And I could see that strategy paying dividends in loyalty of the people who it helps, as well as from the people who care.

Just my rambling 2cents.

Jesse,

You've given a highly articulate, passionate view that most of us concur with. With the EU taking the lead on the inclusion of Braille into packaging, it signals that companies wanting to do business in Europe will have to get into this. Especially in pharmaceuticals for now. I believe, as you do, that companies in the U.S. are presented with an opportunity to take a leadership position on this issue. As Paul pointed out, a minority of people are blind or visually impaired, but as we've also seen, aging populations mean declining vision around the world, as well. That means more and more people, over time, would find the addition of Braille in packaging very helpful. It would seem to be a win-win proposition, in that case, for companies to make it easier for consumers to find the information they need on their products, wouldn't it?

Thanks for adding meaningfully to this post, Jesse. I appreciate it.

What, the sniff test isn't good enough to know if milk is past its expiration date?

I'm kidding. Adding Braille is an outstanding and laudable move. If we can design a label to turn blue when the beer within is cold, I think we can find ways to communicate important information to the disabled -- and not even have to raise prices to do it.

Thanks for the levity, Patricia. We all need more of that, and I'm not kidding. . .

As a matter of fact, research in the area of nanotechnology will enable packaging to turn color in the future. . .and it's not that far off. Quite a few advances in packaging are starting to happen. If you'd like to read more, take a look at this article I published in the July 2007 issue of Brand Packaging. I think you'll find it interesting.

http://www.brandpackaging.com/content.php?s=BP/2007/07&p=3.

Thanks, Patricia, for adding to my post. I appreciate it.

I am all for the braille on containers - one of my favourite soft drinks (feel good drinks) has the name in braille on the glass bottle (http://www.port.ac.uk/special/mba/snapshots-coursememberreviews/).

It is also (apparently) used on beer in Japan to ensure that the blind know they are drinking: http://www.myvisiontest.com/newsarchive.php?id=162

Braille is a nice touch (pun intended) but it should not be the only approach to packaging for the visually impaired.

Although, in an aging society, there will be more people with age related sight loss, these people often don't take the time to learn braille. Also their nerves will deteriorate over time, so distinguishing the arrangements and number of raised dots becomes harder.

So adding braille is a good thing, but the packaging needs to be designed well for all types of visual impairment (a lot of visually impaired people can see something, be it light and dark, or large shapes) not just total blindness.

Oh, and while we are on the subject of old people and packaging - No More Cellophane Wrappers - PLEASE!

The great part about fitting Braille onto a package is that it is textural, not really visible, and therefore can be "printed" over the other information without interfering with the legibility of the visible type. So you really don't need any additional space on the package to include Braille.

Exactly, marketeer. Thanks for pointing that out since I didn't do so. Great catch. I appreciate your adding this important point to the conversation.

Andrew took the words right out of my mouth. The motivation behind the idea of adding braille to packaging is right on the mark, but I think we should challenge ourselves to look beyond braille as the best solution.

My mother lost her sight fairly rapidly in her early 70s from macular degneration. For many years, she cleverly concealed her blindness because she didn't want others to know. To this day (now in her mid-80s) she still refuses to go to classes to learn ways to cope with her blindness, and she would NEVER use a white cane or learn braille. Today, she doesn't have the mental ability to learn braille even if she wanted to, and she has to rely on others for everything. On the other hand, we have other family members who have been blind since birth, at an early age learned braille and other techniques for living in a "sighted" world, and today are thriving professionals (and, BTW, give the best driving directions of anyone I know).

To Andrew's point, as we get older, we become less willing and able to adapt and learn new things, like braille. I would like to see us use emerging technologies to make the needed information accessible to all people in whatever form they can understand it. Imagine a simple hand-held electronic device (could even be their cell phone) that the consumer holds up next to the product, it scans a code, and then alerts the customer to whatever information about the product they are interested in. If I'm blind, it would speak to me. If I'm deaf, it would display it. If I only speak Mandarin, it would advise me in Mandarin, etc. Oh, and it will also have voice recognition and respond to my spoken requests.

This approach, though admittedly longer term and dependent on standards & technology development, would also overcome the issues with real estate on packaging. Braille takes up a lot of space, so you'd have to pick and choose what information was provided. This approach only requires the physical space needed for the scan code, and the information in the underlying database is dynamically updated on an as-needed basis.

Excellent post, Ted, and definitely a good impetus for some out-of-the-box thinking!

Andrew,

You raise some very good points. For those seniors who don't or won't learn Braille as their eyesight fails, consumer product companies have to find other ways to make their products more easily found and "read". Higher contrasts between packaging backgrounds and text is one way to accomplish that. Technology will also assist us in finding solutions. Thank you for weighing in, Andrew. You've added another important dimension to this discussion.

Just one more thing, Andrew: you're right again. Extraneous packaging like shrinkwrap over boxes is unnecessary most cases, though not all, and should be eliminated. . .not only because the elderly struggle with it, although that's a good enough reason. But it's also not environmentally sound to keep adding layers of packaging, either.

Thanks again for weighing in. Great stuff, Andrew.

Dorothy,

Thank you for sharing your poignant story with us. Consumer product companies need to be aware that how the customer experiences packaging is a very important consideration.

You and Andrew have made an important point about many elderly not wishing to learn Braille.

I do believe technology will play a significant role in assisting aging consumers as they seek products on retail shelves in the not-so-distant future.

Experiments are being made using hand-helds that can be wanded over packaging to extract product information, usage, etc. Here again: elderly consumers will have to embrace the technology. Many elderly do not want to use cell phones, for example, and find quickly evolving technology intimidating. So we will have more hurdles to overcome in the future.

As I mentioned to Patricia above, for more information on emerging packaging technologies, as well as the one we've been discussing, you may wish to read an article I wrote last summer. Brand Packaging published it, and here is the link:
http://www.brandpackaging.com/content.php?s=BP/2007/07&p=3.

I sincerely appreciate your contributions to this conversation, Dorothy. Many thanks.