
In the highly competitive consumer market where products vie for attention, packaging and labels can be key differentiators. An effective strategy deployed by brands is the use of embellishments on consumer and retail packaging and labels. The aim is to give their products more shelf impact alongside competitors, but often also convey an impression of luxury and premium quality. Metal foil effects, metallic inks, high gloss highlights, diffractions are literally eye catching, while matte soft-touch textures and raised embossing give tactile appeal to consumer and retail packaging once they are in a prospective purchaser’s hands. Tactile effects are also needed for Braille information for the visually impaired, especially on pharmaceutical packaging where it is usually mandated by law.
Some brands initially invest in expensive embellishments to establish a new product's image and create a sense of exclusivity. Once the brand identity is firmly established, they may transition to lower-cost printing methods that simulate embellishment effects using metallic inks, or even flat CMYK designed with shading and highlights to simulate embossing. This approach allows brands to maintain an established perception of quality and visual impact while optimizing production costs.
Types of packaging
Almost any type of packaging or labelling has the potential for some forms of

embellishment. This includes folding boxboard cartons; labels applied to containers and other items; flexible plastic packaging and pouches. The embellishment types and methods depend on the rest of the production process, but may be applied as a post-print process, or inline with the print engine.
Metallized media, common in flexible packaging or labels, easily lends itself to effects that mask out the base material, typically with an opaque white ink with holes to let the silver material shine through, and printed color designs on top of the white. Transparent colored inks over the silver metallized base can give gold, ruby, emerald and other effects.
Luxury packaging aims to enhance the perceived value of a product and create a memorable unboxing experience for consumers. It is often used with short run and limited-edition products. It goes beyond functional protection and serves as a reflection of the brand's image and the product's positioning. Special cover papers, which may be metallized and/or textured, are common.
Luxury packaging has always been big on embellishment and given its generally small run, high complexity production, it is especially suited to the economics of digital techniques.
Conversely, designers who need to economize might simulate metallics and embossing by clever use of highlights and shading in ordinary flat CMYK. This is such a common method of enhancement that design programs such as InDesign, Photoshop etc have long included sets of “effects” menus to create emboss/deboss shading, drop shadows, glows etc, on selections within the designs.
Enhancing Visual Appeal and Brand Differentiation
Embellishments are effective tools to enhance visual appeal and create distinct brand identities. Metal foil effects, such as gold or silver accents, immediately communicate a sense of elegance and luxury. High-end spirit brands like Johnnie Walker Blue Label and luxury fragrance lines from Chanel and Dior utilize metallic accents to create packaging that conveys opulence, capturing consumers' attention and setting their products apart from competitors.
Brands that invest in eye-catching embellishments do it because their market research suggest they’ll enjoy higher sales and greater brand recognition, so the primary reason for employing them is to influence consumer behavior.
Conveying product quality and premium brand image
Metal foil effects, such as gold or silver accents, are frequently employed in luxury packaging to convey opulence and prestige. These metallic elements catch the light, adding a touch of elegance and creating a visual impact that exudes luxury. Metallic inks go some way to giving the same results, certainly of “luxury,” but they don’t have the same potential as foil for high reflectivity.
Embossing is a popular technique that involves creating raised or recessed areas on the packaging surface. Raised embossed areas provide a tactile impression and a sense of craftsmanship, enhancing the overall perception of luxury and attention to detail.
Conventional embossing uses dies pressed into a medium to physically mold it to a patterned shape. The embossed area may be undecorated, ie “blind,” or printed or foiled to emphasize the 3D shape.
Foil, with or without embossing, may be the classic embellishment effect, but there are other methods that can give high visual impact, either by themselves or in combination with foil.
Spot gloss highlights are a good example. These can be given a raised surface by some application techniques, to give an embossed effect. Their impact might be further enhanced by using them over a matt surface, especially the deep matte and velvety feel of a “soft touch” laminate film.
Digital embellishment systems, particularly those from MGI, use “high build” UV varnish to simulate embossing without the need for dies, and they can optionally foil over that too.

With no need for metal dies, very short runs and even variable data personalization becomes economical.
Taking these a step further in complexity and expense, 3D light-diffracting "cast and cure" effects can create a visually stunning appearance, intended to give an impression of sophistication and excellence. For those not familiar with it, cast and cure is a multi-stage process combining raised clear UV-cure varnish with an embossing stage that presses a light-diffracting pattern into the varnish before it is fixed by UV light. The technique adds depth, texture, and visual interest to packaging and labels. When light hits the cured coating, it is reflected and refracted, creating a dynamic play of light and shadows.
Raised embossed areas and tactile impressions are highly effective in conveying a sense of craftsmanship and attention to detail. Upmarket confectionary brands may incorporate raised embossing to create packaging that not only looks luxurious but also engages the sense of touch, enhancing the overall consumer experience.
As paper sleeves and folding card boxes stage a comeback due to the backlash against plastics waste, so embellishment techniques can be adjusted to suit these. Metallized plastic pouches and other flexible media used as the sole packaging material can easily be given the foiled look by show-through overprinted designs, of course.
Examples of embellished product lines
Numerous brands across diverse industries have embraced embellishments as a means of elevating their product packaging. Here are a few noteworthy examples:
a) Beauty and personal care: high-end beauty brands like Estée Lauder, MAC Cosmetics, and NARS incorporate metal foil effects, metallic printed inks, and high gloss highlights to convey luxury, allure, and sophistication.
b) Alcoholic beverages, especially premium wine and spirit brands often use embellishments in scales ranging from subtle minimalism to eye-scorching (not all brands believe the old

design adage that “less is more”). Labels featuring metallic inks, embossed textures, and simulated foil effects, such as Dom Pérignon champagne and Penfolds Grange wine, reinforce brand positioning and shelf presence.
c) Gourmet food and confectionery: the more expensive luxury food and confectionery brands like Godiva and Lindt employ raised embossing, metallic printed inks, and soft-touch effects to elevate their packaging.
These are mass-market products of course. One of the benefits of digital embellishment is that very small producers, often serving local markets, can now afford embellishments on labels and boxes. With careful attention to design and technique, they can compete with the big players for shelf impact.
d) Collectors’ items: these might be any product type where customers are interested in special, limited editions, generally at premium prices. Luxury packaging for food, drink, glassware and jewelry is particularly associated with such products. However, one well-known trading card company is using foil on boxes to highlight some of its limited-edition packs – these use standard mass-production techniques for the packaging, except the embellishment is applied digitally, by MGI JetVarnish. The card company has invested in this to the extent of buying its own printing shop in the USA.
Accessibility and inclusive design

Embellishments also serve a crucial role in meeting accessibility requirements, which are an increasing requirement particularly in the pharmaceutical industry. Blind embossing, which utilizes raised embossed areas without printed images, is widely used to incorporate Braille lettering on pharmaceutical packaging.
Brands like Pfizer and GlaxoSmithKline and indeed any other player in this sector, employ blind embossing techniques to ensure inclusivity and comply with regulatory guidelines, enabling visually impaired people to access essential product information.
Given the mass production nature of pharmaceuticals, physical, mostly die-based embossing
is the norm, but the tactile effects possible from some digital spot varnishers does allow for regulations and other changes to be incorporated, potentially down to personalized medicines for individuals.
Conclusion
Embellishments offer a powerful means of differentiation, enabling brands to stand out amidst competitors and create memorable consumer experiences. Brands that employ embellishments effectively not only increase the visibility of their packaging but also convey an impression of quality and attention to detail. By thoughtfully integrating these techniques, brands can forge stronger connections with consumers, stimulate engagement, and ultimately drive business success in the highly competitive consumer market.
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