[07. Contemporary
It is the packaging that knows how to be in constant relationship with the society of which it represents the values. Packaging reflects the culture of the company and in turn contributes to creating it. They do this through messages, which pass through their shapes, their graphics, their symbols: in this way they transfer models, participating in the evolution of contemporaneity.
The story of Leche pa’ la once: the recovery of tradition at the service of the elderly
“Leche pa’ la once” is the concept of a single-dose milk powder package designed with the aim of making the product more accessible and at the same time encouraging socialization among elderly people. The project was developed at the School of Design of the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, in a course entirely dedicated to ethical innovation of packaging, with the patronage of the Carta Etica del Packaging Foundation, as part of the latter’s first international collaboration with a foreign university.
Thirteen people, including students of the MADA-Master in Advanced Design of the Chilean university, for two months dedicated themselves to the study of packaging design and ventured into the design of new packaging solutions, with particular attention to their ethical responsibilities in the context of contemporary crises.
The aim of the course, held online, was to provide the theoretical notions and methodological tools necessary to successfully face a process of analysis, strategic definition and development of a design proposal based on a deep understanding of the complexity of packaging and its role with respect to current production and consumption systems, as well as its impact on people, society and the environment, both locally and globally.
With the aim of putting into practice what they learned during the theoretical part of the course, the participants developed a design exercise. Each working group, in the first place, had to carry out a critical analysis of a category chosen from: 1) food and beverage, 2) health and personal care, 3) pet care, 4) home care. Therefore, based on the observation of current trends and the search for significant case studies referring to the area analyzed, he had to propose a packaging solution that met ethical responsibility criteria and was inspired by one or more values of the Packaging Ethical Charter. To facilitate the work, being a short course of only two months, reference was made to Chilean or foreign brands, present on the national market, with the possibility of redesigning the packaging of a product already on the market or designing a new one for a brand. existing.
A characteristic aspect of MADA is the profile of its students, who come from different professional fields: not only design, but also engineering, architecture, communication sciences, journalism, art, etc. Also, some of them come from other Latin American countries. These peculiarities have led to the formation of heterogeneous working groups with a multidisciplinary and multicultural approach, which enriched the training course and the project results.
Among the works carried out during the course, “Leche pa’ la once” offers a single-dose milk powder package with particular attention to the elderly, with the aim of facilitating the preparation and consumption of the product, and at the same time encouraging socialization among elderly people.
In Chile, the third age makes up 12.49% of the country’s population: people over 65 therefore total about 2.9 million, making Chile one of the three oldest countries in the region (along with Cuba and Uruguay) . According to the Chilean government’s Ministry of Social Development, these numbers are set to increase, predicting that by 2050 the population over 60 will reach 31.2% nationwide, equal to 6.9 million people. In this perspective, the well-being of the elderly has become one of the priority objectives of public policies, in particular as regards their nutrition.
Considering the rapid aging of the country, it is therefore necessary to better understand the needs of this segment of the population, and to develop strategies that consider a more coherent design of products intended for the elderly, in particular of the communicative dimension of food packaging, in order to increase the preference and consumption of these products.
One of the great challenges related to food for the elderly is that it must not only meet adequate nutritional standards, but also be tasty, generate satisfaction and pleasure in consuming it.
Furthermore, even if in most of the packaging currently on the market some elements have already been introduced that facilitate interaction for those with reduced physical and cognitive abilities (such as, for example, “easy-open” systems), some products still have obstacles for older people, who have difficulty reading labels, find it difficult to open and manipulate the packages, or due to memory and concentration, which causes difficulties in remembering the products and how they are consumed.
However, beyond the physical and cognitive limitations of aging, the lack of socialization in old age is recognized as one of the main causes of the deterioration of the psychological well-being of the elderly.
The benefits of social relationships and participation in activities with other people relate to improved cognitive functioning and a perception of greater happiness.
Developed by Pablo Baratta, María Jesús Guardia, Cristián Muñoz and María Jesús Palma, “Leche pa’ la once” is the proposal for a special edition for milk powder with added calcium from a well-known Chilean brand. After analyzing the food sector and considering the third age as a reference segment, the working group has chosen to intervene in the packaging of a product widely consumed by elderly people in Chile for its nutritional benefits, with a dual purpose: on the one hand, he wanted to improve the user experience from the point of view of interaction with the packaging; on the other hand, promoting well-being in the elderly by encouraging socialization through the consumption of the same product in the context of family gatherings or between friends and girlfriends.
It is Chilean tradition to meet between five and seven in the evening at “tomar once”, an expression referring to having a snack, characterized by a combination of sweet and salty food.
The origin of the term “once” is not entirely certain, but the most widespread theory is that it established itself as a code name for the aguardiente, a type of distillate (literally “burning water”) that was drunk among meals in colonial times: the word “aguardiente” is made up of eleven letters and “tomar once” or “tomar la once” in Spanish literally means “to drink the eleven”, that is to drink aguardiente. Another hypothesis is that this tradition was carried by the English colonists who settled in the port of Valparaíso, with their habit of drinking tea at five in the afternoon.
Regardless of its origin, the “once” has established itself over time as a Chilean custom, an opportunity to meet with family and friends around a table to eat and chat, similar in spirit to the “Sunday lunch” of the Italian tradition.
“Leche pa’ la once” is a product designed for this traditional moment of sharing, which for the elderly is also an important opportunity for socialization, as described in the 2014 documentary – entitled “La once” – by the director Chilean Maite Alberdi (in the opening image, a scene from the documentary).
From the point of view of visual identity, the package is inspired by the graphic elements of the “Lira Popular“, a series of printed matter that circulated in the main urban centers of Chile between the end of the 19th century and the first decades of the 20th century, in which they published compositions in verse inspired by the oral tradition of peasant culture.
To reinforce the Chilean identity of the product, a typical phrase, a proverb or a popular saying is also printed on each single-dose sachet of powdered milk. While this solution helps to express national culture in a witty and goliardic way, on the other hand it is a way to generate conversation and encourage socialization between people.
The proposed line consists of different versions of the product: in addition to designing a specific package for each type of milk (whole, partially skimmed, skimmed, etc.), one was also designed that contains a combination of different sachets to facilitate consumption together.
The design solution was tested with a group of elderly people, who appreciated the references to the Chilean tradition, the irony of the messages, but also the clarity of the information and the ease of interaction with the packaging.
Inspired by the values of the Packaging Ethics Charter, the “Leche pa’ la once” project therefore proposes a packaging that aims to facilitate the consumption of the product (accessible), facilitate the understanding of information such as the nutritional profile or the expiry date (informative) and establish a relationship of trust with the user through direct and sincere (transparent) communication. However, the packaging is not only a solution adapted to a specific “target”, but tries to go further, offering a small but significant contribution to the socialization of elderly people, an age group that during the pandemic suffered particularly from isolation from loved ones. In this sense, packaging strengthens its role as facilitator and mediator, contributing to the well-being of people and thus participating in the evolution of contemporary society.
