Is Using Ornaments Still a Crime? Package Design Complexity and Brand Perception with Application to Champagne Labels

This article investigates the impact of the package design complexity on brand perception. This variable is particularly interesting because it is a choice which must be done by each brand manager no matter the product category. The packaging has been studied in many ways, and we already know its importance. A lot of existing researches are focused on the importance of its shape, its colours or its letter type. But only few studies have been done about the impact of the stylistic choice between simple and complex design on the brand perception. Furthermore, the consumer behaviour and design research both agree that the degree of simplicity of the packaging design has a significant impact on consumer's attitudes towards a brand. In the case of this study, we defined two overall stylistic trends which come from the art literature: simple design versus overloaded design. In order to study the impact of the complexity degree, we created three labels: two representing the previously exposed styles and another one to study the relevance of a medium-loaded design. These labels were created in partnership with a printing company, present in Champagne since 1910. The three labels have the same text but different graphic designs in order to vary the degree of simplicity/complexity of the packaging observed on the market. Then, they were tested among 305 consumers according to a between-subjects experiment. The results allow the verification of different proposals from the literature: previous researches show that a simple design communicates an authentic and honest value which is also demonstrated in our study as the bottle with the simplest design is perceived as the most successful. Also, the bottle with an overloaded design is perceived as cheerful, imaginative and feminine as demonstrated by previous researches. This study demonstrates a significant impact of the package design's level of simplicity on the brand perception as well as on consumer's buying choices.