Justin Carroll, Creative Director of Hamagami/Carroll, Inc., recently did an interview with Gamasutra and talked about the ins and outs of packaging design, honing in on both casual and core audiences, and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2.
Excerpt from interview:
"Game packaging is becoming increasingly elaborate. As Collectors Editions and limited steelbook cases become more and more prevalent -- in an effort to make games stand out on the shelves and lure in hardcore collectors -- the art of designing packaging becomes incredibly complicated.
So what exactly goes into the process? What makes a good game package, and how do you handle the restrictions of working with marketing departments, and working within the templates the console companies lay out?
To find out more, Gamasutra spoke to Justin Carroll, partner and creative director of Hamagami/Carroll. The company recently completed the packaging of
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, including the frankly insane Prestige Edition, complete with night vision goggles.
Does packaging matter in creating buzz with gamers? JC: Absolutely. But for a number of reasons, the balance of power in marketing communications is shifting away from the package. The package is one of the important touch points in connecting with consumers -- there's still that wow factor when a new shooter product hits the shelf, (or an awww factor for something cute like the
Littlest Pet Shop games).
Also, the question presupposes a core game audience. As the market expands with casual games and new platforms, "buzz" takes on a different meaning -- what buzzes a 35+ female consumer is a lot different than what jolts a
World of Warcraft junkie"
Read the rest of the interview
here
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