Tirso Olivares was selected by Henkel Consumer Goods Inc. to design a distinctive bottle for a new line of kid's shampoo and conditioner, expanding the Dial brand into the $2 billion Kids Shampoo category The elegant bottle design communicates a brand image that is approachable, trustworthy, fun, gentle, and the Dial brand as the authority on skin health. These are critical design and marketing objectives for Dial's Kids Body Wash brand position: "naturally protect and maintain children's perfect skin".

The new bottle design features a series of curved shapes suggesting bubbles and an oval footprint that integrate both the bottle and proprietary flip-top closure from base to cap. The new design elevates the trustworthy, fun image of the Dial brand above competitors on the shelf. The image of the bottle at the shelf is critically important since the target is moms as well as her child.

In discussing the inspiration for the alluring design, Tirso Olivares and the Dial

marketing team discussed the critical role of the image of the bottle design and the dual nature of the target consumers:

• For the product for ages 3-6 years old, the primary target is the mom, the secondary target is the child.

• For the product for the children 7-10 years old, the primary is the child and the

secondary target is the mom.

The fun look and appeal of the package’s curved lines as a metaphor for foaming

bubbles, bathing and nature, are important aspects of body care imagery. Kids,

especially older ones, seek out creative bottles and packaging, and are involved in selecting products at the store. An ergonomic bottle made to fit kids hand size is viewed by moms as helpful, and ease of use optimizes trustworthy and practical perceptions, especially in a slippery bathtub.

For younger children, moms view bath time as a special bonding experience between child and parent. Tirso Olivares' unique bottle design leverages that experience with its fun shape and colorful character-driven graphics and package colors. The bottle design capitalizes on this “special time” with a unique set of physical and visual package cues, and is a platform for future benefit-based brand variants.

Another design goal was to create a controlled dosing package to reduce product waste—a common complaint among parents. Initially, the Dial marketing team directed Tirso to use a stock flip-top closure in his design exploration to control package costs.

Ultimately, Tirso integrated a second closure option into his final design, one that was currently used on another Dial skin care package designed by Tirso. He was able to integrate this proprietary closure into the final bottle design, creating both a less costly package and a proprietary design.

The ultimate success of the new Dial Kids Body Wash package design was due in large part to the coordination and integration of the design process within Henkel’s internal organization, including package design management, marketing and package engineering. Tirso was involved during each step of the design process to facilitate seamless development with all resources and ensure that the final design was not compromised by technical surprises anywhere along the supply chain.

As the new Dial Kids Body Wash package exemplifies, good design is the result of committed collaboration among a management team in sync with the creative,

manufacturing and sales goals for the brand, and expectations of the package design effort.