A physicist will tell you about geometry, angles of refraction, and measurements of electromagnetic spectrums, when you ask him to define a ray of light. Present a question to a packaging designer and you will also hear about shadows, reflections, and the movement of the eye of a customer along a shelf.
All light rays are, in other words, the straight line through which light energy passes between two points. The way of a photon. No curves. No detours. The path between an object and a source of the shortest length. When that ray strikes something, a wall, a hand, a tea light box three things can occur. The light reflects (bounces off). The light refracts through (refraction). Or the light ceases (absorption).
These three behaviors are not only academic to understand. In the case of brands that sell tea light boxes, candles or any item that is to be shown under retail light, it is the skill of the ray of light that will either make customers see your box or pass without a second glance.
What Is a Ray of Light?
A ray of light is an ideal straight line that indicates the flow of light. As a matter of fact, light diffuses in waves. In the case of packaging design, manufacturing and retail display, the issue of light as rays can be solved.
As the ray reaches a box of tea lights, the surface of the box then determines what occurs next. Most of the rays are reflected back to the eyes of the customer by a smooth, white and glossy surface. This is the reason why high-end packaging is either bright or luminous. Most of the rays are absorbed by a dark, rough surface that is matte. This is what makes budget packaging experience flat or uninteresting. Neither is wrong. Yet both provide a different message to the two-foot distant shopper under the fluorescent store lighting.
The point is that until you know that light acts in straight lines, you cannot regulate its behavior. Each curve, crease, foil stamp, window cutout on your tea light box alters the interaction of those straight lines with your product.
Interaction between Tea Light Boxes and Light Rays
The issue of custom tea light boxes is a special challenge when it comes to packaging. The inside product is small, light and is frequently packaged in multi-packs. However, the candle as such the physical tea light performs a unique task: it emits warm, soft and inviting light when lit.
The light rays are reflected off the surface of your box. An overhead store light will be reflected off a highly reflective box that has metallic foil, lamination or glossy white board and those rays will be reflected straight into the peripheral vision of one of the customers. This is very good to attract attention even on the other side of an aisle. Excessive reflection, however, causes glare. Glare obscures your branding and renders the box aggressive. Tea lights are concerned with cool coziness. Violent packaging sends a bad message.
Absorption is when the rays of light are absorbed in the surface of your box without reflecting back. Dark colors take in more light. Matte finish absorbs more light. A tea light box in black, uncoated, will be a high-end, mysterious, yet unnoticed object on a dark shelf.
Refraction is the process through which light rays bend as they go through a clear or opaque substance. This is the least known but most effective tool in designing tea light boxes. refraction: a transparent hole in your box produces refraction. This plastic or cellophane sheet that covers the window refracts the light rays before they hit the real tea light in the window.
Tea Light Boxes Design Principles – Practical
With the knowledge of how rays of light react with the packaging surfaces, here are four practical guidelines when making your next tea light box.
First, practice your box in real conditions of lighting where the box shall be sold. A box that was a beauty in your office in the daylight might be nothing in front of cold LED panels in a supermarket. Purchase one of the store lights. Place your prototype box below it. Note the effect of the rays on your foil, your text, and your cutout in the window at various times of the day. Adjust accordingly.
Second, apply matte and gloss selectively. A completely opaque box absorbs almost all the direct rays of light. A gloss box that is complete reflects almost all the direct light rays. Both are not perfect with tea lights. However, a matte background to absorb rough rays of the sun overhead and minimize glare. Then any gloss accents- your logo, a decorative edge, the word vanilla so as to form little reflection points directing the eye of the customer to where you would have it.
Third, take into account the color temperature of your packaging in comparison to your candle. The orange-yellow light between 2700 Kelvin is generated by warm white tea lights. Cool white packaging with blue undertones will not fit when the customer envisions the candle burning in the box. The light of your box must match the light given off by the candle. Cream, ivory, soft beige and warm gray bounce rays in a manner that seems to be unified with a burning tea light.
Common Mistakes That Break the Ray of Light
There are two common errors made by packaging designers when they do not take into account the behavior of light rays.
The initial error is high-gloss black. Most light rays are absorbed by black. Light rays bounce off Gloss. The high-gloss black produces an illusion of confusion of the box appearing both wet and flat at the same time. This does not seem like a premium to the customers. In case you would like black tea light boxes, use matte black with one gloss accent. Let absorption rule, and leave the eye to one point of reflection.
The second is, putting a cut out of a window at the side panel rather than at the front panel. The rays of light move in a straight manner. When your window is placed sideways on a shelf, then the rays that reach the candle inside of the window do so at an angle. The customer perceives a deformed shadowy product. Always be sure to place transparent windows on the main display face where the light rays of an overhead are directly impacting.
Bottom Line
A ray of light is merely a straight path of energy in between an object and a source. However, such a straightforward definition has far-reaching implications on the design of tea light box packaging. Reflection grabs attention. Absorption creates mood. Refraction makes it soft and protective. Learning to do all three, a cardboard box becomes a silent salesperson who works at any time of the day and night, at any shelf, and at any store.
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