Food packaging design can sometimes feel quite intimidating, even if you’re a pro graphic designer. It’s one thing trying to convey your brand messaging effectively, it’s a whole other ball game trying to make sure you’re ticking off label requirements with your local food standards agency. But with anything daunting, it’s not so scary once you know how to do it.
Wanna date? Packaging design by Katerina KSince the pandemic, consumers’ shopping habits have changed with the focus shifting from supermarkets to supporting local food outlets and small independent brands. Whilst many of us were trying out baking sourdough for the first time, many others used the lockdown(s) to take their love of cooking and baking to the next level by starting their own food brands like Sourdough lockdown bakers Butter and Crust. If you’re in that category and looking to monetize your culinary passions, then this article is for you!
So you’ve decided to monetize your lockdown hobby of homemade lollipops? Or maybe you’re a designer who’s been briefed by a giant food corp to launch their newest on-the-go snack? Either way, you’ve found yourself at the concept stage of the design process. Blank pages and pens at the ready, it’s time to do some brand strategy mind-mapping!
Packaging design by Katerina KWhether you’re launching a new food product and briefing a designer or designing the product yourself, the first step in the process is nailing down your brand messaging. Below are three questions to ask yourself whilst mind-mapping your brand strategy before you jump into the design process.
Packaging design by Cyan TriangleThe type of product you’re creating the food packaging for will ultimately determine the kind of design you choose. For example, if you are branding small-batch chocolates with a premium price tag, this will impact which typefaces, illustration styles and packaging options you choose vs a large-scale production of a food item at a cheaper price point.
Vegan-friendly brand messaging via Minor FiguresIt’s important to dig deep into the mindset of your target audience. Who is the product aimed at and what are they like? It helps to build a picture of your ideal customer so you can better understand how to talk to them.
For example, if you are targeting high-earning millennial women, research the kinds of brands your target audience buys, how much they spend on similar products and what style of food packaging they are drawn to. This will build a mood board of other food brands that will inspire you to create within your audience’s ideal product spectrum.
Another great exercise when mapping out your vision for your brand and product is to think about your brand as a personality. What words would you use to describe your brand, and from there you can start to think about how this would work visually. Is your brand fun and vegan friendly like Minor Figures oat milk for example? You can use these personality points to translate into the kinds of typefaces and illustration styles you might use.
Now that you have your brand messaging down, it’s time to translate your brand vision into your creative output. Your brand exploration will act as a manual for which typefaces, colorways and design styles to choose. Let’s dig into this a little deeper:
Packaging design by Cyan TriangleTypeface design is a language in it’s own right. Choosing the right typeface is arguably one of the most important decisions you can make when branding a product. You wouldn’t want to slip up and choose typeface Papyrus like the graphic designer of 2009 blockbuster Avatar, right?!
When looking at your brand map and particularly your audience, understand what message you’re trying to get across when choosing your design guidelines. Choosing a typeface that is contemporary and on-trend shows that your product is forward-thinking, just in the same way as a timeless classic like Cooper shows that your product is vintage-inspired. Don’t underestimate what your typeface says about your product!
Similar to typefaces, colors have their own language too. The basic psychology of colors tells us that each color evokes a feeling, so when you’re choosing your colorway for your food packaging design, it’s important to think about what each color combination expresses.
Bright packaging designs, by maría luisa castro via BehanceDo you want to go minimal, calm and sleek? Or bright, punchy and contemporary? Colors give away the atmosphere or personality of your brand. Compliment with high-quality, original visuals that are inline with your brand.
Food packaging doesn’t have to include illustrations and graphics, but it’s a brilliant way to add style and personality to your product. And it’s becoming increasingly popular to include charming characters to food packaging, as it instantly brings a smile to your face and stops consumers in their tracks.
Via LibertyDesign by Luz VieraIf adding illustrative graphics to your food packaging design is something you’d like to consider, think about what styles you think will communicate your message well. Perhaps you want to appeal to young audiences or the child in every adult? Bright colors and 2D line drawings work really well to exude an innocent, joyful or mischievous energy. Find designers who specialize in character illustration or doodle art to collab with and make your products shine brighter than your competitors.
Whilst considering the aesthetics of color palettes and typefaces is a key element to food packaging design, the physical shapes and forms of your food packaging is extremely important to explore.
Take the humble soup, for example, the options for packaging forms are (almost) endless. You could use a plastic-lined cardboard box, a plastic pouch, a jar or the classic tin.
Soup packaging by Rudi StudioSoup packaging by Industria via DribbbleSoup packaging by AterietSoup packaging by AterietEach option offers a different message for your brand; by choosing the more luxury option you are speaking to a higher earning client and therefore can pitch the price higher. By using cheaper materials, you can offer your product to the masses.
Now that your food packaging design is complete, it’s time to look at the practicalities and the production side of your food packaging design. This can feel like a daunting step of the design process, but it’s easy when you know how!
Packaging design by K.artThe reality of food packaging design is that you’re dealing with a product that ultimately has an expiry date. You need to factor in what you need to do to protect the contents of the packaging by air sealing the food.
The best way to protect the food from becoming damaged and expiring is to consider primary, secondary and tertiary packaging, in other words, outer packaging, inner packaging and product packaging. Depending on the type of food product, you may need one or all three of these.
The outer packaging is the first thing a consumer will see so it’s important to use this opportunity to get across how you want to market your brand. It’s essentially what protects your product from the outside world, whether it’s on the shelf of a shop or the shopping box.
Sleek outer packaging by Yahya Khan via DribbbleInner packaging is what keeps your product safe from getting knocked around and damaged. This could be dissolvable packing peanuts, an airtight sealed bag to keep the product fresh or the inner foil of a chocolate bar.
When deciding on inner packaging in particular, ensure that the materials you use aren’t going to react with the food they’re containing. Will it protect the food from light, humidity and temperature?
Dissolvable packing peanuts via EtsyProduct packaging is probably the first thing that comes to mind when you think of food packaging. Although all 3 elements of packaging touchpoints are important to mark with your brand, product packaging is arguably the most important as this is what will stick in the consumer’s mind, and will be at the forefront of your marketing.
Beautiful product packaging by Mila KatagarovaClimate change is pushing more audiences and regulations towards production methods that are gentler on the environment. So now more than ever, it’s really important to opt for sustainable packaging materials over plastic, and it’s also really important to not ‘eco-wash’ by claiming your product is eco-friendly when it isn’t.
Sustainable hanging egg holder. Packaging design by Fibra and colleagues, via BehanceThere are so many exciting innovations happening across sustainable packaging, so find a designer who gets it and is leading that field. An obvious solution is to use recycled paper or pulp as the materials for your design. Often, it doesn’t appear as polished or sterile as fresh paper or materials. You can use this aesthetic as part of your wider brand identity to enforce the idea that you’re a humanistic brand that values authenticity—imperfections and all. It adds to a quirky personality and creates distance between your brand and the idea of a faceless corporation.
Alternatively, you could go for a zero-waste approach, reusing the offshoots of your products to mold the packaging. Take the packaging pictured below. The brand has collected otherwise unwanted potato peelings as a leftover from their product (fries) and reused them to create the cone packaging. It’s innovative, simple and memorable.
Potato peel packaging, by 3L Design and colleagues, via BehanceLuckily today, there are many forms of innovative sustainable food packaging options. Arekapak’s 100% natural and biodegradable packaging made from sun-dried areca palm leaves, reusable and recyclable alternative material to plastic films Paptic has a highly printable surface perfect for your branding and TIPA innovatively uses materials that biodegrade at the same time as the organic produce.
Once you decide if you are producing a small or large scale production, you’ll need to work closely with the manufacturer that you choose to determine what kind of file formats, materials and time scales you’ll be working with. For example, your digital file will most likely need to be in a dieline format and correctly CMYK color-coded, but each manufacturer will have its own specific requirements.
You might decide to choose a local supplier for your food packaging needs. Duncan Print, for instance, is a UK manufacturer producing food-safe packaging and printing, offering a broad range of packaging shape options.
Printing manufacturer via Duncan PrintAlternatively, there are some massive corporations established internationally. Amcor is a leading global packaging supplier, ranging across industries rather than being specifically food-focused. Ball specializes in metal products for food and beverage—and aerospace, in case you were wondering—while Mondi and Smurfit Kappa specialize in sustainable paper packaging options.
Recycled packaging for chocolate, minus the foil wrapping. By Paul Lee via BehanceShipping prices and customs will no doubt factor into these decisions, so make sure to check in beforehand about what these would entail for your brand and product. If you are promising an eco-friendly packaging option to your consumer, be sure to build that customer trust with your authenticity—do your research and find the most appropriate supplier for you.
Designing food packaging means that there will be legalities you have to tick off before you launch the product. It’s important to check with your national governing bodies to understand what has to be done before you send your packaging off to print. Each country will have its own food standards agency that will provide you with legal requirements for providing food information to consumers.
Illustration by OrangeCrushOften this will include making sure that you include the name of the food, list of ingredients, allergen information, net quantity, storage conditions and sell-by-date, to name a few.
Food packaging needs to protect, attract and deliver. Whether you’re offering gourmet chocolate boxes, fresh produce via subscription or a golden oldie can of beans, make sure you create a unique design that’ll find its way straight to your target audience’s heart—through their stomachs.
How do you capture someone's attention in a market full of attractive products? It's not always the deals you offer or the guarantee you provide. The first hook is always created with a product's packaging and how it's designed.
Product packaging design is the art of creating exceptional and visually-appealing designs for the outer containers of products, such as cardboard boxes and cartons. It covers aspects such as appearance, feel, ability to protect the contents inside, and the pleasure of holding the containers in the hands. When your packaging design focuses on all these aspects, you can leave a strong and positive impression on consumers before they even decide to buy a product.
A unique packaging design makes your product stand out, piquing your target audience's interest in exploring your product and influencing their buying decision.
Your product packaging design communicates more than your brand identity. It communicates with your potential and existing customers. An attractive product packaging design helps you make a positive first impression on consumers, especially in the e-commerce landscape. Unlike physical stores with inviting layouts and friendly staff, online businesses rely heavily on their custom packaging design to build and augment their brand identity.
In fact, research has shown that the materials used in product packaging and unique graphic design ideas for logo design and box design often influence consumers' buying decisions. This also highlights the positive impact of product packaging design on your business's overall performance and revenue.
A well-designed package will also offer consumers all the relevant information they need about the product and the manufacturer. This information should be able to cover questions such as: Who is the product made for? How is the product used? Does it expire and when? (in the case of food packaging design created for food products).
The brand you create and the unique narrative that you weave into its perception can be effectively reflected in your packaging design. This influences how consumers view your offerings and, in turn, the brand. After all, first impressions can never be recreated.
Hence, to ensure that your packaging design accurately funnels your brand message, use brand typography to stylize the brand logo, fonts, and trademarks associated with your brand. This offers a consistent approach that allows consumers to quickly identify your products no matter where they are.
The packaging design also significantly determines whether consumers are willing to pay the price quoted on your product. Eye-catching packaging can impart a sense of high value to your brand and make consumers buy your products. This can boost sales and improve your profit margins. Suffice it to say, the best packaging design does not only promote the product but also enhances its perceived worth, fostering a top-of-the-mind recall for your brand.
Leading global and local brands have always prioritized product packaging design because it has proven instrumental in enhancing consumer purchase behavior and product experience. In a word, product packaging design brings success to your brand.
As we learned above, packaging plays a significant role in creating brand differentiation. It can set you apart from others who manufacture or sell similar products by using distinctive logos and colors for your brand design.
The packaging design process goes beyond just creating types of packaging for different products using dieline templates with design software like Adobe Illustrator or Photoshop. It can either serve as a tool to shape consumer behavior and drive sales or even jeopardize sales if the design is not too captivating. Having attractive design elements can positively influence customer perceptions, emotions, and purchase decisions, significantly boosting product visibility and making it popular with consumers in offline and online marketplaces alike.
An important factor for successful packaging design is its consistency. A product's packaging becomes instantly distinct and identifiable if the design is simple and unified, creating a strong brand identity. This consistency also plays a role in earning customer trust and loyalty, as consumers highly appreciate a reliable experience offered by the brand.
Simplicity further enhances this consistency. With a simple packaging design, you can ensure that the actual communication about the product is not compromised. On the other hand, complicated designs can confuse customers and detract from the product's worth. Selecting clear and straightforward designs can create more of an impact and even be more memorable compared to intricate designs. So, when it comes to leaving a mark with packaging design, the principle of "less is more" reigns supreme. It is the single most important aspect of an aesthetically pleasing package design that every brand should consider.
A simple yet visually appealing design concepts can effectively capture consumer attention while conveying relevant information about the product and its advantages without overwhelming customers with unnecessary complexity.
When a product is beautifully packaged, it can instantly grab people's attention. Custom packaging offers the medium through which you can cultivate a unique identity for your products, enabling consumers to interact with your brand. The product may not be of much relevance to everyone, but attractive packaging ensures that everyone notices it. A unique packaging design sets your product apart and shapes your brand identity for the consumer. It visually represents your brand's values and influences the consumer's perception.
In the first 90 seconds of encountering a product, consumers can decide whether to buy it or not. About 62-90% of this decision is influenced by the packaging colors. Color palette plays a critical role in product packaging as they evoke emotions that shape consumers' perceptions of the product. Selecting the right colors can leave a powerful visual impact on the consumer as well as enhance the product's overall appeal.
Ensure your custom packaging is designed for easy access and doesn't require additional hands or intricate tools to undo it. While complex designs can seem 'intelligent,' consumers prefer hassle-free packaging that they can open easily and without damaging the contents. Your objective should be to follow the principle of minimalism and create a package design that can grab people's attention as well as offer the convenience of opening the package without much struggle.
You must also consider making your packaging’s functionality senior-friendly, as about 56 million people in the US are aged 65 or above. Therefore, it's necessary to use larger text and bold colors to enhance visibility for senior buyers. Adopting safe, easy-to-open packaging options requiring minimal grip strength would benefit the growth of your brand.
Creating eye-catching packaging with a unique label design for your products can offer several benefits, but it should also match your product’s quality and craftsmanship. The packaging should resonate with your target audience, offering a nice look and feel. Tailoring packaging solutions to your intended audiences can help you achieve a product that enhances the overall brand perception and user experience.
Other than the design, you must also use high-quality materials for your package to provide premium and sustainable packaging for your products. Your choice of high-quality materials for crafting the perfect packaging will showcase your brand's commitment to quality assurance and also protect products during transportation. Investing in packaging box materials that can withstand wear and tear can go a long way toward fostering brand equity and customer loyalty.
How do you capture someone's attention in a market full of attractive products? It's not always the deals you offer or the guarantee you provide. The first hook is always created with a product's packaging and how it's designed.
Product packaging design is the art of creating exceptional and visually-appealing designs for the outer containers of products, such as cardboard boxes and cartons. It covers aspects such as appearance, feel, ability to protect the contents inside, and the pleasure of holding the containers in the hands. When your packaging design focuses on all these aspects, you can leave a strong and positive impression on consumers before they even decide to buy a product.
A unique packaging design makes your product stand out, piquing your target audience's interest in exploring your product and influencing their buying decision.
Your product packaging design communicates more than your brand identity. It communicates with your potential and existing customers. An attractive product packaging design helps you make a positive first impression on consumers, especially in the e-commerce landscape. Unlike physical stores with inviting layouts and friendly staff, online businesses rely heavily on their custom packaging design to build and augment their brand identity. In fact, research has shown that the materials used in product packaging and unique design ideas for logo design and box design often influence consumers' buying decisions. This also highlights the positive impact of product packaging design on your business's overall performance and revenue.
A well-designed package will also offer consumers all the relevant information they need about the product and the manufacturer. This information should be able to cover questions such as: Who is the product made for? How is the product used? Does it expire and when? (in the case of food packaging).
The brand you create and the unique narrative that you weave into its perception can be effectively reflected in your packaging design. This influences how consumers view your offerings and, in turn, the brand. After all, first impressions can never be recreated. Hence, to ensure that your packaging design accurately funnels your brand message, use brand typography to stylize the brand logo, fonts, and trademarks associated with your brand. This offers a consistent approach that allows consumers to quickly identify your products no matter where they are.
The packaging design also significantly determines whether consumers are willing to pay the price quoted on your product. Eye-catching packaging can impart a sense of high value to your brand and make consumers buy your products. This can boost sales and improve your profit margins. Suffice it to say, the best packaging design does not only promote the product but also enhances its perceived worth, fostering a top-of-the-mind recall for your brand.
Leading global and local brands have always prioritized product packaging design because it has proven instrumental in enhancing consumer purchase behavior and product experience. In a word, product packaging design brings success to your brand.
As we learned above, packaging plays a significant role in creating brand differentiation. It can set you apart from others who manufacture or sell similar products by using distinctive logos and colors for your brand design.
The packaging design process goes beyond just creating types of packaging for different products. It can either serve as a tool to shape consumer behavior and drive sales or even jeopardize sales if the design is not too captivating. Having attractive design elements can positively influence customer perceptions, emotions, and purchase decisions, significantly boosting product visibility and making it popular with consumers in offline and online marketplaces alike.
An important factor for successful packaging design is its consistency. A product's packaging becomes instantly distinct and identifiable if the design is simple and unified, creating a strong brand identity. This consistency also plays a role in earning customer trust and loyalty, as consumers highly appreciate a reliable experience offered by the brand.
Simplicity further enhances this consistency. With a simple packaging design, you can ensure that the actual communication about the product is not compromised. On the other hand, complicated designs can confuse customers and detract from the product's worth. Selecting clear and straightforward designs can create more of an impact and even be more memorable compared to intricate designs. So, when it comes to leaving a mark with packaging design, the principle of "less is more" reigns supreme. It is the single most important aspect of an aesthetically pleasing package design that every brand should consider.
A simple yet visually appealing design can effectively capture consumer attention while conveying relevant information about the product and its advantages without overwhelming customers with unnecessary complexity.
When a product is beautifully packaged, it can instantly grab people's attention. Custom packaging offers the medium through which you can cultivate a unique identity for your products, enabling consumers to interact with your brand. The product may not be of much relevance to everyone, but attractive packaging ensures that everyone notices it. A unique packaging design sets your product apart and shapes your brand identity for the consumer. It visually represents your brand's values and influences the consumer's perception.
In the first 90 seconds of encountering a product, consumers can decide whether to buy it or not. About 62-90% of this decision is influenced by the packaging colors. Color palette plays a critical role in product packaging as they evoke emotions that shape consumers' perceptions of the product. Selecting the right colors can leave a powerful visual impact on the consumer as well as enhance the product's overall appeal.
Ensure your custom packaging is designed for easy access and doesn't require additional hands or intricate tools to undo it. While complex designs can seem 'intelligent,' consumers prefer hassle-free packaging that they can open easily and without damaging the contents. Your objective should be to follow the principle of minimalism and create a package design that can grab people's attention as well as offer the convenience of opening the package without much struggle.
You must also consider making your packaging’s functionality senior-friendly, as about 56 million people in the US are aged 65 or above. Therefore, it's necessary to use larger text and bold colors to enhance visibility for senior buyers. Adopting safe, easy-to-open packaging options requiring minimal grip strength would benefit the growth of your brand.
Creating eye-catching packaging with a unique label design for your products can offer several benefits, but it should also match your product’s quality and craftsmanship. The packaging should resonate with your target audience, offering a nice look and feel. Tailoring packaging solutions to your intended audiences can help you achieve a product that enhances the overall brand perception and experience of your customers.
Other than the design, you must also use high-quality materials for your package to provide premium and sustainable packaging for your products. Your choice of high-quality materials for crafting the perfect packaging will showcase your brand's commitment to quality assurance and also protect products during transportation. Investing in packaging box materials that can withstand wear and tear can go a long way toward fostering brand equity and customer loyalty.
Your product's packaging design determines the behavioral outcomes of your customers. Creative packaging can elevate the status of your brand, giving you power, a distinct identity, and an indomitable place in the market. Assessing your current packaging holistically and identifying elements that best convey your brand story and ones that need improvement can future-proof your brand.
A surprising amount of companies give very little thought into the packaging of their products. Elisha Tropper, President and CEO of Cambridge Security Seals, states, "I have spoken with manufacturers of industrial products around the world, and for most of them, packaging is not even a consideration. They are manufacturers; they are not packagers. They make an industrial product, and industrial products are dumped into boxes. But whether the box is an inch bigger or an inch smaller, what does it matter?" This overall mindset may be hurting a company, who also may be spending large amounts of money on packaging materials without understanding why.
Despite this fact, many companies are viewing packaging as more than just protection or marketing for their products. Many company executives, like Tropper, consider packaging optimization when measuring product success. They look into finer detail, taking into account things such as product design to develop packaging that sometimes requires approximately half the packaging of its competitors. This ultimately results in a greater value for end users and a product with more premium presentation. These forward-thinking companies are specifically targeting competitive packaging, focusing not only on the performance of the product, but also of the package. Doing so has a substantial impact on customers, influencing their purchasing decisions in stores and online.
In the healthcare and pharmaceutical industry, companies are focusing more on package design to differentiate themselves from their competitors and improve brand recognition. Alan Davies, the Global Design Manager at Essentra, states, "What we are finding is that pharmaceutical firms are now looking to packaging as a way to differentiate themselves. They are open to working with external design studios to identify creative solutions that will help them differentiate their product and the way it is delivered to their end users."
For Essentra, they had been tasked with designing bold and innovative packaging in order to help professionals identify and access instruments out of bulk containers quickly and effectively. By focusing on package design, they were able to reap the benefits of their packaging innovation, creating a competitive edge in their respective industry by considering customer ergonomics and visual appeal.
When companies think "sustainability," they tend to focus more on using biodegradable materials as a solution. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, every year packaging makes up one-quarter of landfill waste, so it makes sense that the solution to reduce carbon footprint is to use more organic materials in packaging. However, the idea of sustainability also includes the concept of material reduction and processing, which can also have a large impact on a company.
Global packaging material organizations are all working to constantly reduce, rework, recycle, recover or renew packaging materials, enabling a measurable reduction in the total global packaging carbon footprint. Many of these organizations have found that this is achieved at the point of packaging design. Choice of materials is very important, as well as choices of pack design, manufacturing processes, print method, and supply chain options. CSS has found success by reducing the size of its packages for sustainability purposes. Tropper states that although there may not be a significant reduction in plastic in their new designs, the more effective allocation of the resin in the overall structure has resulted in a better seal for the same material cost. As with the company's corrugate, they may not have substantially reduced material costs, but by using smaller and more optimized packaging, it has offset the cost of carrying multiple box sizes and effectively reducing the cost of freight. Companies like CSS make packaging innovation a priority and find ways to reduce costs while still maintaining high-quality standards.
The cosmetic industry is one such field where sustainability is progressively becoming a more widespread practice among many companies. Estee Lauder, a leader in the cosmetics industry, is actively redesigning products to reduce material while still delivering quality products. John Delfausse, Estee Lauder's Chief Environmental Officer for corporate packaging, states, "We can make small redesigns in the packaging that have a huge impact the consumer may not even notice." For example, "light-weighting", or slimming the shape and weight of a bottle, tube or jar while maintaining the same volume of product, has been a common practice with Estee Lauder products. Such practices are building steam throughout the entire industry.
Sustainability is not a recent idea when considering product packaging, but is definitely a growing concern for many companies. Increasing amounts of companies are focusing more on packaging sustainability in addition to their manufactured products, and are being rewarded for their efforts with reduced costs and higher sales by more environmentally concerned customers. Sustainable packages are a growing sector in many types of industries and are becoming more common as time goes on.
Consumer impact is largely concerned with how a consumer perceives a product, and product packaging plays a large role in this. As Tropper states, "While it might seem strange to be concerned about the quality of packaging for an industrial product in a simple corrugated box that's rarely seen before being purchased, the fact is that these products are used by people and by companies, and the packaging is seen by the users. It is a functional package. So to us, that makes packaging matter."
Consumer impact is influenced by perceived value, and adding value to a package adds value to the product. The most successful packages have incorporated its use with the product, which has been a prominent theme in the food and beverage industry. Resealability and storage have been important factors for food, and multiple companies have been finding innovative ways to do this, making packaging more ergonomic for its end users. In turn, this makes the overall product more valuable. This type of impact, which can be easily overlooked, influences the purchasing decisions of consumers, with a common trend of consumers buying more convenient options. This largely impacts a company’s success, which can be measured in overall sales and profits per quarter, per year, etc.
In the past few years, recent innovations in consumer package design have brought success to companies that have decided to implement them. In today's modern industries, companies are beginning to prioritize packaging almost as much as the products they manufacture themselves. Understanding the importance of packaging design and optimization can not only increase sales, but also create an effective competitive advantage for a company while simultaneously driving down overhead costs for manufacturers in a myriad of industries. Proper maintenance of packaging specifications and design is detrimental to the success of a company, and it's never too late to start today.
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