CREATIVE DIRECTOR, SPECTRUM BRANDS, ST. LOUIS MO
Eric Ejchler is an award-winning designer and creative director whose passions include his family, his team, collaborating with internal partners and bringing the brand story to life.
With nearly 25 years of industry experience, 22 of those at Spectrum Brands, Eric leads the inhouse creative team responsible for packaging, displays, point-of-purchase and print materials to support its pet care and home care brands.
The team boasts over 50 awards for packaging and branding over the past five years. From creative conception and brand presence, to writing and editing, to production art, prototyping and prepress, they use their decades of combined expertise to drive visual brand strategy and results.
As a leader, Eric values the roles that individual personal experiences, interests, side projects and beliefs play in allowing us to inspire and motivate each other. He believes these factors mold our ability to be better strategic thinkers and more empathetic visual storytellers. As a husband, father and designer, Eric’s love for packaging and the joy he finds in holding design in his hands shapes his attention to every detail, frames his mindset toward storytelling, and inspires him to seek ways to deliver magic to timelines, brands and consumers.
As we pivot into a post-pandemic era marked by societal challenge and change, are you optimistic about the future of Graphic Design to support and shape commerce, culture and causes? Why do you feel the way you do? Are you optimistic about the future of your own firm?
Graphic design is everywhere. It’s in storefronts, street corners, road signs and media. It’s in packaging, websites, palms and on desktops. It’s individuals and teams passionate about communication, creating, crafting a message, and reaching people in meaningful ways. That passion makes me optimistic about graphic design and its ability to promote change now and into the future. And passion makes me optimistic about my business’s future as well. The passion and strength of my team makes me proud to be part of a group that supports and trusts each other without fail and consistently rallies to pull off what seems impossible.
We are seeing an increased focus on Package Design to advance the brand, tell the story, amplify the experience, forge an emotional connection. Do you agree with this observation and, if so, what advantages does packaging have over other graphic communications?
Although package design is extremely important to the story, I believe we’re seeing an overall increased focus on the entire brand and shopping experience. True, at physical shelf the package must wholly tell the brand and product story, help overcome tighter inventory controls, win the battle of limited space, and meet sustainability objectives that introduce new complexities. But forging a bond is more than great branding and visual storytelling on pack. Package and digital design influence and propel each other in interactive and complementary ways now more than ever. Delivering great package design requires all the puzzle pieces to fit seamlessly. There is no opportunity to evoke emotion without collaboration of all stakeholders and external partners to further the overall brand and shopping experience.
