Articles: limited runs

A limited series is more than a sales trick. It is also a practical way of keeping order: when a product comes in several versions, flavours, colours or vintages, the customer has to tell them apart in a fraction of a second. Good marking takes that problem away from the shelf and from the staff.

Marking editions and variants

The simplest approach is one element that changes between versions while the rest of the design stays put. A coloured band, an icon, an edition name or a copy number - as long as it is consistent and always in the same place. When the whole design changes, the customer no longer sees a family of products, just a random assortment.

• Fixed layout, variable detail - one field for the variant, everything else unchanged.
• A name rather than a code - people remember a word far more easily than a string of digits.
• A copy number - written by hand or printed, it underlines how few there are.
• A label or a band - an inexpensive way to make a special version without new packaging.

Collectable branded items

A branded gift works best when it is not simply another object of the same kind. A series released once a year, for a round anniversary or a notable event, has a chance of becoming something people collect and show to others. There is one condition: every release has to be recognisable as part of a bigger whole.

If you are planning such a series, set the rule that links all the editions first and design the opening one afterwards. Adding coherence later, once the first release is out, is far harder.