Overview

The third edition of ManageArtworks Breakfast Briefing in Mumbai was a huge success. Attendees came together to delve into the intricacies of packaging artwork, examining current challenges and opportunities while evaluating the sector’s growth trajectory.

Dipalok Dutta Choudhary, General Counsel at Crompton Greaves, highlighted how technology has streamlined legal compliance by improving the approval process, optimizing contract management, and ensuring departments meet critical deadlines.

Biju John, Senior GM at Wockhardt, emphasized the importance of data accessibility and confidentiality. He explored how integrating IT and OT systems can automate labeling, minimize human error, and improve product traceability.

Vilva Natarajan, CEO of ManageArtworks, shared insights on the role of AI in packaging artwork and showcased several compelling use cases that demonstrate AI's potential.

This three-part blog series will delve into AI's impact on packaging. The first installment will focus on AI in text management, while the subsequent parts will explore AI's applications in image recognition and creative generation, respectively.

AI Use Cases in Packaging Artwork Text Management

Companies in the FMCG and CPG industries often struggle to navigate the complexities of effective artwork packaging management. Technologies like Artificial Intelligence (AI) greatly enhance efficiency, creativity, and effectiveness to get the packaging right the first time. ‍

Today, AI offers several modern capabilities for automating design elements, enhancing creativity, verifying and proofreading text and fonts, etc. AI also plays a critical role in maintaining brand consistency, ensuring quality control, and accelerating regulatory compliance checks. ‍

In the realm of text management, here are some AI use cases that stand out: 

• Text Extraction:
  ‍Text extraction is a popular AI use case in text management. Modern AI tools can extract text from any direction on the artwork and enable deeper processing and interpretation of the extracted information. AI can also help conduct document layout analysis and preserve table layouts. For example, AI can extract the nutrition panel text on a packaging artwork, understand the layout, and also return the text in the right order and sequence for further processing. In addition, AI tools can help deliver multimodal context between various packaging elements. For instance, if the cooking instructions on a label have the text "Preheat Oven” with an image of an oven below with the words 400 F, AI will put the two together and understand that the oven should be preheated to 400 degree Fahrenheit. 

• Text Classification:
  ‍AI-enabled digital asset management tools aid in the basic classification of text in packaging artwork. These tools can classify packaging text into predefined categories, extract and compare information from labels and ingredient lists, and check text against regulatory guidelines. AI can also help with various types of advanced text classification, from multi-label classification (e.g. classify as a Food product or Dairy product even though these words are not present in the artwork) to hierarchical classification (e.g. nutrition panel content is hierarchical where the values need to be linked to the right nutrient - Sodium 4g  2%) or semantic classification ( e.g. automatically classify gluten-free and sugar-free as nutrition claims ). Additionally, teams can leverage AI for contextual classification, such as item code on the flap (e.g. if there is a number written on the flap of the carton, you can teach AI to recognize it as the item code.; intent classification, (e.g. automatically classify if text like “10% off”, “1 oz. extra”, “Buy 1, Get 1 free” as promos or limited-time offers; and multilingual classification (e.g. same text in multiple languages classified under the same heading

• Multilingual Support:
  ‍AI tools offer several language detection, translation, and comprehension benefits for packaging artwork catering to different regions. Artwork management teams can use AI to check if translations are contextually appropriate and ensure cross-language consistency (e.g. if the artwork says “Low Sugar / Sin Azúcar”, AI can raise a flag saying the english version of the text differs in meaning from the spanish version of the text which says “No Sugar”). AI can also help assess and verify meanings across regional variations or dialects, for example, between Spanish words used in Spain (zumo for juice) vis-à-vis the exact words used in Latin America (jugo for juice). 

• Contextual Search:
  ‍AI plays a massive role in allowing stakeholders to conduct contextual searches. They can query in conversational language, search by intent or design elements, and find information across languages. For instance, using AI, teams can ask questions like "Show me all packaging for beverages with nutritional information in Spanish,” “Find packaging artwork for dairy products that mention organic certifications,” (AI understands what Dairy means and gets results from Milk, Cheese and Yougurt products) or “Find all packaging designs where the logo is at the top left.” Similarly, teams can use natural language to ask AI tools questions like “Find packaging artwork for beverages that includes the low sugar claim” (AI will find artworks which with low-sugar, reduced-sugar and other words which mean low-sugar) or “Show artwork for cheese products that are in French” and get an entire list of products in seconds. Such searches can help teams instantly access information and make the correct branding, regulatory, and safety decisions. 

Wrapping Up 

Keeping up with a constantly evolving regulatory environment, addressing customers' emerging needs, and maintaining brand consistency across products and SKUs impact the design process, diluting the overall effectiveness of packaging artwork. ‍

AI offers several benefits for FMCG and CPG companies looking to overcome these hurdles and be first to market. In text management, teams can use AI for text extraction, classification, search, translation, and more. It can also assist companies by ensuring all design elements comply with necessary local regulations while driving better customer experiences. ‍

While many are still trying to grasp AI fully, a good understanding of real-world applications can help them move forward. ‍

Stay tuned for the next part of our three-part series, in which we will explore the role of AI in packaging artwork image recognition.