Understanding foreground and background in wrap design

The role of foreground and background in wrap design is one of the most critical aspects in the difference between an effective design and an ineffective one. It’s also one of the most misunderstood concepts when it comes to wrap design. Outside of poor branding, it’s probably the leading cause of wraps that fail to deliver their message efficiently.

I confess to have never been formally trained on design from a design school. Maybe if I had, I would have learned these concepts much earlier in my career. But as I worked on refining a successful formula for building an effective wrap over the years, much of my focus remained on brand integration, how brands work on a wrap and how they need to deliver a positive brand promise.

When I look back at earlier work, I rarely had background elements on most of my wraps, with the exception of the now-famous “starburst” which I deployed behind many marks or mascots. Usually I was integrating solid colors for backgrounds, because I always wanted my brands to be front and center, and wanted my backgrounds to live, well, in the background where they belong.