It's A Wrap Exporting tips for entrepreneurs

Forget the old saying "You can't judge a book by itscover"--at least when it comes to packaging a product. Forwhether it's spaghetti sauce, toothpaste or detergent,consumers judge products by their packaging all the time.

But the packaging that works in one country won'tnecessarily work in another. For small-business exporters, thismeans one thing: Forget the old axioms, and remember, it'swhat's on the outside that counts.

"Color is the most important issue in packaging," saysHoward Alport, principal of Lipson-Alport-Glass & Associates, adesign and identity firm in Northbrook, Illinois. Although it'shard to generalize, "red is a pretty positive color worldwide;gold usually signifies quality," says Alport. And while greenhas a healthy, low-fat connotation in the United States, it may notconvey the same message in other cultures.