Packaging Design means the designs that are printed on custom-made boxes. Different types of packaging have different designs. Brands that neglect the Product Packaging Design end up losing some business. It is so because the packaging is the first aspect that the customers see while buying the products. Premium and creative packaging designs make the customers believe that the products are top-quality.
Due to these reasons, product packaging design can easily influence the buying preferences of customers. In this article, we will take a look at the top 8 rules that brands must follow while selecting branding and packaging designs. These are the 8 essential product packaging design rules that we are talking about:
1. Know your Customer
The expectations and preferences of the customers that are going to buy your products should be considered before packaging custom boxes with logos. For example, if the target audience majorly consists of millennials, the packaging design must be funky and vibrant to match their preferences.
Knowing customers will help you in determining the kind of packaging designs you must choose for your products. The colors and designs in your creative packaging must also reflect the essence and values of your brand. It must also attract end users by creating a positive impact on them.
2. Form Follows Function
The product packaging design must also complement the products that are going to be packaged inside. If you are going to fill your product in a glass bottle, the packaging must be sturdy enough to support the weight of the product. Similarly, lighter materials can be used to package plastic bottles. You can avoid filling the bottles in metal containers for products that contain acids as they may react with them and affect their stability.
Some sort of labeling and design must also be present on the primary packaging material i.e. the bottle or container to make it look more premium and aesthetic. The idea should be to use creative custom box design while maintaining the safety and integrity of products.
3. Power of Simplicity
Overcrowded designs on the product packaging don’t look good. It also seems as if the brand is taking too much effort into the packaging because the product inside is of substandard quality. The product packaging design must reflect a minimal design with fewer elements. Too many fancy designs and colors can divert the customers from the main product that is packaged inside.
Minimalistic design with subtle colors gives a premium look and proves to be the best packaging design for most of the products. The custom boxes with logos and a couple of designs are good enough to attract buyers. Therefore, brands should not be too creative or fancy when it comes to packaging designs.
4. Think of Brand
Brands must focus on the things that complement their products and brand image. The way the products are packaged and presented reflects the brand’s essence and values. The brands can differentiate themselves from their competitors by using unique product packaging designs. The designs and colors used in the product packaging must be in sync with the colors and designs that the brand uses while promoting and marketing its products.
The brands that sell organic products can use colors like brown, green, yellow, etc. that reflect the type of ingredients and products they sell. Ultimately, the customers must resonate with the creative packaging design used by them.
5. Testing
You must create enough samples or mock packaging boxes before finalizing one. It will give you an idea of how you should present the details, labels, and other elements of your product packaging design. You can ask for reviews and opinions from your relatives and friends after designing multiple product packages.
The design that gets the most votes can be considered the best option for your creative packaging. The testing must also be done from the quality and safety point-of-view to ensure that the products remain stable and safe in the packaging under different climatic and external conditions.
6. Look at your Competitors
Sometimes, your competitors can be the best source of inspiration for your creative packaging designs. The kind of product packaging designs and colors they use can be mimicked in your own way without making it look plagiarised or copied. By looking at the product packages of your competitors, you can develop your own ideas that are not only unique but also relevant to your business and product category.
Also, the kind of product packaging used should also be based on whether the products will be displayed on shelves or hung from the top. The size, design, and creative aspects of the competitor’s box packaging design will give you an idea about the size and design that can suit your products and brand image.
7. Stay in Line
Brands often look at their line of products and ensure that multiple products of their product line look somewhat similar when it comes to packaging. For example, a brand that sells hygiene care products would like to use product packaging designs that define its branding strategies and brand image.
Similarly, cosmetics brands might use similar colors and designs for their products. The customers would identify the products easily if similar patterns or designs are followed while packaging different products in your lineup. While the products should have some similarities, they shouldn’t look exactly similar or it might confuse the buyers.
8. Prime Printing
While determining the product packaging design for the custom-made boxes, you should also ensure top-notch printing quality. It is so because the best of the designs will look degraded if the printing quality is not up to the mark. The font, ink quality, and labels used must be of top-quality to give a premium look and feel to your products.
You might have to invest in a high-quality and expensive printer to design creative packaging for your line of products. If you don’t have much clue about printers, you can take help from expert designers and printers who know how to get the best packaging design.
We hope that you have understood the importance of using high-quality product packaging designs. BO International is the leading private label manufacturer in India. If you don’t have the expertise to manufacture and package your products, you can assign these works to them. They offer Customized Packaging Solutions as per your marketing and business requirements.
Apart from packaging design services they also offer logo designing, website designing, brochure designing, and other third-party labeling services at reasonable rates. Contact their sales executive today to know more about their private label services and offerings.
👉BO International.
In most cases, we can provide ballpark printing cost based on that suggested package style and quantity. We then have a follow up call or meeting to review the proposal where we can clarify points and provide advise if the estimate raises additional points of need.
We take the time to answer your questions, provide additional information if needed, so you have everything you need to make a decision. And we, obviously, hope the decision is to engage us to create your professional package design.
Step Three - Collaboration
Now the collaboration starts and you provide all the details, product description, goals, demographics and more....
• Product details: features, benefits. The what, where and whys.
• Audience profile: Define your audience: primary, secondary and fringe. Who is the audience for your product, male, female, age group, income...
• Your likes and dislikes of other packaging designs.
• Who is your competition?
• What is the history of your product? Has it been sold before?
• Do you have prototypes or are you in production?
...And many other questions.
We have an online creative form that makes it easy to provide the information to us in one place so everyone involved has the same details and goals. When the information is written down it isn’t diluted or interpreted to mean something else.
Communication is essential to success so the more information the better our understanding of the project and options.
Another factor unique to Catalpha, is you work from the start with a Creative Director, there isn’t an account rep between you and the creative person managing your project. We’re not a typical agency with layers between our clients and creative department.
In order to create the package we need a product in hand most importantly to create the proper size package. We work with its size, color and weight. It allows us to accurately size the package.
Step Four - Research and Competitive Packaging Evaluation
It’s important to know your market and impart those facts to us. Knowing your market means the sales channels, competition, how you fit in. You created your product because you saw a niche that wasn’t being filled and your friends have been supportive. It’s not wise to stop there. Prove your assumptions as facts beyond your experiences. Assuming facts and data will lead you down the wrong path.
Store Tours
This is one way to see competition live. Walk the aisles, take pictures, compare store selection and layout. Get the feel for the environment that your package needs to stand out in. Too often packages are designed in a sterile environment without consideration of the competition or how busy the aisle is. Images of store aisles will be an advantage in directing design efforts and selecting designs.
Google It:
We are a global economy and Google makes it easy to see competitors outside of your life experiences. This can be shocking if you didn’t do this prior to product development. I’ve been in situations where clients have to revise their branding strategy.
Step 5 - The Design
Now the creativity and fun starts. The whole process of creating a package with Catalpha is collaborative and there are many points where you are involved and kept aware of progress. All your valuable information and direction is used in the design phase.
It’s actually a creative phase where copy, structure and visuals are created, 2 to 3 concepts are developed for your review. This work we do includes consideration of how the package will be filled, sealed and the general life cycle of the package.
Package type is finalized in this step. We may offer one or more types of packages: tuck flap box, a multi-panel box, header on a bag or clamshell. The choice is always driven by the manufacturing cost of the package and end consumer’s value impression of the package style. The structure determines the packaging material.
Production quantity influences the choice of package material, as well. Corrugate and plastic packaging (custom clamshells and blisters) have higher minimum production runs than a 24pt carton. There are alternatives when plastic is the best solution in the form of “stock” clamshells and bags. But we always go over those facts with the estimates.
Large products require special attention. Large boxes have special printing considerations and are expensive in small quantities because they need to use corrugate. which has been surprising to our clients because it’s not considered a premium stock.
Step 6 - Developing Your Brand Look
Our designs will “feature” your brand. It must be visually commanding to build brand recognition because of size, position and color. Color and it’s use in the design is also influenced by the competitive landscape. An image will be large and bold to describe product - typically it is a beauty of the product and sometimes it is in an environment when needed.
In-use images are most ties used smaller within areas of benefit feature communication. The design style must also consider the target audience - a style they respond to. What attracts a teen does not work for a senior. We also love working within brand guidelines and support many established brands creating the design following or extending the format for a new line.
Step 7 - Fonts & Photos
Fonts and photos are integral in creating the design. The style of font should match or compliment the logo and preferably be limited to two styles (but as many font weights as needed to express the messages).
The photo style can be unique and the angles of the photography should be selected to best show product. The product is the hero not the person using the product. I call images that feature people “lifestyle” and they are NOT appropriate for packages. Photography is VERY important to the packaging process, especially food packaging.
It is our recommendation that images be professionally photographed. We can create ‘placement photos’ in our layouts to show how we want a photo shot for biggest impact. Consider waiting to get photography taken until package design is started so there are guidelines for the images needed. It will direct the photographer on style, camera position and cropping needs of the design.
Photography costs are influenced by a few factors: Does it include a model? Will it need a specific location? Can it be done in a studio? Are multiple angles needed? Will the photos require retouching (most do)? Custom photography is always provided as a separate cost in our estimates.
Stock photography is a great resource and useful for many designs in describing product use. We can even retouch your product into a stock image which can be cost effective alternative to a location shoot. It depends on usage and stock agency licensing rules. Each photo company has their own license rules. It is important that you read and understand the usage guidelines and comply with them.
Step Eight - Copy
Copy is essential to fully captivating the consumer. The visual stops them and then the copy and visuals need to work together to keep the attention and move the shopper to purchase. Much thought is given to messaging and distilling the USP down to what will motivate a customer to pick your package up for more detail.
NOT EVERYTHING will or should be on the front of the package. A cluttered package is an unread package. We glean a lot of text from what you provide in your Creative Brief and during conversations. When you provide text, please ere on the side of giving us more information than you think we may need.
There are items that must be on every package and are based on the product itself as some products have legal copy requirements based on FDA or FCC, etc. They all need UPC, directions, manufacturer or distributor disclosures, some require warnings. We suggest that you have legal consultation to advise what must be on the package and in the instructions to protect you and your consumer.
Our clients are responsible for providing us with the required legal content. It‘s easy to know some of those requirement by looking at competitors packages but they are not always up to date. For instance states have their own regulations such as California’s Prop 65.
Food products all require Nutritional facts, ingredients, allergen statement and other disclaimers depending on the product. Nutritional facts, ingredients and required copy are obtained by contracting with an independent food testing & analysis labs.
Step Nine -
Package Printing
Not all of our customers need printing. Many come to us for a package redesign and have established relationships with print vendors. But when it is needed, the process will happen like this:
You’ve given us the final approval on the artwork and printing estimate. The next step is to have the printer prepare a proof. Many only prepare a PDF proof from the artwork that was created for you and supplied to them. But if color is critical, which it usually is, a color accurate print proof or a print proof on the actual stock will be created to show how your package color will look.
Once approved, the printer will use your approved proof to match color while its on press. Once it is printed, it will then go on to the die cutting, glueing and scoring department. Using a custom made cutting die, your packages will be cut and scored for folding. Then on to glueing which is required for most boxes and cartons.
Plastic clamshell or blister packaging is another animal. This will require having the printer involved much earlier in the process. Creating a mold to fit your product for either clamshell or blister. Once a proof clamshell or blister is produced and approved, all pieces ordered will be made. Insert cards and backer cards created to fit into the plastic structure will need to be produced as well. These follow a similar process described above but is done simultaneously with the plastic. Those insert cards or backer cards are then sealed with your product together to create the final package.
Flexible stand up pouch printing is yet another type of popular package able to hold many products from food to dry goods. If this is your printing route, the process again is similar except you’ll have more material and sizing options to consider while designing such as clear, gloss or matte laminates, zip closures, hang hole styles and even a desgassing valve.
Total length of time to print your package is based on many factors including the type of printing, specialty processes, and even shipping time. The print process timing can range from anywhere from 3 - 6 weeks.
Step Ten - Final Delivery
Most times packages are delivered to our clients 'flat'. Meaning that they will arrive printed, die cut, scored and glued but will require the client to do the final pack out, with the exception of clamshells or blisters.
Pack out is folding the package, tucking the ends, same with inserts if used, inserting your product and sealing the package for delivery to store or customer. This process is easy to do for small quantities but doing 1,000s or 10s of 1,000s can be quite a task. Make sure you are prepared for that phase of your packaging.
You most likely will need to also pack your package into a Master Cases for shipment. When your quantities get into the 10,000+ range your may want to involve a fulfillment house to help with your pack out.
You’ll also need to consider the space you need to house these packages and do your fulfillment. When packages are delivered make sure you tell us if you have a shipping dock or will require a truck with lift gate.
Want Us To Do It All For You?
Best Package For You - We’ll determine the best type and size of package that fits your product and your budget.
Design - We’ll create a design that will stand out from your competition.
We’ll Get it Printed - Don’t be left with a pretty design and nothing else. We can also print your package so you can get it on the shelf and sold!
Packaging Is Just The Start
As you can tell there is a lot involved in creating a package. As you see it’s not as simple as probably expected. And I hope you haven’t lost interest because of my long explanation. These are just some of the details as there are issues I haven’t taken up that are specific to industry, product and style of package. Our concepts will be aimed at the consumer motivators and priorities of influence - what are their pain points and primary benefits they need.
The initial presentation will provide you with 2 to 3 concepts for packaging. Many times it will be of just the package fronts. We may render the designs into an image of a store aisle as well. This is the time to select the winning design and provide feedback. This is part of the collaborative process where your choice and feedback help us to refine the selection and its content.
The proposal will have outlined the number of simple revisions that are included - typically it is two - so it’s important to have everyone’s comments before having us start refining and completing the package. Two rounds of minor edits before we get to an approved package for printing is typically all that is needed and maintains creative budget in our proposal.
Other considerations that will be discussed while going through the package process is whether there is a need master packs, store POP (counter displays, floor or side-wing displays) or a website? These may not need to be tackled at the same time as packaging but conversations can be part of our consultation that can assist you in planning when to start them and whether they impact photoshoot plans or other aspects of the project.
We are experienced in developing these other marketing tools used by most packaged brands and knowledgeable of the logistical impacts. We are happy to share our knowledge because it helps our clients achieve their goals and serves to show our value to them.
I hope this helps in your understanding of what is involved in creating a professional packaging design and, most importantly, how we work with our clients. This is only a fraction of the thoughts and actions in our creative process. We can help you through the packaging process from concept to design, through feedback & updates to final production.
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Don’t hesitate to comment should you have more questions.