The design of product packaging performs many roles. It needs to protect, it needs to identify, it needs to inform, it needs to transport, but above all, it needs to be noticed.
Having good-looking, eye-catching packaging goes a long way to ensuring the product gets noticed and ultimately survives on the shelf.
These days consumers have a massive amount of choice, and your packaging on the shelf has to work harder than ever. People spend 3 seconds scanning a product on average, so creating shelf appeal is an absolute must. Nearly every product in-store has some packaging, and most of it is excellent!
Something as simple as a unique shape, pattern or colour can set your product apart from the vast amounts of competitors sitting right next to you on the shelf.
Packaging can take many forms, shapes and sizes, and you are not restricted to boxes. There is a vast range of packaging types to suit different purposes. Items like tubes, pouches, labels, boxes, bags or bottles. Which will you need?
There is no such thing as a standard packaging design when it comes to it. Sure, you can buy an off-the-shelf template and apply your branding to it, making it unique, but there are practically no limitations on what you can create. Using bespoke packaging isn’t necessarily better than using an off the shelf option. In fact, most high-end brands keep their product packaging very simple, which can also be very effective, and at the same time, you’re benefitting from lower costs.
Like all good design, packaging needs to tell a story and promote your products unique selling point. Your packaging design needs to inform the buyer about the product, but also it needs to align with your brand.
Think outside the box.
Create your packaging to have something different, intelligent and unique. Done well; this will get you noticed. It could be a clever die-cut, how something is folded, or maybe it’s the material or shape of the packaging.
Stand out on the shelf.
If using similarly shaped packaging to your competitors, design something unique, a shape, colour, typography or pattern to help stand out on the shelf, you must look different to your competitors.
Collate all your elements.
Before starting the design process, make sure you have all the elements that need to be included in the packaging. There’s nothing worse than finalising the design that everyone loves only to find out you now have to find space for additional information.
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