Packaging design is one of the fundamental elements that help sell a product. Looking at the market, we see many brands, and almost every brand produces goods of similar quality to others in its sector. We see these products on the shelves under different brand names and in different packaging designs, and we generally choose a brand we recognise, know, and trust.
A new brand that wants to break these shopping habits must undoubtedly find a way to stand out in every detail. But how? Through packaging design, advertising and promotion, campaigns, and many other approaches. When you think about it, all this work directs people toward the product, so the last thing they remember, or the one thing that stays in their minds, is the product’s visual appearance: its packaging design. This helps explain why packaging design is so important and why it is one of the fundamentals. So what makes successful packaging design? What should good packaging offer its target audience? Let’s explore this through my experience in the industry.
Packaging should communicate with the customer.
All the graphics and written messages on a package should communicate with the customer in a way that says, “I’m here. Come and buy me.” Engaging the target audience directly affects product sales. When designing, I often ask myself what would catch my attention on this product’s packaging and make me go and buy it. The answers form the foundation of my design.
The design should not be boring or monotonous.
Within the boundaries set by brand managers, packaging should favour innovative, compelling designs. For example, the smiling faces on newer crisp packets are an invitation to have fun in their own right. You have almost certainly seen someone on social media holding a crisp packet up to their face and posing for a photo with an enormous smile. New designs like these, which suit the product’s characteristics and can appeal to its target audience and attract their interest, will always take your brand a step further.
Custom packaging is a major advantage.
When designing packaging, I like to begin by examining the actual product and looking at comparable products. This helps me get to know the product and, by understanding competitors’ designs and packaging formats, gives me a sense of the direction I should take. Beyond the graphic design, a distinctive packaging shape of your own is a major advantage. Examples include Eti Puf’s packaging and the cola bottle shape that has become a brand signature over the years. Within your budget, developing an original packaging shape suited to your product, either before or alongside the design process, will add considerable value to your brand and its prestige.