Things to Consider while Designing Product Packaging

Have you ever gone shopping in a supermarket? I’m sure most of you must have. The good thing about supermarkets is that it’s a one-stop destination of all your needs. We often end up adding superfluous things to our trolley while skimming and scanning through the shelves.

Do you realize why? As a customer, we pass by and see attractive products and add to our cart without realizing, if we genuinely need it or it’s just an impulse buy. Experts say it’s the packaging that entices customers to buy more.

Your packaging has to pop if you want to earn some great profits. So take a glance at these tips to make your brand allure to the masses:

Before package designing, one needs to keep in consideration the 3 W’s as product package will go a long way in securing a good first impression and lasting brand loyalty.

• What is the product?
• Who will buy it?
• Where is it available

Top 6 Things to Consider While Designing Product Packaging:

1) Know your audience

To grab consumers attention knowing your audience is the key. Whether you are targeting a specific age group or gender, one should know what triggers an emotional response in the mind of the buyer. An article published in the journal Psychology and Marketing explains how our brain reacts to various types of packaging.

The study found that viewing attractive packaging leads to more intense brain activity. It also prompts activities in brain areas related to rewards, while unattractive packaging stirs negative feelings.

This is no brainer. A visual presentation of packaging attracts customers and convinces them to pick up a product, explore its uses and find out if it is worth buying. Simply put, it is the selling point as it delivers a sense of quality while reflects the brand image.Color and design in packaging can have a striking effect on shopping behaviors and can urge a customer to buy it the moment they see it.

An eye-catching visual on the packaging beckons the consumer and encourages impulse buying. Symbols, colors, texture, and styling create instant recognition and persuade a customer to make quick buying decisions. Seeing the egg-shaped packaging of kinder joy entices a lot of kids to buy the product.

2) Choose your Materials wisely

Materials play an important role in protecting products, it’s important to know what qualities purchasing managers should look for when choosing between different brands and suppliers.

Make sure the material that you use is of high quality and durable, cost-effective and convenient, tamper-evident and secure by using products such as container seals, shrink wraps, water-activated tapes and poly straps as a deterrent for tampering and theft.

Opaque wraps also help in obscuring the products for extra security and environment-friendly. There are numerous material options available in the market like corrugated box which is a good alternative for thermocol, foam rolls and filler material, paper bubble wrap, paper tapes, pallet straps etc.

Also Read: 8 Steps in Product Designing

3) Choose the right structure

Lights off and let the background stay dark. People are inviting dark mode as it improves battery life, does not strain the eye, and is suitable for low-ambient lighting spaces. Moreover, the classy black looks cool! It allows people to focus on the content.

It saves battery percentage by 15% than the light mode. Even at 100% screen brightness, it saves a whopping 60% of screen energy. Android apps like Gmail, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, and WhatsApp have rolled out the dark mode update and designers will be introducing it in their future creations.

4) The Human touch (Interactive websites)

Keen attention should be paid to the structure of packaging as it increases the functionality of the product, improved “feel” factor, easier transportation and unique shelving. For instance, one of the most popular cookie brands Oreo is not just a cream-filled dessert. Their functional packaging makes it easy to take a few cookies out and safely seal the packaging up so that the leftovers stay fresh.

There are multiple alternatives when it comes to choosing the right structure for your product packaging.
Keeping the product usage in mind, one can consider its packaging in a bottle, paper board boxes, rigid boxes if material is fragile, clipboard packaging, foil sealed bags etc. Caroline Herrera’s good girl perfume is one such example.

They have an elegant black stiletto shaped bottle, which has turned a lot of heads, attracting female buyers with its uniqueness.

Also Read: 21 Questions to Ask When Hiring a Product Designer

5) Artwork is smart work

A good artwork entices customers and is one of the most essential parts of package designing. This element convinces customers to buy your product rather than a competitor’s next to it on Considering the following qualities as you work on your design :

•  Colour – To grab the attention of someone who is casually walking the aisles of the supermarket the colour should be used well. The colour chosen for your artwork is dependent on the number of things like the colour of the container, colour of the product and so on. One should make sure that the colour chosen for the labels don’t clash in a negative way to lessen the visual appeal of the entire package. The colour scheme used for the artwork can also play a major psychological role when selling a product, as different colours evoke different emotions in people. Bright colours such as orange and yellow represent energy and life, and often draw youthful customers, while colours like green and blue are relaxing and natural. The more professional and sophisticated the label of the better business will be. For example, the Bisleri water bottle has an aqua colour label which represents a symbol of goodness, trust and purity
• Readability – The text must be easily readable at a glance. It should have appropriate legible lettering in addition to being distinctive and easily recognisable on store shelves. It is said that it takes only 2 to 3 seconds to attract the attention of shoppers browsing the aisles of a grocery store which is enough time to read just a handful of words. One should have the brand or a company name as well as two or three words describing the product in large enough text that can be read from 6 feet away. Choosing the correct font size and style is equally important. Speaking of type, the choice of font is a critical decision and deserves just as much attention as choosing colour and visuals. It is the art of selecting and arranging text fonts to deliver a printed message effectively. The selected font must be inviting to the eye, easy to read and appropriate.
• Overall Layout – It involves the arrangement of elements such as headlines, graphics, trademarks, company names and main text to deliver an idea effectively. While designing your artwork having front and backside, one should keep in mind that both the sides are well balanced. The utilisation of space should be proper so that it does not look cluttered. It should be designed in a way that is pleasing to the eyes.

6) Go Green

Sustainable packaging refers to the sourcing, development, and use of packaging solutions that have minimal environmental impact and footprint.

Simply put, sustainable packaging is earth-friendly and doesn’t contribute to the further depletion of natural resources. Companies are pushing brands to be more socially and environmentally responsible. Implementing eco packaging in your brand’s operations is no longer an option – it’s a necessity. The term ‘eco-friendly packaging’ is more than a buzzword.

It’s time you start giving back to our Mother Nature and certainly not neglect the packaging material you tend to use. Making conscious packaging choices is always a great way to gain the trust of your buyers. Crusading your product packaging with a social cause is always a win-win situation and counts as the corporate social responsibility of every company.

Make use of eco-friendly alternatives like cornstarch, bagasse paper, cardboard, recyclable paper etc. to raise your stake.

Also Read: 34 Types of Product Designing

7) Safety is a priority

Product packaging ensures that the product stays safe throughout its transit. This way, they reach safely and intact to the stores and customers. Poorly packaging products are vulnerable to damages, thereby spoiling your customer’s experience and giving the company a poor name. Products that get damaged in the transportation process can create significant difficulties.

It will not only cost you the value of the damaged product and shipping cost but, there is also a possibility you also need to send replacements, which gives you an additional cost. Good logistics is important to ensure that your product arrives at its address in the perfect form and free from any damage.

Be innovative but keep in mind your package should not affect the shelf life of your product in a bad way. Edible things need air-tight packaging so you cannot pack them directly in a loose carton box just to be different from others. Keeping the product safe and good to use is the foremost purpose of any package.

To sum up, packaging matters both in terms of brand value and product safety. To make the maximum of your product packaging, make sure to plan it according to your target audience and make a smart decision in deciding the right material and package structure. Keeping in mind the unique artwork for company to turn heads and provide exclusivity to your design as

Product in its real sense is the star of the show and the packaging it resides in is its story. So make your story a blockbuster.