Creating Packaging Design. How It Is Done

At first glance, there is nothing complicated about creating a packaging design. You just need to use the logo, apply the corporate colours and size the individual elements so that they are reasonably noticeable. But in order to sell more, your attitude to packaging should not be purely utilitarian. Its design can help you convey important information to the buyer, make the product stand out on the shelf and demonstrate its superiority over competitors. 

5 rules for creating good packaging

The competition between products sitting on store shelves right now is enormous. Companies fight for the buyer's attention in every possible way – launching advertising, expanding distribution, running all kinds of loyalty promotions. Against this backdrop, it is important to make your product stand out, and this can be done with packaging design. To do this, you need to:

1. Know your target audience, its needs and values. You should understand why such a product is needed on the market, what problems it solves and who it suits.
2. Create a unique identifier. This will help in promoting all of the brand's products. For example, when we see a logo with a bitten apple, we can conclude that the device is of high quality, even if it is a new product that no one has tested yet.
3. Showcase the product's features. Phrases like «gluten-free» or «lasts up to 3 weeks» – are competitive advantages of your product that the consumer should learn about immediately.
4. Care about the buyer's convenience. Show where it is best to open the product or which way to turn the cap. A good example of convenient packaging – is sports bottles with a special spout that prevents spills. A bad one – is Chupa Chups, where only the most patient can get to the candy.
5. Bet on professionalism. Product design – is part of the company's image. Poor-quality printing and materials tell the consumer that the product inside has corresponding properties.

With well-designed packaging you can sell more, increase customer loyalty to the brand and demonstrate your attitude towards the consumer. All of this is possible if you put a little effort into its design. 

3 stages of creating packaging design

The packaging creation process deserves sufficient attention and time, because work done in a hurry is unlikely to satisfy you in terms of quality. So, let us look at the design stages ahead:

1. Gathering and analysing information. The design must take into account the characteristics and preferences of your buyers, as well as the main criteria that guide their decision-making. This determines exactly what information should be placed on the packaging. It is equally important to assess competitors in order to stand out against them. 
2. Creating the design. Once the information has been gathered and analysed, work on the layout can begin. It necessarily takes colour psychology and the corporate style into account, and typefaces and images are selected. It is important to showcase the product's key advantages on the packaging in the form of short phrases or widely recognised symbols. Contrasting colours and bright shades are used to highlight the most important information. 
3. Presenting the work and making revisions. There may be several design options at the intermediate stage. Project managers carefully monitor compliance with all the requirements, suggest revisions and make adjustments. Sometimes unique concepts are born from several ideas. 

Once all stages of the work are complete, the finished layout is presented to the client. In some cases there may be several, which makes it possible to choose the most successful alternative. The specialist can explain why these particular colours, typefaces and design style were chosen. 

Professional packaging design will help promote your product on the market. Its purpose is not only the visual appeal of the label, but also highlighting competitive advantages, showcasing the brand and increasing loyalty to it. That is why investing in packaging design is not only sensible but necessary.