A package of goods is not just an outer shell. It’s an essential component of a successful brand and a medium for consumer communication. It’s a marketing tool that helps you sell instantly and increase your sales by over 30%. Some manufacturers don’t understand how important packaging is and are trying to save money on it. This is not just a mistake, but a misunderstanding of market mechanisms and consumer psychology, leading to financial losses. Investing in effective custom package design yields big dividends for the business. A product in an apposite package sells itself, allowing to save advertising costs.
A proper design of the package is a guarantee that the buyer will notice the product on the shelf or the website page, considers it to be attractive, high-quality, and trustworthy. Only 6–8 seconds — and the buyer decides whether to purchase the product or not. Good package design makes a brand special, recognizable, and loved, attracts new clients.
Many people collect beautiful boxes and bottles, some cannot throw away the bags and wrappers, and somebody collects labels! What businessman would not enjoy this attitude towards their products? How to make a package that the customer feels even sorry to throw away?
The biggest mistake is when an entrepreneur dictates to a designer how their product should look like, what images and inscriptions should be on the package (label). They sincerely believe that they know best what’s needed. The designer dutifully fulfills the order. The result is sad: the packaging doesn’t meet expectations and doesn’t fulfill its functions. Another mistake is that an entrepreneur completely relies on the designer, giving them a wide room for creativity. The result is the same: people don’t hurry to snap up the goods. Why?
It’s simple. An important link is missing. The manufacturer knows everything about the product, the designer knows everything about the design. Who will take care of customers and competitors?
Without a marketing specialist, the chances of attracting customers with even the most beautiful packaging tend to zero. Product packaging is a bridge on three pillars: entrepreneur — marketing specialist — designer. Without knowing the goals and objectives of the brand, product features, the needs of the target audience, without a concept, the designer has no right to start working.
The design of the package should convey to the consumer the essence of the brand and its positioning, build communication with buyers, and reflect their expectations.
First of all, it’s clear and understandable information about the product. In a few seconds, the user should understand that in front of him is exactly the product that is necessary and useful for them (it’s especially important). The product is definitely better than others and they like it at first sight!
The design must match the fundamentals of the brand’s corporate style, work for its recognition, memorability, and popularity.
A color palette, unique icons, packaging architecture, visuals, typography, trademark, the texture of the package — all this together creates an authentic, unique packaging. Such a package arouses interest and motivates them to buy.
Emotional design is the key to high sales. This is a design that acts on the emotions more than on logic — simple, clean, bright (contrasting) in key details.
- Expressive images with which users can identify themselves;
- Positive emotions that are transmitted to users (delight, admiration);
- Personalization, creating a sense of belonging among users;
- Honesty, empathy;
- Humor, laughter, joy;
- Storytelling;
- Microinteractions, positive experiences.
Emotional design is not only a delight at the sight of aesthetic and convenient packaging. This is the experience of interacting with it and thinking about it. The best package is the one that not caught the fancy of the users, but evoked certain associations and feelings. This is the package that users think of and remember!
Effective packaging always conforms to the product and is its visual and logical follow-up as its natural part.
There are also distinctive features of the category. In an effort to stand out among competitors, you shouldn’t violate the principle of visual correspondence of packaging to the features familiar to this category. That is, a ketchup jar should not resemble shampoo, and a chocolate bar shouldn’t look like a drug package. By breaking this principle, you’ll attract one nosy buyer but lose ten.
Color attracts people in the first instance. Researches show that 60 to 90% of people make hasty judgments about products based on color alone. The color of the package is also a tool for information communication. Different categories of products have their own predictable color, which evokes a certain emotional response in buyers.
Standard color schemes:
Natural and organic products — unbleached carton, brown, green, light green tones.
Children’s toys — bright basic colors: red, blue, yellow, as well as pink and purple.
Premium brands — black, white, gold, silver.
Products for women — lavender, pink, pastel colors.
High-tech products — black, white.
On the one hand, you need to be predictable and not go out of the given color palette, and on the other hand, you need to stand out from competitors. How can this be achieved? Designers have two ways:
- Use unusual shades within the required color palette.
- Combine the primary color of the brand with the secondary one.
This will help differentiate the brand and create a unique solution. All new palettes and color combinations need to be tested to understand user reactions.
The shape of a good package combines beauty and functionality. The shape can be quite original, but at the same time, it must remain recognizable. Buyers also care about its strength, lightness, compactness, and ease of transportation.
The package design should be in harmony with the shape and take into account all its features.
People have no time to look at the details of an image closely. The fewer unnecessary elements, the better. The minimalistic and expressive design immediately attracts attention and is better remembered.
The unique packaging design is not the figment of a designer’s wild imagination, but a deliberate solution based on a design concept. The concept is created on the basis of marketing research and proven through testing. The more revolutionary a design idea is, the more important it’s to test it.
You can follow all of the rules indicated above when developing the package design, but end up with not the most effective result. Why? Not all designs are created equal. A true design is not only functional but also aesthetic, unique, tasteful, and made with love. Package, that’s a shame to throw away, can only be created by seasoned professionals. If you need packaging that won’t allow your customers to stay indifferent, seek professional designers` help.
