HOW TO DESIGN A PACKAGING RIGHT FOR YOUR OWN PRODUCT

You might even want to have your own business with your wide range of products to sell. You have the product but you do not know how to design a packaging that would effectively gain attraction and attention from the market. Here we will be discussing the importance of packaging and how to make packaging effective in the eye of the buyers.

The basic function of packaging is to protect the contents from damage, dust, dirt, leakage, pilferage, evaporation, watering, contamination and many more depending on your purpose too. On top of that, it also helps to identify, describe, display, promote and otherwise make the product marketable and keep it clean. Packages should be made in a way that the product could be conveniently taken from one place to another and can be handled easily by middlemen or consumers. The size and shape of the package also should be convenient for retailers to keep in shop or for consumers to keep at their home.

It Must Make the Brand and Purpose Clear

Even the most generic budget brands make their product and purpose clear, or else nobody will buy them because nobody will know what they are. While the budget brand may simply state “Tomato Sauce,” other brands must make that clear as a baseline for all other packaging design considerations. People will not buy a product if they do not know what it is and what it does.

Packaging Must Engage Consumers

Unboxing is the engaged process in which a product is freed from its protective packaging. In order to engage with consumers, you have to understand who they are, why they’re buying your product, and what they’re not getting from the competition’s unboxing. This insight will allow you to apply graphics and create well-timed key messaging opportunities with consumers. What are well-timed messaging opportunities? Professional packaging designers will map the user experience identifying where consumer’s eyes will land at each phase of the unboxing. By mapping the steps in the unboxing you can determine the appropriate position for messaging, branding, and regulatory.

Wine brand 19 Crimes claims that every bottle has a story. Consumers engaged the criminals depicted on the labels with their phones to watch them come alive and tell their own tales. With over 1 million views collectively on Youtube, 19 Crimes shows how to engage consumers by doing something different in your industry.

Packaging Must Deliver a Memorable Out of Box Experience

OOBE or Out of Box Experience begins the moment you commit to opening your pack. The term originally referred to what happens after the product has been unpacked and plugged in, “out of the box” after it’s been removed. But today the term has been adopted by brands to include the unboxing of the product from the packaging. 

Creating a unique first-use experience begins in the box and how it is opened. Delivering organized wayfinding helps to inform consumers of all ages how to assemble, how to return, and what to do next. A memorable experience begins with fit and proportion, limit the number of packaging elements to a minimum. People buy for products, not for packaging. Use color to compliment the product, remember the product is the hero and packaging is there to compliment it. Remember that it’s always on-brand to design with fewer materials and make sustainable choices.=

In the instance of Apple, the 3-second delay due to the vacuum created when the lid separates from the base develops a branded moment of anticipation. The product is revealed and ready to go, what happens after it has been unboxed is the start of a beautiful friendship with a product. But in those 3 seconds, Apple has ingrained in the client how everything should work from this point forward smoothly. 

It Should Capture and Call Out Benefits

“Clean labeling” is hot right now. It means that labels offer clear, concise information about the brand and product, including health benefits, company values, and packaging sustainability. If your packaging is biodegradable or easy to recycle, the design should say so. If your product is low-sugar, organic, or plant-based, likewise, it should say so clearly. People care about unique product attributes.

It Should Be Designed for its Target Audience

You would not put a photo of a dog on a bag of cat food. While designing for the target audience is not always this straightforward, it is important for brands to learn to whom, exactly, their packaging designs appeal. Testing could show, for example, that a particular packaging design gives the impression of being “for women,” “for older people,” or “for trendsetters,” and you should know this. If your packaging design does not align with your target audience, it is probably time for a refresh.

Packaging design must not only contain products adequately and safely, but it must also include required elements like ingredient and nutritional information, as well as barcodes and other necessary elements. At the same time, it must appeal to consumers, often amid dozens of competing items. The packaging design should never be an afterthought because it is such a crucial element of the marketing strategy. Brands that ensure their packaging fulfills all the key elements consumers expect from packaging designs gain an edge over their competitors, whether they are sold online or in physical retail stores.

How Can Mindsparkz Help?

Mindsparkz is a design agency operating under the ODM Group, a company with over 17 years of experience in the field of marketing. At Mindsparkz, we assist companies in every step of the process from Product Design, Product Branding, Web Design, and Graphic Design. If you are looking to produce a product idea of your own, contact us to find out how we can help you in making your dream product come true!

This can also be complemented with our procurement office from the ODM Group, to help realize your designs. Check out our portfolio to see our past projects.