Depending on the industry you’re in, the packaging of your product could literally make or break your product’s chances in the marketplace. Even if you have the best product on the planet, a competitor could end up outshining you and taking away your sales. The worst is that you may never know that your product’s packaging was the main factor. This is why it’s important that you understand what makes for good design, and don’t just rely on esthetics. Here are some of the most crucial elements of good packaging design.
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Good Design Stands Out
The main goal of your product’s packaging is to make sure that it is seen and catches your audience’s attention. If you want to make your packaging stand out, you don’t need to go with over the top colors and fonts. Sometimes, simplicity can work just as well, especially when it is consistent with your brand.
For instance, everyone recognizes Apple’s packaging, even though it tends to be very minimalistic. But it fits their brand image and products perfectly. It’s also very consistent across all products, which is why it’s so efficient and iconic.
Helps Determine Price
We often don’t realize it, but we make a judgement as to whether a product is fancy or not in milliseconds, and this is largely due to packaging. When people see fancy looking packaging, they will usually look at the price and see if it is reasonable. People will also usually assume that high end packaging is a sign of quality. So, you could not only charge a premium for good packaging, but also end up cheapening your product with poor packaging.
Good Materials
The choice of materials will also be a reflection on the quality of the product. It should fit your core audience as well. For instance, if you’re going to be selling wellness products to a health conscious crowd, it would also be wise that you keep the packaging to a minimum, and emphasize on sustainability.
Make the Purpose of the Product Clear
You can use evocative imagery to show the product’s end promise. Whether you’re selling beauty products, protein powder, or meal kits, you want to use images that will create an emotional response with your audience. You also want them to understand instantly what they’re going to get from the product.
This emotional response can be triggered by anything from nostalgia, aspiration, or joy among other things. By incorporating these in your packaging, you’ll be able to establish a connection between this emotional response and the product.
It Should Strive to be Iconic
Not all brands will be like Nike, Apple, or Coca Cola. However, you should always strive to get to this iconic status with your brand. Your logo should be made with that in mind. The most iconic logos also tend to be stripped down but evocative, so make sure that you keep that in mind when going to the drawing table.
The packaging of your product is one of the most important aspects of branding, and you can’t afford to get it wrong. Make sure that it obeys all of these laws, and make sure that it is tested rigorously before it enters the marketplace.
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