10 Golden Tips For Packaging Design
I opened my fridge the other day searching for things I shouldn’t be eating, and saw these beauties above inside - I actually gasped in joy at their design when I set eyes on them.
These cans where purchased by my husband and when quizzed on his purchase motives he replied;
- He liked the Japanese packaging style of the cans.
- He wanted something healthy - they apparently contain 100% fruit juice.
- He liked the new idea of carbonated juice …the novelty of it.
So first of all he was aesthetically excited by the design, and I wager that the ‘new shiny’ look of the design (high tech Japanese feel… chrome/industrial styling) told him that the concept of the drink itself was new.
I actually believe that carbonated fruit juice has probably already been available for some time and doubt that Suso are the very first to offer this in the UK, but nevertheless it felt new and exciting to this consumer simply because the Suso product and brand image itself was new, and told him through powerful packaging design that it was new/young, and it was exciting.
Well I was excited when I saw it, and I didn’t even know what was in the cans!
If you visit the Suso website, this is clearly going to be young and exciting as well, it appears to be at pre-launch stage.
So what is the purpose of packaging design and how important is it?
Packaging is used a means to protect the product itself primarily but is so much more; it’s a sales board on which to advertise the benefits and attributes of the product, its a place to showcase the brand identity of the product, and the packaging design can also contribute to the overall product experience.
Good packaging design very importantly should sell the product because nearly 75% of purchase decisions are made at actual time of purchase. We are a nation of impulse purchasers.
10 Golden Tips For Great Packaging & Label Design
1. Communicate the products key benefits as quickly as possible. This could be price, innovation/new product, functionality and so on.
2. Does the packaging need to ‘work’ as part of the product experience? An example of this is milk containers…they need to be easy to hold, and to pour without spillage.
They aren’t the same as say the packaging around a fancy soap bar. The packaging on a soap bar sells the product, but then it’s unwrapped and no longer becomes part of the ongoing product experience.
With milk packaging as the example, the packaging continues to be part of the product experience until the product ends it’s life cycle.
3. Ensure all text is readable. Think about your target market when deciding how large or small the text should be (obviously space factors for vital information will always influence this).
For instance, over 50’s may appreciate larger text on their packaging.
4. Over recent years there has been a lot of focus on environmental issues, and the role of packaging in this - you may gain competitive advantage with eco-friendly packaging. 66% of consumers say that they feel products are over-packed, and presume that all packaging is bad for the environment.
If your packaging is environmentally friendly, it will pay to advertise the fact.
5. Due to the short attention span of the average consumer and the constant change to colours and trends, it’s recommended that your packaging design be updated approximately every two years. Consumers naturally favour newer products - even if you have an old product and loyal customer base, make it look fresh and new lest the new kid on the block turn your customer’s head.
6. View packaging and the design of the packaging labels as an investment. High quality packaging can make your product appear to be ‘worth’ it’s cost and add to it’s perceived value. Be careful not to over promise though with your packaging - this is termed ‘over packaging’. Don’t put too much lipstick on a pig 
7. Research your competitors because your product may be sitting side by side on a shelf (on on a magazine page, see below) with theirs and you want to make sure it stands out and doesn’t get lost in the noise of the other packaging.
8. It can be useful with many products to ensure that the product itself is visible to the purchaser to reduce any trust issues. This can either be through the use of plastic see through windows within the packaging to view the product inside, or if this isn’t practical or desirable a photograph of the product can be a part of the packaging design.
9. Take care when considering the use of celebrity endorsements on your product packaging, it’s been shown that these can have little to no effect on product sales.
Indeed recent research conducted at the University of Bath and the University of Gallen, Switzerland indicates that cosmetic advertisements featuring global stars (a popular new trend) are less likely to lead to sales than those depicting the average person.
10. Finally, I have recently discovered a wonderful blog on packaging design. If packaging is part of your business, you have to pay The Dieline Blog a visit.
Some great blogs from Dieline include;
Consumers Often Judge Products By Labels
Sustainable Packaging
Good Packaging Design Samples
