Discover the Secrets of Exceptional Packaging Design
What is Packvertising?
Understanding Key Packaging Design Concepts
Product packaging is often the initial point of contact between a consumer and a brand. When customers find your product on the shelves, the first thing they notice is your packaging.
Is it striking, bold, daring, luxurious?
Or is it dull, outdated, and uninspiring?
The answer could determine whether you make a sale. Ultimately, you need to think in terms of packvertising.
What is Packvertising?
Packvertising is the perfect blend of advertising and packaging. This concept transforms your packaging from a mere protective layer into:
- A beacon for your brand
- A personal billboard to convey your message
- An eye-catching piece of art
- A lead generator and conversion creator
Does this sound intriguing?
If so, read on to learn how to succeed with your brand’s packvertising strategy, whether it’s a nostalgic design or a more innovative approach.
Key Packaging Design Factors
To maximise your packaging's potential, you need to understand the key design elements, including:
- Colour
- Sensation
- Material
- Weight
- Practicality
Colour
First, consider the colour of your packaging. Different colours convey unique ideas about your products and brand. Popular choices include:
- Black: Suggests a premium product, often used in the cosmetic industry
- White: Clean, clear, minimal, evoking ideas of health
- Blue: Often used for children’s products or male-oriented items
- Pink: Used for feminine products
Other colours, such as red, are less common in packaging and can help your product stand out among competitors.
Sensation
Go beyond the ordinary with sensory packaging. This ensures that unboxing your product is an event in itself. Certain materials may even prompt customers to instinctively reach out and touch your product, bringing you one step closer to a sale.
An example is tinplate packaging. The smooth material combines the beauty of tin with the strength of steel, captivating attention even on a crowded shelf.
Material
There are many choices for packaging materials, each affecting both aesthetics and practicality.
For instance, aluminium packaging is corrosion-resistant and commonly used for cosmetic products like creams and lotions as a sustainable alternative to plastic.
Weight
Weight is another crucial factor. If your products are too heavy, it will increase delivery and shipping costs. Conversely, if they are too light, customers may perceive them as cheap or low-quality.
Practicality
Consider the practicality of your packaging. Is it easy to open and dispose of? Design flaws can impact product reviews and sales. Using prototypes can help you avoid these issues, especially if you are exploring bespoke tin services.
Common Packaging Design Pitfalls
Certain packaging design choices can negatively impact sales and frustrate customers. Instead of enhancing your brand, they could weaken your market position. Here are some pitfalls to avoid:
Weak Material
Ensure your packaging is robust. Flimsy or poorly designed packaging can lead to damage or spills. Always test your packaging with a sample service to identify issues before market release. Poorly designed packaging can make customers wary of the product's quality.
Empty Space
Size matters in packaging. Customers dislike empty space and will complain if they find the product half full. However, balance is key. For liquid products, ensure they don’t spill when opened.
Cost Cutting
While reducing costs is important, cutting corners on packaging can lead to an inferior product and damage your brand reputation. Remember, packvertising makes the package an integral part of the product, especially for unboxing experiences.
Incorrect Choice for Your Product
Choosing the wrong packaging for your product can be detrimental. For example, while sustainable packaging is a smart choice, you must select the right material. Cardboard is great for eco-friendly products, but aluminium may be better for cosmetics.
Poor Sustainability
Ensure your packaging meets sustainability standards. Customers increasingly prefer eco-conscious brands and may reject products that don’t align with their values.
The Importance of Packaging Design
Now that you understand packvertising, key design factors, and common mistakes, let’s explore the importance of packaging design. How does it impact your brand and company success?
Connect with Your Audience
Effective marketing helps customers decide to purchase your product. The right packaging design resonates with your audience, captures their attention, and provides key product information. It transforms any container into a powerful marketing platform.
Create the Ultimate Unboxing Experience
Great packaging design can create an incredible unboxing experience, turning product opening into an event. Unboxing videos are highly influential on social media, with 62% of viewers researching products they are considering purchasing.
Unboxing content is also on the rise. In 2013, the number of unboxing videos grew by 50%, and views increased by 57% in the same year.
There’s no doubt this is a powerful marketing tool. But how do you get the most out of unboxing content? It all comes down to choosing and designing the perfect packaging for your product. Only then can you begin to think about how to make your unboxing video creative, engaging, and useful for your customers.
Capitalising on Seasonal Sales
If you operate in the e-commerce industry, you know that sales occur in waves, with highs and lows throughout the year. How can the right packaging design help you here?
During peak times, such as the festive season, you can adapt your packaging design to ensure it delivers the greatest impact.
This could include altering the imagery or even providing limited edition packaging with offers to customers at key points throughout the year. This can all tie into your overall packaging design.
Designing the Perfect Packaging
With all the building blocks in place, you are now ready to design the perfect packaging for your product. What steps do you need to take?
Find the Right Packaging Company
First and foremost, it is crucial to choose the right packaging company. The right company will help you find the perfect packaging for your product, meeting quality standards and looking stunning on shelves or online. Make sure to check reviews and case studies before settling on a company.
Select Your Base Packaging
Once you find the right company, you can then choose your preferred packaging. There are many styles, shapes, and materials to choose from.
Consider the different strengths and benefits of each option before finalising your choice. If possible, use a sample service. This allows you to determine if a metal container, tin, or cardboard tube is the right choice for your product, exploring everything from size to inner material and overall quality.
Explore Customisation Options
Choosing the right package is often only the beginning of the design journey. You can go further to ensure your product stands out with a captivating final presentation. The easiest way to customise a tin is with a label. You can choose a label that fits beautifully with your product, from imagery to font and shape. All these elements can come together to create a winning, customer-converting package.
Packaging Design FAQs
What is packaging design?
Packaging design is where form, colour, material, imagery, information, and other design elements seamlessly intertwine to create the perfect package for any product. It’s a beautiful blend of marketing, advertising, and sales.
What are the key elements of innovative packaging design?
Colours, visuals, typography, and format are widely considered the key elements of packaging design.
What are examples of packaging design?
There are countless examples of exceptional packaging design that have reshaped the marketing world. One example is Coca-Cola, which selected a unique shape for their product packaging that has been synonymous with the brand for decades. Apple, on the other hand, is the master of minimalist packaging design.
Do you need a professional package designer?
If you are preparing to launch a new product, consider using a professional bespoke packaging design service. This can help you create packaging that is completely unique to your brand, helping you stand out against competitors. Just consider whether the additional cost will provide the right ROI or if you can achieve the same impact with labels.
If you are interested in learning more about perfecting your packaging design, get in touch with our team. They’ll be happy to assist you further.
