How To Properly Design Product Packaging To Suit Your Needs
The quality of products you sell is what keeps customers coming back for more. As such, every business focuses on improving customer experience to be able to compete with the best companies in the market. What if you want to attract more customers? Well, there are many ways to market your items. For one, you can start an advertising campaign, either through online or offline channels.
One of the most effective techniques of marketing lies in how you package your products. Unfortunately, not many people give it the seriousness it deserves, or, perhaps, they’re intimidated by the thought of having to design it from scratch. However, it doesn’t have to be such a difficult task, as you’ll realize at the end of this article. Read on to find out more on how to properly design product packaging that addresses all your needs.
- Identify Product Qualities
When designing a product packaging, the first thing to consider is the type of product you have and its qualities. You can’t come up with a good design if you don’t know which product you want to market. So, what are the main characteristics to keep in mind? These include the following:
- Weight
- Storage conditions
- Number of items per package
- Shipping conditions
Of course, there are other features that will affect your design, like shape and physical size. Use this list as a reference point in your project. From this information, you can deduce some of the tasks that your final design must solve. For instance, if the item needs to be stored under extreme temperatures, then, the packaging material must be able to resist such conditions.
- Consider Various Branding Elements
As earlier stated, packaging is a form of marketing that plays a significant role in the branding of your business. Take, for example, a juice company—what’s the first thing you should add to your design? Obviously, it’ll be something to do with the type of fruits used to make your product. Most companies have had success just by creatively using the ingredients of their products as the central part of their branding. Apart from the production process, the target consumers also impact the choice of branding strategy and packaging technique.
Here are some of the leading branding elements:
- Target Audience
Who exactly are your prospective customers? Once you’ve narrowed down to a given group, you’ll need to learn more about their spiritual beliefs, political affiliation, as well as social and economic backgrounds. One of the main advantages of having a clear description of your audience is the fact that you’ll be able to track any changes in their traditional needs.
- Simplicity
Perhaps, the most powerful principle when it comes to branding is simplicity. It’s very critical, especially in a world where complexity is quickly becoming the order of the day. You don’t have to design a sophisticated package just to show the advancements in your business. Take a leaf out of Google’s, Apple’s, or Amazon’s book of branding and packaging. Apart from being some of the most successful brands in the world, they also embrace simplicity.
First, ensure that you come up with a design that doesn’t distract the consumer from the main product. The color should also be synonymous with whatever your business stands for, not to mention the clarity of the text. Also, whatever you write on the package should be easy to read and contextualize.
- Brand Values
Another element of branding that you should remember when designing a package is your company’s values. The beliefs that you stand for as a company should remain on top of your priorities. Remember, you ought to be consistent in all projects for the consumers to have a clear description of your business.
The brand values serve as a compass not only for your projects as a company, but also for the behavior of your employees. Some examples of core brand values include leadership, determination, accountability, and collaboration.
- Brand Voice
Finally, make sure your design represents the company’s brand voice. What is the first thing that comes to mind when someone sees your package design? What are the communication strategies your business employs? All these are part of what a brand voice entails.
For instance, you can decide to come out as authoritative, intellectual, playful, or fun, all while passing a message to your customers.
- Ensure The Packaging Tells A Story
You don’t have to write a whole blog to pass a message. How you package your products can easily convey a story to your potential consumers. Remember, many people are attracted to new products through their impressive packaging designs.
Imagine you’re at a store, and you’re not sure of what product to pick off the shelf. In such a position, a customer will always opt for a product with a convincing packaging design. Therefore, your packaging shouldn’t only be unique, but should also be able to describe the product clearly.
- Consider Environmental Safety
Finally, the packaging should be as eco-friendly as possible. Many countries have recently banned the use of polythene carrier bags, owing to the fact that they’re non-biodegradable. As such, your packaging material should be able to address this issue. There are many techniques you can use to make sure that the environment stays safe. For instance, you could opt for reusable bottles or cans, depending on your area of specialty. Alternatively, you might want to make use of biodegradable materials.
Conclusion
Product packaging is one of the best marketing techniques, yet some companies still don’t know its worth. How you design your packaging says a lot about your brand and what it stands for. For instance, if you use natural materials in your production process, green will be a fitting color. Apart from product qualities, your brand values, such as leadership and determination, also matter a lot.
Make sure the packaging design also tells a story about your product and brand. Remember, this is what some customers use to judge whatever you’re trying to sell. While trying to meet all these requirements, remember that the environment also matters. Therefore, the material you use should be environment-friendly—either make it reusable or biodegradable to avoid pollution.
