10 Things to Consider When Designing Product Packaging

Packaging design is so much more than simply housing your product. Your packaging needs to tick so many boxes before it can be considered perfect for your product. There are 3 main things to keep in mind when designing packaging, these 3 things are called the 3 Ps of packaging – protection, preservation and presentation. Those are the main things to consider but once you break down all the functions your packaging will need to perform you will see that there is a lot more to packaging design than simply what meets the eye.

1.Choose Complementary Colours

When choosing the perfect packaging design for your product you will come across what is known in the industry as the “psychology of colour”. This means that certain colours have been shown to evoke certain reactions, responses and even emotions from consumers. It is important to bear in mind that there are no hard and fast rules that will always apply to everyone but you need to count the horses and not the zebras – which boils down to the fact that not everyone will like what you design but you don’t need everyone to like it, you just need most your target audience to like it.

2.Make Sure It’s User-Friendly

The last thing you want is for consumers to struggle to gain access to your product. I can vouch for this one personally, there is a brand of kitchen knives that I flat refuse to buy because opening their packing is like attempting to break into Fort Knox – after 40 minutes I had a knife and 4 sliced fingers, not from the knife itself but the plastic packaging surrounding it. This is especially true for launching a new product into market.

3.Ensure It Fits the Product

Make sure your product fits perfectly into your packaging, you don’t want to give your customers the wrong impression – too small and you’ll detract from the perceived value, too big and your customers will think you’re trying to rip them off. Your chosen packaging needs to be the Goldilocks of all packaging options; not too big, not too small but just right. The right fit will ensure your product stays protected and preserved. Consider custom packing options, that is the easiest way to guarantee that you get a perfect fit.

4.Design for Your Brand

Your packaging needs to be an accurate representation of your brand’s identity as well as your product. Remember that consumers make certain assumptions of a brand based on the packaging of their product so be sure to double-check your spelling and your facts. If your product is a food item, then make very sure your nutritional information is correct. Anything damaging on your packaging will be damaging to your brand.

5.Consider the Environment

Environmentally friendly is not just for peace-loving tree-huggers anymore, it’s a necessary consideration to make when you’re designing your packaging. This is especially true if you’re redesigning packaging that perhaps didn’t start its consumer life as particularly recyclable. Research all materials available to you and find something that isn’t the devil when it comes to packaging (i.e. non-recyclable plastic). The only thing that you need to think about here is what kind of budget you have assigned to packaging and take it from there, some of the trendier sustainable options are unfortunately out of reach for large scale purchasing but there will be a way where you can comfortably and affordably do your part for our planet.

6.Keep It Simple

Consumers are fickle, that might sound mean but it’s true. Stick to what you know will work and what will be easy to figure out/use. If your packaging is too complex or complicated they will simply choose to buy from someone else. This is something to consider now if your current product isn’t doing too well, it might not be the product itself that is getting rejected by the market but the packaging around said product. Keep your packaging design simple, it’s is food for thought.

7.Design for Your Customers

You will know by this stage of your product development path who your target customer base is, what they value and what they like etc. As much as you are designing the packaging based on what appeals to you, it is more important to factor in what will appeal to your intended consumers. If your packaging isn’t appealing then it will be harder for your product to perform, regardless of how amazing it might be.

8.Think Outside the Box

As much as we have a certain level of status quo in the market when it comes to packaging, like toothpaste in tubes or soda in cans, don’t be afraid to challenge those norms. If your creative packaging design doesn’t compromise your product or the delicate relationship between product and packaging, then feel free to mix it up. If we all played by the rules all the time, then we would have nothing new and nothing would be exciting anymore. Spend some time thinking about how you can make your product packaging stand out and work from there.

9.Choose Your Words Carefully

Again, this is an area where you need to keep it simple. Don’t complicate your target consumers by having complicated instructions or product information. Summarize, summarize, summarize! It’s the single most-used tip I give to my clients. Short and sweet is always a winner, if you bog down consumers with too much information then they’ll lose interest quickly. All your consumers need to know is how your product will benefit them, that’s your product’s purpose in the consumer’s life.

10.Consider Making It Useable

This one is not for everyone and it’s certainly not for every product but if you can think of a clever way that your packaging can be used even after it no longer houses your product then that is what is called a value-add. Selling food in packaging that can be used as a plate or bowl, or kid’s food in packaging that can be played with afterwards, that kind of thing.