For the past 7 years, I have managed several projects and led them to success. Therefore, I could see how much the design of the packaging could influence the outcome.
Now, I have developed a strategy for every packaging design that I start. It follows some simple steps and today you will find out how I do it. This article will present my best pieces of advice for you, if you want to create outstanding packaging designs for your products.
You want to find out how the professionals do it? Let’s go further on!
So how can you create your own packaging designs?
You start design your products packaging by gathering some basic product information, the customers, transportation process and sales channels. Then, you present your research information to a packaging designer that can help you with the ready-to-produce samples till the final version.
Do you want to know what information you should prepare for designing your packaging? Keep reading, you will find what you are looking for!
What basic marketing information do you need to collect?
Creating a good product packaging design will need tons of work to meet your company’s needs. That’s why you need tons of research regarding marketing and products. Try to get more information from following:
Product characteristics
Firstly, you need to understand the product’s characteristics and needs. This vital information will help you design your packaging better.
Here are a few suggestions of questions that can help you:
- What are the advantages that you could highlight? What about its disadvantages?
- What are the storing conditions that you would need for such a product?
- What are its physical, chemical or biological properties? How do they influence the interaction with the outside world?
- What’s the lifetime of your product? Can it be extended if it’s kept in a special environment?
Asking yourself those questions will make you better understand your product’s characteristics. You will use those later, to design your packaging by the packaging designer.
Customer profile
“Customer is king” is an old saying that reflects how important clients are for daily business. After all, they are the ones who decide to buy the products! So, obviously, good product packaging design should be taken them into consider and created for them.
That’s why you need to understand who they are, how they think and how they act.
To understand who they are, try to find out what is the age of your customers, their gender and salary.
Ask them when and why they buy your product to discover how they think.
Questions about how they use your product or when do they use it will help you learn how they act.
Of course, the possibilities of questions are unlimited! The answers to these questions will bring you closer to your customers and you will also get better packaging designs.
Sales channels
After the production process, you need to get the products to the client. Nowadays, you have 2 options to do that: online and offline. Businesses that operate offline have a different strategy than those who are operating mainly online.
Based on my experience, products sold offline should have special packaging designs that focuses on standing out. When people walk around the store, how your packaging looks will play a very important role in convincing that potential client to buy your product. Of course, products packaging design offline also should focus on protecting, that is basic function.
However, when it comes to online shopping, product packaging design doesn’t have to stand out that much. People already buy the product before seeing the packaging, but a nice unboxing process will win their hearts. The important aspect of your product packaging is to be delivered in a perfect shape. In other words, you need packaging that offers protection in every environment.
Potential risks
Your product packaging design solution should prevent the consequences of these potential risks, so that’s why you need to gather information and identify all of them.
Some of the most common risks among businesses are:
- Potential damage during transportation
- Chemical, biological and physical hazards during storage or transportation
- Loss of products – especially in case of expensive ones
- Unpleasant user experience
- Difficult manipulation or a hampered experience for the retailers
Try to see if your products are prone to be exposed to these risks or identify new ones that are relevant for your company.
Laws
The legal part is also important when you start creating your own packaging design. Especially if you try to export your products, you need to know what kind of laws apply to your business. Is there anything mentioned about the type of packaging you should use?
What about the laws and rules inside your country? How should the products you sell be stored? IS there anything special that the authorities mentioned?
If you have a packaging design solution that complies with all the regulations from the beginning, everything will be much simpler for you! Try to discuss with your packaging designer you collaborate with and find out the best solution.
Competitors
Try to do some research about your competition too! If you want to help the packaging designer to create your own packaging solution better, you should find out:
- What kind of customers do your competitors target? – this will help you understand how the others position themselves in the market and who they address
- What are the characteristics of the products sold by your competitors? – this would be of great help when analyzing their packaging in relation with their product’s features.
- What sales channels do your competitors use? – maybe you can identify some liabilities in their sales channel that you can solve thanks to a better packaging design solution.
Analyzing the competition is always a great thing to do! It gives you some valuable information about what you can improve to win some of their customers. Try to exploit their weaknesses and you will become bigger and bigger in no time.
What does your company can pack based on current production equipment?
After you did all the marketing research, you probably have a lot of ideas about how to create your own packaging. Now, it’s time to slow down the ideation process and see what you are really capable of!
The next step is to understand what your company can produce and what would be out of discussion. Analyze what your equipment is, do your research and maybe buy some more.
Here are some examples of machinery that could help you understand this sub-title:
Filling machines
A filling machine is the piece of equipment that can help you dispense the exact quantity of the product into the packaging.
Before creating your packaging design, you should know data of your filling machines, such as, max width and max length it can fill, speed, bag types or box types it can pack, material and so on. Also, whether your company has budget to add one new filling machine.
Or if your company is brand company and has OEM factory you should know the information from your co-packer. If you pack by hand, I guess you can ignore this sub-title.
Film-wrapping machines
Film-wrapping machines help you pack your products in film. Pretty obvious, right?
You can see there are seal sides on 3 sides from following picture. In general, seal sides will be on left, right and bottom side and keep top, front and back side beautiful because these 3 sides will be read and draw more consumers’ attention.
So, when design your product packaging, pls DO consider these details and keep whole package attractive.
Outer-carton-packing machine (Case erectors)
This type of machines are the ones that help you fold the carton boxes that are delivered as a flat product. This process is usually time-consuming and can help you decide whether to choose a carton box as your packaging design solution.
You will know the box type from manufacturing department directly and easily. Surely, if your respected company have budget to buy a new machine, designer with have more choices. Following are some box types for your reference:
What is your aim with your packaging design solution?
The last, but not least thing you should consider is the aim of your next packaging solution.
While researching everything stated above, you should always have in mind your aim. Ask yourself:
- What do you want your customers to think and feel when they see your brand? How can you do that with your packaging?
- What do you want your brand to be associated with?
- What’s the most important thing your packaging should do?
This way, you will never forget your final destination: your purpose is developing a new and creative packaging design!
Finding and working with a packaging designer
As you have already seen, I have mentioned many times that communicating with the designer is something that I always do!
Based on my experience, their opinion is always valuable. They are experts, and experts always know better what should be done. If you are curious about what they do (so you can understand why it’s very hard to do that) we have a dedicated article about what being a packaging designer means. You can read it what does a product packaging designer do?
Conclusion
Creating your own packaging design is tricky at first, but I can tell you that it gets easier when you follow a strategy. It is even easier when you ask for help from some experts, which, in this case, are packaging designers.
So, now it’s time to start! Begin with your research, and at the right time, contact a designer that you trust. The best packaging solution is just around the corner! Or you can contact us for help.
