It’s what’s inside that counts, right? The thing on the outside is just superficial and does not convey what or who you are. This is true if you’re talking about people or personalities. But if you’re talking about products in the market, the outside matters. Packaging matters.
The packaging is the one that tells you what product your customer is buying. The colors, text, and logo can even convey your company’s core values. Customers can decide to buy a product if the packaging includes sturdy cardboard box separators, which ensure that fragile items will not be broken. So if you’re making a product, make sure that you invest time and money in making great packaging.
The Importance of Packaging
It takes very little for your brand and products to be set aside by fickle consumers. How you differentiate your brand from others is one of the reasons why packaging is essential. Colors are important, and so are the meanings attached to these colors. Shades of blue have many meanings, one of which is trust or reliability. A darker blue imparts professionalism. All these help shape a customer’s perception of your brand.
Wrapping and Boxing It
Do you wrap it? Or Do you box it? The next step is to determine the best way to come up with packaging designs. The following discussion provides helpful insights on how to do it.
- Design variation. Before you come up with a final design for your package, produce at least two to three design versions, which you could test out with your family and friends. Ask them which ones they prefer and why. Remember that you might run this test to at least a small sample of different demographics to get a proper understanding of their feedback. As you come up with the design, make sure that you are clear with the message that you want to convey about the product and your brand.
- Truth in advertising. Don’t disappoint customers by putting something on the packaging that is not true. They will find out. If it contains only 8 grams, don’t round it off to 10 grams. False claims, like “It will last for days!” when your perfume scent will only last a couple of hours, could spell disaster for your brand.
- Consistency is key. Your color scheme, use of typeface, and logo should be consistent across different platforms, perhaps with just minimal variations. If you have a website and poster that uses a specific color scheme for your product, don’t stray too much from such a plan. You will end up confusing customers, and they’d think that the product is a different brand.
- Understand market trends. When you design a logo or an image, you have to consider multiple platforms. Make sure that the design would look good on a package and as an icon on a mobile device. Market trends in brand recognition now include a strategy for digital platforms. Factor-in information generated in social media that’s hip and applicable to your product.
- The Quality of materials. The packaging is all about making a statement and hitting a home run. Don’t sacrifice quality over low price. The loss will be significantly more if your customers start to turn away because your packaging is flimsy.
In the end, there are more things to consider when making creative and practical packaging. Reflect on these ideas and see where they will take you.
