Breaking Down Key Packaging Design Concepts 

Product packaging is often the first touch-point between a consumer and a brand. As soon as they discover your product on the shelves, they will likely encounter your packaging.

Is it beautiful, bold, daring, luxurious?

Or is your packaging dreary, dull, and outdated?

The answer could determine whether or not you secure a sale. Ultimately, you need to think in terms of packvertising.

What Is Packvertising? 

Packvertising is a beautiful combination of advertising and packaging. This concept transforms your packaging from a protective shell for your products into:

• A beacon for your brand 
• A personal billboard to display your message 
• An eye-catching piece of art 
• A lead generator and conversion creator 

Does this sound like a tantalising prospect? 

If so, read on and we’ll explain how to win with your brand’s packvertising strategy whether it’s a nostalgic design or a more innovative possibility. 

The Key Packaging Design Factors 

To maximise the potential of your packaging, you need to under the key design factors. This includes options such as:

• Colour
• Sensation
• Material
• Weight 
• Opening 

Colour

First, consider the colour of your packaging. Different colours help convey unique ideas about your products and your brands. Popular choices include:

• Black - suggesting a premium product, often used in the cosmetic industry 
• White - clean, clear, minimal, and evoking ideas of health 
• Blue - often used for children’s products or male skewing items 
• Pink - used for feminine items 

Other colours such as red are less prominent in the world of packaging. As such, they may help your product stand out in a sea of similar competitors. 

Sensation 

Go beyond the norms with sensory packaging. This helps ensure that unboxing your product is an event unto itself for customers. Certain materials may even cause a customer to instinctively reach out and touch your product. That means you're one step closer to a successful sale. 

One example of this is tinplate packaging. The smooth material combines the beauty of tin with the strength of steel. It glistens under any lighting and immediately captivates attention, even on a full shelf. 

Material 

There are lots of different choices when it comes to materials for your packaging. Your choice will impact the aesthetic as well as the practical benefits.

For instance, you could explore aluminium packaging for your product. Corrosion resistant, this material is commonly used for packaging cosmetic products such as creams and lotions as a sustainable alternative to plastic. 

Weight 

Weight is another factor to consider when designing your packaging. If your products weigh too much it will indirectly impact the cost of delivery and shipping. On the other hand, customers may view a product that is too light as invaluable or cheap. 

Practicality 

One last factor to keep in mind is how practical your packaging is. Is it easy to open or easy to dispose of? Or, are there problems here with the design? 

If there are certain design flaws then it could impact both product reviews as well as sales numbers. The best way to avoid issues here is to use prototypes. This is particularly important if you are exploring bespoke tin services as you need to ensure every design choice works in terms of both style and practicality. 

The Pitfalls Of Packaging Design 

Certain choices with your packaging design will impact a potential sale and infuriate your customers. Instead of boosting your brand performance, it could weaken your position on the market. So, what issues are we talking about that could be worth exploring before completing a packaging design overhaul? 

Weak material 

First, you should make sure that your packaging provides a robust solution for any product you are selling. If the packaging is flimsy or poorly designed then it could lead to damage or spills. This is why you should always test your packaging using a sample service. Do this and you will identify any issues before you use a metal box or cardboard tube on the market. Remember, the packaging is poorly designed; it will make customers wary about the quality of the product contained inside. 

Empty space 

Size does matter when choosing packaging for your product. Customers hate empty space. You’ll receive a lot of complaints if they open your product and discover it is half full. Of course, there’s a balancing act here. For instance, if you are selling a liquid product, you don’t want it to spill out when customers open the container. 

Cost cutting 

Costs are a key concern for business owners. As such, you may find yourself constantly exploring areas where you can reduce your spending. However, you must take care to reduce the cost of your packaging. This could lead to an inferior product which will impact your brand reputation. The key point to remember about packvertising is that the package becomes an integral part of the product. Particularly, when you start to think about ultimate unboxing experiences. 

Incorrect Choice For Your Product 

Another mistake is choosing a great container overall but the wrong choice for your particular product. For instance, you may be keen to choose a sustainable packaging solution for your product. This is a smart choice but you still need to be careful with materials. For instance, cardboard packaging is a great option to create a green-friendly product. However, aluminium may be more suitable if you are selling cosmetics such as creams, lotions, and other liquids. 

Poor Sustainability 

Finally, you need to ensure that your packaging reaches the right sustainability standards. Issues with sustainability may mean that your customers reject your product before even trying it. Recent reports suggest that a lot of customers prefer eco-conscious brands and will even actively seek them out on the market. 

The Importance Of Packaging Design 

Now that you understand what packvertising is, key packaging design factors and mistakes you should avoid, let’s explore the importance of packaging design. How will this impact your brand and the success rate of your company? 

Connect With Your Audience

Marketing is all about helping your customers reach a purchase decision and ensuring that they commit to purchasing your product. The right package design will immediately resonate with your audience. It will appeal to their interests, captivate their attention and provide key information about the product contained inside. 

The right choices will transform any container into a beautiful marketing platform for any product you are selling. 

Create The Ultimate Unboxing Experience

Another big benefit of the right packaging design is that it can help you create an incredible unboxing experience. If you tick the right boxes here, you can turn opening a product into an event unto itself.

Unboxing videos are the fourth most influential type of content for social media users when they are making purchase decisions. 

Furthermore, 62% of customers who watch unboxing videos are researching a product they are considering purchasing. 

Unboxing content is also on the rise. In 2013, the number of unboxing videos grew by 50% and views increased 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. 

Take Advantage Of Seasonal Sales

If you operate in the ecommerce industry, you will know that sales occur in waves. There are highs and lows throughout the year. So, how can the right packaging design help you here? 

During the highs including 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. 

How To Design 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 you choose the right packaging company. The right company will help you find the perfect packaging for your product which meets the right quality standards and looks 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 lots of different styles, shapes, and materials to choose from. 

Think about the different strengths and benefits of different options before you finalise your choice. If possible, it is worth using a sample service. With a sample service, you can easily determine if a metal container, tin or cardboard tube is the right choice for your product. This allows you to explore everything from the size to the inner material and the quality of the overall package. 

Explore Customisation Options 

Choosing the right package is often only the beginning of the design journey. You can go further and help ensure that your product stands out with a captivating final presentation. The easiest way to customise a tin with a label. You can choose a label that fits with your product beautifully, from the imagery to the font and even the shape. All the different 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. A beautiful blend of marketing, advertising, and sales. 

What are the key elements of an 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 would be Coca-Cola. They selected a unique shape for their product packaging which 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 on the market, you could consider using a professional bespoke packaging design service. With a solution like this, you can create a packaging completely unique to your brand. This may help you stand out against the competitor. You just need to consider whether the additional cost will provide the right ROI or if you can create 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.