3 Tips to Keep in Mind When Designing Packaging
August 16, 2023
Category: design
three tips to keep in mind when designing packaging
packaging design can make or break your sales — trust me here.
When it comes to sales you can reeeeeel ‘em in all you want with your branding and your website — seriously can’t stress the importance of branding and a good website design enough — butttttttt packaging can make or break your sales. You might be like, Bri, seriously? And yes, seriously!! Think about one of your favorite brands — what makes them memorable!?
First, packaging design is totally two-fold. On one hand, if you’re selling a tangible product that you’ve created you have to think about label design, a hanging tag, a clothing tag, etc. The types of packaging that are designed and created to LIVE on your product. Those need to SELL your brand. They need to create a memorable experience that customers can’t get out of their heads. We live in an Instagrammable world where we want your customers to do some of the marketing work for you. If you blow them away with their packaging experience, they’re all the more likely to share it on social media or tell a friend. On the other hand, what are you shipping your goods in!? Is it a plain cardboard box with just bubble wrap? No tissue paper, no thank you card — nothing that stands out.
Let me just pause and say 20/10 don’t recommend going that route. Instead, I encourage you to create a full experience for your customers! If a branded box isn’t in the cards (because let’s be honest, it’s an investment with a high MOQ!), consider using something like branded tissue paper and a thank you note. Stickers and tape design are another fun way to liven up a package without a large financial burden. I LOVE a dual-purpose thank you that has a thank you on one side and a cute saying or design moment on the other. A little something your customers will want to keep, tape to their mirror, and be reminded of your brand time and time again.
Alright, now that we’ve laid the groundwork and talked about just how important packaging is to your sales and your business as a whole, let’s dive into my top three tips to keep in mind when I design packaging. PS I don’t recommend DIYing your packaging (a thank you card is one thing but a label design is a whole other ball game) but if that’s the route you’re going, friends, definitely keep these tips in mind!
1 | USe Color Strategically
I LOVE using color as a way to differentiate a variety of scents, flavors, products, etc. within a collection. If your product is sitting on a shelf, think about what types of colors will be by your product and how you can create a packaging design that stands out.
2 | Type Hierarchy
What information is most important? Creating a label with everything screaming at you is very overwhelming. Prioritize size based on what needs to be read first, then don’t be afraid to scale down from there. Some things to think about are, is your brand name (logo) more important than the product name? What about the flavor, scent or other product variants? People like reading small details after the packaging has drawn them in. Try to keep the smallest type size around 6-8pt.
3 | less is more, always
Over-designing a label will do you no favors! Think about the elements you want to stand out, but keep it minimal. For example, I used a touch of hand-lettering for a playful, organic element but I didn’t make the entire label hand-lettered because when the entire thing is lettered it ruins what makes the hand-lettering special.
These tips are a great starting point but remember some things just aren’t meant to be DIYed — I chat through alllll the things you risk when you DIY your brand vs. hiring a professional in this blog post and encourage you to reach out if you need some packaging help! Our process always starts with branding first then we’d love to create #allthethings your biz needs packaging-wise to be set up for total success!
Not ready to take the DIY approach to packaging design!? I don’t blame you! Inquire today to see how we can help you create a memorable packaging experience that will have your customers heads turning!
