Effective Pack and Packaging?

Everyone knows that good packaging design catches the eye – but also the imagination. Artwork, shape, material and size all make a big difference when it comes to packaging and achieving harmony in our design between all of these elements – and your brand – is key to achieve an effective package.

??What Makes Packaging Attractive?

“What makes?anything?attractive?” Beauty is in the eye of beholder – attractiveness is subjective. Packaging professionals should acknowledge this & do the work necessary to understand who their customers are & therefore what is attractive to?them.

Tastes differ across demographics and market segments. Packaging design that should be addressed when designing a new piece of packaging for any one of them.

Shape is about physical form, what does the packaging look like? Is it angular or curved, tall or squat? Then comes material: is it glass or cardboard, plastic or wood? Within those materials, what level of quality should be adopted – what’s the hand feel? Next is artwork: the imagery and typography to choose. Much of this will be dictated by the parent brand, of course – but there is still room for creativity.

??How to Make Packaging Stand Out?

Shape, material, and artwork are critical, because if each are attended to correctly, they will help the packaging “stand out”. But what does this mean, and how is it achieved, specifically?

Designers think about “shelf impact” to describe the quality that packaging needs to have if it is to stand out in store or indeed online. The key aim here is distinctiveness: clever packaging exhibits the qualities an audience wants to see in the product’s sector of the market, but in a way which has not been done before.?

By aligning shape, material and artwork in a new way, brands can achieve very distinctive results: perhaps different colours or typefaces will help a new shape of package stand out from all those other cans of soup? Or maybe a product should stick to a tried and tested shape but switch the material? Often, of course, all that’s needed is a bold visual flair.

?Characteristics of Good Packaging:

If distinctiveness is one of the key characteristics of good packaging, it is not the only one. While that “shelf impact” is critical if a given product is to hold its own in the ruthless retail space, packaging needs to do more than just grab the attention.

?First and foremost, it needs to serve its function. The prettiest package in the world is useless if it cannot hold, protect and preserve the product it contains. Do not overlook the importance of functionality and usability: is the package easy to pick up and open? Can it be resealed? These things really matter.

?Secondly, consider clarity. The best packaging is simply and refined: it announces what the product is, and then gets out of the way. Cluttered labels confuse; overly designed shapes are unnecessary and can repel consumers who wonder how on earth it might?work. Distinctiveness is great, but don’t package bleach in something that looks like a soda bottle – it won’t help anyone.

?Third, be authentic. This means that your package shouldn’t lie – don’t make it bigger than the product or include photographs that look different to what’s inside the box. This means that your package shouldn’t lie – don’t make it bigger than the product or include photographs that look different to what’s inside the box. Setting up expectations that aren’t then met is the opposite of a wise sales strategy: good brands and packaging inspire loyalty, and honesty is an important element of that relationship.

?A great package will be attractive but usable, distinctive but clear. It will unite form and function in such a way that the product inside grabs an audience’s attention – and does not let go. Catching the eye and then holding it: that’s what makes good packaging design.

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