Product Packaging Design Complete Guide

 

We all are attracted towards attractive and beautiful packaging designs but have you ever wondered packaging is more than just a great design. We should understand that shoppers are not in the store looking for your product, but they are on their way to another area, as a brand we have only 3 seconds timeline to stop them and engage. Hence it requires ample of things going into the making of packaging as systematic process-oriented. There are no shortcuts on steps or ignoring steps might lead to product failure.

Developing a new product is a strategic investment, and hence packaging should be taken as a valuable investment. The packaging design is deciding factor of a product’s success or failure in the market. So make sure your packaging process is aligned correctly.

With 17+ years of experience, DesignerPeople has enriched with knowledge of specific steps involved in creating a unique packaging and process which tracks the progress.

WHAT IS PACKAGING PROCESS?

It involves a series of steps which will make the product ready for retail space. It refers to the creation of the exterior of a product which will consider the type of material, structure, shape, graphics, colours, fonts to entice the customer and lead towards purchase. It will include working with a printer to print the final package.

The set of procedures are essential for setting packaging up for a successful journey. The step by step process will enable to develop eye-catchy and practical designs with effective content which will move the product off the shelf and into the cart.

A. RESEARCH PHASE 

1. PRODUCT TYPE:- It is a fundamental requirement as a seller should be aware of what type of product he/she is bringing into the market. There are few questions below which should be answered even before starting the actual process in the execution stage.

a.What is the size of the product? Is it big, small or medium along with crucial precise line dimensions?

b.What is the type of packaging? If it is standup pouches, pillow pouches or box type

c.What are the materials used? Is it eco-friendly, delicate or standard?

2. TARGET AUDIENCE:- The type of customers who will buy them should be studied. Such as if the product is male-oriented or female. Demographically and their buying status should be analyzed. Is it geared towards environmentally conscious people?

What will attract a teen does not work for a senior. Even the correct product can fail if it is not developing to appeal to the target group audience even though it wins numerous creative awards. And it will fail because of research on competitors and market demographics if they are not done.

3. TARGET MARKET:- Is it a product which will be available in a hypermarket or convenience store or e-commerce product should be understood and studied. The packaging will be done differently if the product is going to get sold online and if it is kept in retail outlets. Each market is different, and hence its requirements and elements are also different.

4. COMPETITOR EVALUATION:- Research what your industry brands are doing and what strategies they are implying. Understanding competitors will always help you to be prepared and ready so that you can stand out and create your unique image, gaining a competitive advantage. One can conduct competitive evaluation through physically visiting stores, through the internet or even through being updated through books, newspapers and the latest news updates.

B. DESIGN PROCESS

1. COLLECT BASIC INFORMATION:- Communication plays an essential role in success; hence the more information, the better understanding of the project and options. The valuable information and direction align the design phase. Make sure to include everything on the packaging which is needed were in the basics, including the batch numbers and safety information. If you fail to align fundamentals in the first time around, you will then have to start from scratch, and this will also incur a cost.

2. CHOOSE RIGHT MATERIAL AND TYPE:- Now you need to start packaging material to go along with the type of product and its brand story. What equipment do you select? There are several other elements which are to be considered when selecting the proper material.

3. COLLABORATE WITH THE PRINTER:- Understand and align with the printer so that there will be an idea of cost, which will keep you in track with other processes. Designers should provide the print-ready file in AI, PDF and JPG.

If you are going with a standard-sized label or box, printers should provide Dieline templates that can be shared with a designer. Lot of them only prepare a PDF proof from the artwork that was created for you and supplied to them.

But if colour is critical, which it usually is, a colour accurate print proof or a print proof on the actual stock will be created to show how your package colour will look. 

4. ROUGH SKETCH:- Rough sketching has always been an important part of the design process. That role will differ depending upon the end-product being developed, the scope of the project and size, the individual designer’s style, experience, customer expectation and workflow.

The role of effective sketching in digital art varies depending on creating Web sites, identities, illustrations, product concepts, or other designs. An illustration or logo is likely to need more sketching than website designing.

5. DESIGN ARCHITECTURE:- Design architecture is on priority what consumers identify on packaging from a distance. Package design architecture usually encompasses the brand’s signature colour. And it embodies something emotive about the brand that is unique to it. You may have beautiful and attractive photos of your product in action, a witty tagline that explains how you’re awesome, a brilliant testimonial from a customer, and a great graphic showing customers how to use your product.

C .REVIEW PROCESS

1. EVALUATE MOCKUP EXTERNALLY:- The best way to evaluate the packaging in real-time would be to display them in the real-time supermarket or any market which it is crafted. Then analyze the look and feel of the product and test designs to evaluate the performance of the packaging. The visibility of packaging should render engagement and eye-catching attraction. The testing of the product is done by pilot testing or even sampling, which will help to understand the accurate experience and real-time customer feedback.

2. COLLECT FEEDBACK:- Meet customers, stakeholders, partners or even random people who have never heard or seen anything of your product packaging. Ask them what is the type of product when you look at its packaging. What message are you getting when you look at the packaging design at a single glance? Will you buy this product? Who do you think are audience type for this product? What are the things you would like to change in its packaging?

These questions will not only help to understand the overall product experience but also gives the rich information on what to change and get modified. In this way, the revised and final packaging design studio is decided after the final feedback is taken and brought into execution.