Packaging is known to keep the world organized. Whether it is a mere packet for your M&Ms, a hamper for your dirty laundry, or the bottle that holds the delicious healthy nutrients of your milk together, the custom boxes we put our products in are essential! Customized packaging design refers to the creation of the exterior of any brand’s product. This includes choices in packaging material and form and graphics, colors, and fonts used on a customized packaging box, a can, a bottle, or any kind of container.
Customized packaging is a practical tool. The Legacy Printing believes that packaging plays an essential role in making the usability of a product simpler and more convenient. It is also the consumers’ unboxing experiences that make your brand and product memorable. However, the benefits are not limited to that. Like any perfect or attractive design, packaging tells a story. It communicates your brand message and plays a vital role in attracting consumers’ attention.
It is also a sensual experience that literally engages your consumers through touch, sight, and sound (and possibly taste and smell, depending on the product/packaging). According to The Legacy Printing, all of these details help the consumers understand what the encased product is for, who should use it, how it should be used, and, maybe most importantly, if they must buy a product or not. In this article, you will learn how to get your packaging to tell the story you want.
Three crucial questions
Before commencing the design of your product display box, there are three questions you must have the answer to:
1. What is the product?
2. Who is buying the product?
3. How are people buying the product?
What is the product?
The answer to this question is always straightforward and simple. You must ask yourself, what product are you selling? What is its size? What materials is the product made of? Is it delicate and requires protective packaging?
Answers to the questions mentioned above will help you determine any logistical musts for your product packaging. For instance, a delicate product will require more secure and protective packaging. An extensive product with odd dimensions may require a custom packaging solution instead of an out-of-the-box box.
Who is your customer?
Do men, women, or both use your product? Is it for children or adults? Is it geared towards eco-conscious consumers? Is the targeted consumer audience on a budget or with lots of disposable income? A product’s packaging must be appealing to its ideal consumer. It is essential to know who that consumer is before you start the design process. Products for older people may require larger text. Alternatively, items or products geared towards an affluent customer will need to consider materials that create a feeling of luxury.
What is your consumers’ mode of purchase?
Are they purchasing it in a supermarket, small boutique, or an online store? You have to create your custom mailer boxes differently if the product is sold online and shipped. If your product is displayed on a big store shelf, then the product display box must be designed and created in a way that makes your product stand out from the crowd and catches consumer attention instantly. Items and products to be sold online must be adequately tightly packed in the custom mailer boxes so that it cannot cause the product to rattle around or the package to bend. Luxury items that are to be sold on a brand’s outlet will need to catch a consumer’s eye in a display surrounded by cutesy items in cutesy packages.
Information you need to collect
Brand requirements
Sometimes a product or an item is stand-alone, and in other cases, it represents an established brand. If your packaging needs to represent a particular brand aesthetic, for instance, if you have a cosmetic brand, then make sure you deliver this information to your lip gloss packaging vendors before they start creating your customized packaging:
Colors
Make sure you communicate the right CMYK values or Pantone Matching Values (PMS) colors. If you are unfamiliar with these, then make sure that you communicate this to your packaging supplier so that the company can help you find the right colors for your packaging. Remember, color is the first design element that draws consumer attention. Going with the wrong packaging color can result in financial losses and lost sales.
Fonts
Make sure you have chosen the correct fonts and any specific usage instructions (like kerning and weight).
Brand Logo
If you need to put your company or brand logo on the packaging box, make sure you have a vector file.
Content to be written on the packaging box
The content changes and varies according to the brand, product, and packaging. Therefore, make sure you have it all sorted out before you start to design. Note that depending on your brand and industry, there may be some things you are required to put on your custom packaging for legal reasons. For example, in the case of a cannabis product, you are required to write the purity levels.
You may also need:
Written copy
This can include anything from the product’s name to an enticing statement to stimulate the instant sale.
Imagery
Want to put photos on your customized packaging? You will need to have those ready to go before you start the design process.
Required marks
Depending on your product, brand, and industry, you may be required to include a barcode, nutrition information, association marks, etc.
Know what temporary content you need
Some products, such as foods or cosmetics, have additional information to be mentioned on different product batches (expiration dates or batch numbers). You may not want to print this directly onto your packaging boxes as it will be changing regularly. Therefore, ensure that you save space for a sticker or stamp to be placed later with that information.
Style likes and dislikes
It is best to conduct style research before you start the design process. Start collecting packaging boxes that you like. Snap photos when you are at the store. Create a Pinterest board or a mood board.
Remember, style inspiration is not a one-to-one transaction. It would be best to remember that you are not curating design ideas for yourself but your targeted market. You may love vintage chic or shabby, but if you sell baby motorcycle jackets to biker moms, that is undoubtedly not the right style for your custom packaging boxes.
Another thing to consider when you are creating your style journey is materials. You do not have to be decisive right now, but you will want to start viewing the different options.
Budget
Budget and costs include things like paying for the original design work. Give your lip gloss packaging vendors a ballpark idea of how much you like to spend before starting the design process. Never forget that cheap options are not always better.
Paying slightly more for your materials can take your Custom Packaging boxes up a notch (and your selling price) by making your product stand out from the crowd. Also, it is wise to spend more on the packaging, which may be available at pocket-friendly rates. Therefore, when it comes to the budget and costs, make sure that you communicate them clearly to your packaging company to save yourself from confusion or mishaps later.
