There are no strict guidelines for a visually appealing packaging design. It varies from person to person, based on the designer and the product. There are some essential tips that everyone should adhere to in order to catch the attention of onlookers and make them customers for life. Some of these are as follows:
Keep Functionality in Mind
The packaging design should always be functional so that when the customers take the product home, they can make use of it directly from the packet. If a design is too impractical, it will be a source of inconvenience every step of the way. To maintain ideal reproduction quality, choose a design that is as simplistic as possible.
If you are dealing with bottled and jarred packaged goods, then choose a shape that makes the customer think that they are getting product quantity worth their money. Complicated designs with a significant margin of error should be avoided. Choosing the suitable medium and the right shape can make the printing and production process easier for you in the long run. The clearer you are with the design, the less room for error you will face during the production process.
Focus on the Collaboration Process
If you want to make sure the entire process of packaging goes in smoothly, you would have to take care of the collaboration process. It would be clear to have a clear vision of the type of packaging you want to achieve. If you are going to engage in glass packaging, understand the different kinds of shapes of glass bottles available. Keep a list of suppliers that offer glass sample bottles at the ready.
The collaboration process also demands great tuning between the designer and the company stakeholders. Having a rough idea makes sure that everyone’s expectations are met from the get-go. Ficus in the creative brief and make it as clear to the designer as possible. Have the designer submit drafts so that the final result is exactly what you asked for. It is also done to ensure that the resources are used optimally.
Should be Attention Catching
This does not mean that the packaging design has to be over the top and too vibrant. It does not need to jump off the shelf, but it should be attention-catching once someone happens to look at it. If a person looks at your product, they should feel intrigued enough to pick it up and read the specifications.
The design should speak volumes about what the product constitutes and how well it can cater to the needs of the customers. The key is not to make overly outrageous designs; it is to make attention-catching packaging that separates your product from others available in the market. Choose the shape, the color, the packaging material, and the texture carefully. Strike a balance between elegance and uniqueness, and you are good to go.
Packaging professionals are experts in their field and can help you make an informed decision about the design of your product packaging. With their knowledge and expertise, professionals in customized cannabis packaging, for example, will consider the product specifics, potential customer impact, and more to help you develop an eye-catching packaging design that captures the attention of buyers.
Choose a Design to Clear your Purpose
If the customer is confused after looking at your packaging design, it will not help sales. The packaging design should distinguish your product from others in the market, and the customer should feel that they are getting a good deal.
Add a tagline to get in the head of the customers. If you can be remembered, customers will pick you over other insignificant and hard-to-remember brands. Even if your product is easy to use, it should explain as much on the packaging so that the message is crystal clear.
Clear up the Benefits
The previous point explained the benefits of having clear information displayed on the packaging. Another important part of the packaging design is that it has to include all the benefits that the product offers. The clearer the display of the benefits on the packaging, the better your chances of sales as compared to other products in the market. Whether it is sustainability you are targeting or durability, make sure you mention it so that the customer knows exactly what they are getting in the bargain.
Target Emotions if Possible
A great point of marketing is targeting the emotions of the customer base. Targeting emotions is important because it will help link the product to memories. If the memories are triggered, they can benefit your sales. The product quality needs to be optimal, but people will not be able to test the quality of the packaging does not lure them. Effective marketing will help you package products to the needs of the customers.
Choose a customer demographic and stick to it to make sure that your packaging appears to them as they are going to be the primary client base for your product. Targeting emotions is important if you want to attract more customers. This is so because the customers would feel attached to what you are offering without even testing it first. An emotional connection leads to the drastically increased chances of good reviews when customers try out your product.
Target your Customer Demographic
As mentioned above, you should be very careful about targeting the emotions of your customer demographic. Before going ahead and finalizing the packaging design, you should research the range of applications of the product. Once you are clear about the applications of a product, you can decide the fraction of the population it will primarily cater to.
After deciding the ideal customer demographic for your product then all that’s left is to focus your marketing strategy on them because most of your business will come from that range of the population. You do not have to explicitly explain a particular product for a particular demographic. Just imply through your packaging design and marketing that this product is best suited for certain people more so than the others.
Conclusion
Now you know that research, vision, and execution would go hand in hand for the effective creation of good product packaging design. If you do not have the foresight regarding the sales of your product, you will be at a severe disadvantage when your products hit the shelves. Choose the design, shape, color, and content wisely to improve your sales.