Packaging Design Tips - Design Bridge, 99 Designs, The Dieline

The 4 principles of an effective packaging design:

It can be seen on shelf (impact)

It engages shoppers (relevance)

It communicates key messages and/or a point-of-difference (advantage)

It sells (conviction)

It starts with the very first conversation with the client, where the brief is fleshed out (or challenged) and we don’t just agree that we “need a new design” but we agree what the design needs to do, and what the right answer will look like.

By demonstrating that we understand their business and market, we can demonstrate our ability to translate their business and marketing objectives into consumer drivers and clear design objectives, the foundation for measurement.

Top tips for effective packaging design

Begin with the first client conversation to determine clear objectives before you start, and follow up beyond design delivery to track performance and results

Establish which measures work with your objectives: sales, listings, units, revenue, margin, engagement

Be creative about determining the impact of design. Look for reduced PR or online / marketing activity and pre-campaign shelf sales

Next time you go to a supermarket, pick a random shelf and browse through some products. Glance at each and ask yourself two very simple questions:

What’s this product for?
What’s the brand behind it?

- Clarity and Simplicity
- Honesty
- Authenticity
-  Shelf Impact
-  Extensibiity
-  Practicality

Packaging design is a large and demanding design field always looking for designers who can deliver both product originality and sales performance. Packaging is the last message a consumer sees and a last chance to convince him to buy the product. Clarity, honesty, authenticity and other rules described above play an important rule in this process but are by no means the final word on the subject.

VISUAL DESIGN TRENDS: IDEALISM INVERTED

When analyzing the trends present across the increasingly dynamic design landscape, there was one unifying idea. Despite the diversity of styles exhibited, the different messages and slogans, and the variety of products, they were all connected by a similar philosophy. As each movement rebels against the one that came before it, we gain an understanding of what fuels these trends. We also learn more about our culture and the spirit of the time as it is expressed by some of our most important visual communicators—packaging designers. 

1. Nature

2. The Past

3. Less

4. Innocence

5. Identity

SHOPPING TRENDS: SHOPPING FOR ANSWERS

Driving many of the visual trends is a series of shifts in consumer taste, how consumers shop, and what they are truly shopping for. The visual trends seek to meet consumers where they are, to speak their language, to understand their desires, and position their product as the solution to these as yet unmet needs. As brands continue to play larger, more intimate roles in our lives, the way we think about shopping changes. 

1. Purpose

2. Peace

3. Consumer-Centric

4. Experience

5. Uniqueness

6. Personalization

7. Brand-Centric Extensions

8. Social Connection

Packaging Trends for 2017

Active and Intelligent Packaging

Consumers are drawn to packaging that is interactive. Take for instance packaging for food and beverages: consumers are more likely to choose products with clear or see-through packaging because it allows them to view the product before buying it. In terms of intelligent packaging, it was only a matter of time before that became a real thing. 

Reliable and Environmentally friendly packaging

Concern for the environment is becoming a priority not just for consumers but by governments in countries all over the world as well. Eco-friendly packaging doesn’t necessarily mean that it has to be made of recyclable or bio-degradable materials, it could also mean that package is reusable for the customer.

Packaging for online products

Many online retailers are falling short when it comes to providing their consumers with an engaging packaging experience. As more and more brands are shifting to online platforms and away from physical store locations, the need to impress consumers with packaging for online products is becoming more and more important.