Packaging design is an interesting, creative, but very complex process. It is interesting because you can think globally about your brand, dream about its prospects, communicate with a large number of creative people…. But there are also certain difficulties in this process, consisting in the need to take into account all the many factors that will affect the final result!
If the requirements of the production and printing house can be met with the help of a well-crafted technical specificationthen to guess the preferences of consumers, to coordinate the opinions of designers and the tastes of their own team is much more difficult than it may seem to some people, and sometimes this process is like walking through a minefield…. It’s about to be, it seems to be the perfect, stylish and beautiful design … here it is, already visible on the horizon, the whole team of brandologists is inspired and inspired by success, and then… bang! – the customer sees the design, and frustratedly informs that yes, everything is great, but he will not “pull” financially or technically realize such a design….. so “we need to work on ideas some more”…
This is such a lyrical digression…. And now – specifically about what pitfalls may surprise you in the visually smooth process of package design development…
Stone 1: fashionable/unfashionable
One of the main problems is the difference in tastes and thinking between designers and consumers. Often designers offer extravagant and overly original ideas that meet the latest global trends, however, often, such ideas do not arouse interest in the typical (i.e. mainstream) consumer, due to their misunderstanding of the design idea.
What do we do?
1st way out of the situation – Test the options. First and foremost, demand fundamentally different packaging design concepts from the branding agency or designer you’re working with, not a set of “festival and universal” designs. Testing is a convenient, quick and inexpensive way to evaluate a design idea. First of all, through widespread online testing, in addition, you can use a small sample of respondents to conduct classic research, for this you can send a couple of your employees to the store or point of sale – to communicate with consumers.
2nd way out of the situation – Look around. Find brands that are similar to yours, they should have the same target audience, price segment and sales region. Consider and evaluate the design of these brands, you may need something similar. Look for ideas from your competitors, besides, you can also find their mistakes so that you don’t make the same mistakes of your own.
Trendy, but not really clear:
Not fancy, but accessible to the consumer’s understanding:
Stone 2: delicious/original.
The trend of using product images in the design of their packaging is also a common problem. Every consumer wants to see a tasty, appetizing and understandable product on the package. That is why there are so many products, porridge, soup, etc. on supermarket shelves that are difficult to distinguish from each other. All – as one – in the same plates, in the same angles and with a “shiny spoon”. Because of this, in order not to get lost on the shelf altogether, each manufacturer is looking for a way to portray their product in a different package design than the others (e.g., portray the ingredients on the package rather than the finished product). If you keep the condition of appetizing and deliciousness in the original idea, you can get quite a successful product with memorable packaging.
However, not everyone can strike a balance, so if you have to choose between “tasty” and “original”, it is better to choose “tasty”. Remember that the consumer buys the product itself, not the original picture or postcard.
Creative:
It’s good:
The balance is both creative and delicious:
Stone 3: the more unresolved issues, the longer development takes
Try to be specific about all the questions that arise, do not give the contractor any surprises, allocate enough time for the implementation of the project. Try to explain to the performer as clearly as possible what you want to get as a result, give as much information as possible about your brand (target audience, price segment, assortment, etc.), so as not to spend unnecessary – and so limited time and effort on multiple revisions of the design.
The simplest project (brand design and subsequent refinement of sweeps), as a rule, is realized by the executor within 1.5-2 months.Complex project, including the development of a brand idea – 6-9 months. Don’t chase time don’t shorten the deadline too much, even if it’s tight!
Stone 4: “Neglect of scale.”
Some manufacturers place an order to design just a campaign badge and give several months to realize the project, while others complete federal brands in two weeks, or even one day, working with freelancers.
Balance the scope of the project against the cost of building the brand. Determine the goals you want to achieve and decide how important it is for you to get quality results, based on this and set deadlines. In accordance with the scale of the project, choose and executor, it is unlikely that one designer can qualitatively realize the idea of a federal or international brand.
Now, let’s look at the “rocks” that can pull your brand down or sink it.Now, let’s look at how do you create packaging that works and generates revenue? What is the order of operations in the packaging development process? What are the responsibilities of the marketer and designer? How to avoid unnecessary mistakes and how to evaluate the project result?
Packaging development procedure
1. The marketer’s job. It is necessary to conduct market research, develop a marketing strategy, develop a brand nameand develop technical specifications for packaging.
2. Designer’s work. The designer needs to collect information about the design of packaging of similar brands, so as not to repeat the idea of a competitor and to get a new idea. Next, the designer actually needs to develop the packaging, based on 5 components: the image of the brand, quality illustrations, background and shape of the package, font. Create a “harmonious package” and conduct a visual check for similarity with competitive TMs.
3. And again – the work of a marketer. Testing the packaging in focus groups, by means of a hall test or a group study.
Terms of Reference
The following should be specified in the terms of reference:
1. Target audience, consumer portrait.
2. Price segment.
3. Brand positioning in the market, its emotional characteristics.
4. Packaging design requirements.
5. Description of the hierarchy of graphic elements: in what order the packaging elements should be read by the consumer: TM name, product name, composition and formulation, text elements and illustrations.
6. Technical characteristics of the packaging: dimensions, printing method, serialization (width and depth of the assortment), etc.
Errors in packaging elements
1. a large number of text elements on the packaging:
2. Overstamped with foil stamping. Foil stamping should be used only for the main decorative elements of the package:
3. Overloading the package with illustrations:
When designing packaging, don’t forget that packaging is not just a container for your product, it is a passport to your trademark It is a powerful weapon to stimulate sales and create a positive brand image. In addition, packaging can become a free advertising medium and the main factor of brand recognition.
KOLORO’s specialization in packaging design and label design allows us to implement projects of varying complexity at a high level of quality. Create brands that are ahead of the competition and guess consumers’ expectations, always contact! +38-(057)-760-26-05 , +38-(057)-760-26-06.
