DUMPLINGS PACKAGING DESIGN: TRADITION VS. EXPERIMENTS

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The appearance of a product is the first thing that attracts the consumer. Stylish, pleasant design arouses interest and inspires confidence in the brand. A bad one, on the contrary, can spoil the impression even of a quality product. This rule is also relevant to the design of dumpling packaging.

Witty jokes about dumplings being the food of “poor” students are gradually losing relevance. Marketing research conducted in 2016 showed that the demand for this product has decreased due to the increase in meat prices. Nevertheless, dumplings remain one of the favorite dishes of Ukrainians. Adults and children adore them for their ease of preparation, nourishment and familiar taste.

Of course, the quality of the package depends on a number of characteristics:

the strength of the material and the seams;
resistance to temperature fluctuations and mechanical damage;
durability;
of economy.

However, with demand for frozen products falling, the design of dumpling packaging is becoming particularly important.

Read also: Selling packaging design

Segmentation of the pelmeni market in Ukraine

For a dumpling packaging design to really “work” and “sell”, it’s important to find a target audience and carve out a niche for yourself among hundreds of manufacturers.

Economy class. This is the largest part of the market (more than 70%), which is regularly replenished with new brands. Buyers who choose products from this segment are primarily interested in the price, and then the composition and other properties. Therefore, 5-7 years ago, the design of the packaging of goods from the budget category could look questionable, too colorful, provocative and as if to “hint” at the quality of the contents. This tendency is gradually becoming a thing of the past, although there are also the above-described copies.

Middle Market. Products of the “middle” class have excellent taste characteristics and meet official quality standards (for example, the percentage ratio of minced meat to dough). Manufacturers from the middle segment more often order professional design of packaging and labeling of dumplings, sparing no expense from the budget. A standard but effective technique in advertising “middle-segment goods” is the use of red color in the design. It looks bright, eye-catching, but not vulgar and evokes associations with high quality meat.

Premium. An insignificant part of the market (about 5%), which nevertheless has its own customer. Expensive advertising campaigns, grandiose promotions and luxurious design of dumplings packaging make the price for these products correspondingly high. The distinctive features of the design are laconism, the prevalence of dark colors, clear lines, and the presence of gold and silver elements.

It is obvious that ordering a dumpling packaging design from professional designers is worth it for every manufacturer, regardless of the target audience it is aimed at. For this purpose, please contact the KOLORO packaging design website. Carefully designed design can attract new customers and create a positive impression of the product even before it is purchased.

Types of packaging for dumplings

Packages. The following materials are used for their production:

thermoplastic;
polyethylene;
polypropylene;
polypropylene film, etc.

Packaging in the form of a pouch is flexible, protects the contents well from external influences and is economical at the same time. Almost all economy class products, with few exceptions, are presented in pouches.

Cardboard boxes. Due to the special manufacturing technology (laminated coating, gluing with frost-resistant glue), cardboard boxes are characterized by strength and durability. At the same time they are environmentally friendly and safe for human health.

Plastic containers. They are rare, mainly in the premium segment due to their high cost. This type of product is the most resistant to external influences, including moisture, alkali and temperature fluctuations. Plastic containers look solid and are associated with decent quality.

Despite the rich variety of traditional options, creative professionals are not afraid of experimentation, constantly looking for fresh original solutions and striving to make the design of dumpling packaging unique.

Packaging design for dumplings: modern trends

The main trend of recent times is minimalist sophistication. Today, even representatives of the budget segment pay considerable attention to the appearance of their goods and widely apply methods typical of expensive products.

Pouches are steadily replacing other types of packaging. They are chosen by economy-, middle- and premium-class manufacturers. Photos of dumplings packaging clearly demonstrate that skillful, thoughtful design can turn even an ordinary bag into a real design masterpiece.

The influence of hand-made motifs in 2016-2017 was felt in all areas of design, from clothing to food. This technique was skillfully used by craftsmen to create the design of the packaging of dumplings “White Whale” This kind of kraft design emphasizes that the products are handmade. And since the recipes of the peoples of the world were used for preparation, each image reflects the cultural features of a certain country.

Another “trick” of the design is a transparent insert on the back of the package. This is quite a bold move, considering that most manufacturers display their products on the front side, thus attracting the audience.

Statistics also speak in favor of the craft style: while large companies have felt a drop in demand in the market, small “home” brands have not lost customers, even despite the relatively high cost of goods. This is an indicator that consumers prefer quality natural products made by hand. This trend was picked up by the designers of the brand “Who are we? Meat!” and decided to develop a design of dumplings packaging, which is characterized by brevity and restraint. In addition, the paper package will attract fans of the eco-movement and emphasize the natural composition of the products.

The sack packaging of the Siberian Collection refers to folk motifs: it depicts Siberian ornaments in a traditional color scheme. The package is completely transparent, which immediately tells the buyer: “We have nothing to hide”. As a result, the product looks modern, but at the same time “works” equally successfully to attract young and older audiences.

A good move is the use of a removable tag, on which the composition, company philosophy and other information of interest to the consumer are written. This makes it possible not to overload the packaging itself with unnecessary elements and maintain a uniform design style.

It is not only new brands that turn to packaging design studios. Well-known manufacturers rebrand from time to time to boost public interest in their products. This applies to packaging as well.

For example, the new packaging design of Zabotoff dumplings expresses the idea that an inexpensive product can be tasty and of high quality. For this purpose, the front side of the colorful package shows a chef’s pocket with the main ingredients of the dish. On the back there is a recipe and useful recommendations for cooking. The soft plastic packaging looks solid and attractive.

A common marketing technique is to involve popular media personalities in advertising. Often it is the photo of a celebrity who is trusted by the audience that encourages them to take the product off the shelf. This method was used by the brands “Three Bears” and “Eat at Home”.

Results

Kraft and hand-made motifs dominate the design.
The boundaries between representatives of different price groups are blurred: it is not always possible to distinguish an expensive product from a budget one at a glance.
It relies on the naturalness of the composition, “home” production and folk recipes.
Multicolored, motley, provocative designs gave way to minimalism and laconism.
Traditional methods are juxtaposed with experimental ones. For example, not every package has transparent inserts through which you can see the product. Although a couple of years ago, these were isolated cases.

You can order dumplings packaging design at KOLORO branding agency. We create stylish design that improves sales!