So you’ve worked hard, researched, tested, poured your heart out and finally got the product you want to launch to market! You will want to make sure you have the correct packaging for your product. You might not even know where to start and what to say when you meet your packaging designer. So here are a few tips to keep in mind when launching a new packaged product.
Shelf-life and freshness
You have make sure that your product will remain fresh in its container on-shelf for as long as it allows. One bad packaging decision can make the product unsavoury, inedible, or worse, dangerous to eat. Your first port of call should be to meet with your designer and investigate the right type of packaging to ensure your Best Before isn’t one big fairytale. You can engage the services of a packaging designer at this point as the look should be central to your product. Certainly if you need it to shine in a crowded shelf space.
Transportability!
Getting your product on shelf is an amazing achievement but it must be backed up with the ability to transport it without it costing you the earth and I mean that in both senses of the word. If it has a short shelf life, this is even more important. More and more producers of the big branded consumer goods are looking at more environmentally friendly options including reducing packing, not only for the future of the oceans and planet but also the ability to reduce transport costs. Consider your packaging very carefully because the consumer is beginning to make some very serious choices about plastic and its role in the demise of our planet. If a recyclable element can be central to your product, this would be a massive selling point to consider and should be overlooked.
Look. Brand. Camera! Action!
We all know the product needs to look attractive. And what is attractive is ultimately up to you.Its your product, its your project. What is important though? What is required to make a piece of packaging design work:
- Brand name.
Make sure you name your product well. You don’t have to be too clever about it but make sure it speaks to your target market and allows their interpretation to be as clear as your own. Make sure it allows for the name to expand should you wish to be able to do that. Don’t box yourself in with a single name.
- Colour
By now you’ll have an idea of what your product looks like and how well it should be presented. Make sure the colour and tone of your packaging says that. Can you include a window or have it in a see through container so it’s visible? If so, make sure your brand colour and supporting colours and tone mix to with the product. Don’t be afraid of using imagery to give the colour a lift and to make the packaging exciting. You can use imagery to draw attention to a product that may, internally, not look as exciting. Of course colour is absolutely central to your products flavour and so consider what you can use, what complementary colours work well and how it should be presented on the pack. Colour is what will translate a message without words and it speaks out to the consumer from the shelf so make sure it says what its meant to!
- Font.
Fonts are what your products personality speaks through. Is it playful, organic, full of flavour, is it serious, is it for kids? Or adults only? Is is natural? Make sure your font communicates to you. Make sure your font is clear and while scripts are very attractive, try consider if they can be read from a distance amongst other brands.
- Your product story
When you have decided all of the above and the packaging has been confirmed, try take a full look at the whole story. Is the story central to the product? If so make sure you include that. If thats in the use of imagery or a small paragraph on the back of the pack, your story can be part of the attractions and decision made by the consumer. Speak to them, let them in. You have a story to tell.
And finally..
Try make decisions with more than one person. This will allow for debate and for designs to achieve its full potential. Any designer worth their salt will know that feedback is not criticism and your packaging is important to you. Talk, discuss and get options. Relay them to your designer and make sure you chew through all opinions. Work as a team and you will reap the benefits of a fantastically packaged product.
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