7 Factors to Consider When Designing Your Packaging

Your product packaging is an extension of the actual product. You can even say that how your packaging looks is as important as the product itself. After all, the packaging is what people see first. Whether customers shop in-store or online, they’ll look at the packaging before deciding to purchase the product or not. Therefore, your packaging needs to have a design that grabs the attention of your target market and encourages them to buy your product. Here are seven factors to consider when designing your packaging.

1. Unboxing experience

The unboxing experience is a pivotal part of the overall customer experience. It plays a crucial role in how your target market perceives your product. As such, your packaging should foster a positive and memorable unboxing experience.

Put your logo and signature colors at the front of your packaging. Doing so reinforces your branding and makes your packaging more memorable to your customers, thus creating a positive unboxing experience. With a good unboxing experience, you also build customer loyalty and encourage repeat purchases.

2. Point of purchase

Will your customers purchase your product in-store or online? You should design your packaging according to how your customers will purchase your product.

If your products are going on display on store shelves, the design of your packaging needs to stand out. Unique packaging helps differentiate your product from other products on the same store shelf and makes it easier for customers to spot.

On the other hand, online purchases mean you’ll have to ship your product. Therefore, you should design your packaging in a way that protects the product within so that it doesn’t get damaged in transit. For online purchases, high-quality, durable, and customizable mailer boxes are the ideal type of packaging to use.

3. Sustainability

Now more than ever, people are conscious of the environment, and they actively engage in environmentally friendly practices such as recycling. Many customers also want the brands they buy from to be sustainable and care for the environment.

When designing your packaging, prioritize sustainability. Use eco-friendly and sustainable materials to create your packaging. It’s also a good idea to create reusable packaging so that customers don’t just throw it away after unboxing the product.

Let your customers know that you have the same care for the environment that they do by placing text like “This packaging was created using sustainable materials.” on the package.

4. Size and shape of the packaging

Size and shape are critical factors to consider when designing your packaging.

If your product is going on display on store shelves, the size and shape of the packaging will affect how easily potential customers notice your product. The size and shape will also affect how stores display your product on their shelves. If the packaging is irregularly shaped and too bulky, stores may not display it prominently on their shelves.

5. Material

The material of your product should be sustainable, high-quality, durable, and be able to protect the product within. A material like this naturally be more expensive, but it’s worthwhile to invest in high-quality packaging material that will protect your product and prevent it from getting damaged as it moves through the supply chain.

Corrugated board is an ideal packaging material. It’s lightweight yet durable, which means the contents of your packaging will be safe and secure. Corrugated board can also be made into a wide range of sizes, making it suitable for packaging your product whether you will sell the product or in-store.

At PackM, we use corrugated board made of sustainable materials. Corrugated board is also easily customizable, and we can print any logo, image, or text that you want on your packaging.‍

6. Cost

Consider your budget when designing your packaging. Extravagant packaging with unique designs may be nice for your customers to look at, but they can be expensive to manufacture. You need to make sure that the design for your packaging fits your budget.

That being said, creating budget-friendly packaging doesn’t mean you have to go with just a plain box. Nowadays, you can still create a custom packaging design with all the designs, logos, and colors you want for an affordable price.

7. Branding

The last—but certainly not the least important– factor to consider when designing your packaging is your branding. To reinforce your brand, your packaging must have these elements such as:

• Colors – Your brand’s colors are significant because people normally associate colors with specific brands. For example, when people think of Coca-Cola, they think of the colors red and white.
• Logo – Your logo needs to be at the forefront of your packaging because the logo is another element that makes a product or brand instantly recognizable. For instance, everyone around the world is familiar with Nike’s “checkmark” logo.
• Copy – When designing packaging, it’s best to avoid going overboard with the written copy. Try to keep your copy simple but punchy. Most customers won’t bother with reading large walls of text on product packaging.
• Images – If you want to put an image on your packaging, make sure you have a high-quality image file to provide to whoever is going to manufacture your packaging for you.

Conclusion

As long as you consider these factors when designing your packaging, you’re sure to create packaging that resonates with your target market. At PackM, we are ready to help with all your small business packaging needs. We can provide you with well-designed, high-quality, and sustainable packaging. Head to our website or call us at (424) 271- 0700. Our experts will be more than happy to help you create the perfect packaging for your small business.