It’s no secret that a high-quality package with a great design can drive more sales for your brand. Packaging communicates with customers in only a matter of seconds (3 seconds to be exact), and in that time, they decide whether or not to purchase your product.
With so little time to connect with potential customers, it can be confusing to know which design elements or package features are essential enough to include. As you develop your packaging design, consider essential design elements, brand messaging, and special features to ensure your package stands out.
It’s important for us to note that we specialize in digital printing and flexible packaging, but we’re not packaging designers. What we know is that high-quality design paired with state of the art packaging drives more sales for your brand.
So, what makes a good packaging design? Let’s dive into the different must-haves of successful packaging and how they impact your business.
Communicate Key Messaging
Packaging has the important role of being the main vehicle for messaging and branding, all while protecting the contents inside. It’s a big job! The first thing an effective product packaging design does is share key information about your product.
When designing your packaging, it’s important to know the key messages that you want to communicate to consumers, including what the product is, pertinent nutritional information, and why they need it. Keep in mind that consumers may know nothing about the product. What information do they need to know in 3 seconds or less? This information should be easily visible and legible
Here are a few additional things you may want to call out on your packaging design:
- If you’re selling more than one flavor or variety, make the different varieties easy to decipher with graphics, text, and color.
- Add important health, nutrition and diet-related information such as:
- Diet-specific labeling: paleo, vegan, keto, low fat, gluten-free, etc.
- Ingredient-focused labeling: No added sugars, grain-free, whole grain, sugar-free, no gluten, etc.
- Allergen information: Nut free, gluten-free, top allergen-free, etc.
- Include regulatory information, such as specific health claims, the new nutrition facts labels, or sourcing information.
- Environmental information, including whether or not your packaging is recyclable, compostable, etc. According to Nielsen, 90% of millennials are willing to pay more for products that contain environmentally friendly or sustainable ingredients.
Lastly, ensure you leave adequate space for any vendor requirements.
A Great Design is Key
Most Americans (72%) agree that the design of a product’s packaging often influences their purchase decisions when selecting which products to buy. That number jumps to 81% when they are buying a gift, according to a study reported by Ipsos.
Bottom line: your packaging design matters, big time.
Whether you’re designing your packaging in house, or working with a packaging designer, ensure your key messaging is communicated while attracting new customers. A packaging designer will be able to help ensure that you have a clutter-free, balanced design
Consistent Branding Builds A Brand
Great design is paramount, but so is branding. Branding is a strong characteristic of good packaging for it helps to build a strong image and a loyal fan base. As you create your stand-out package, ask yourself a few questions:
- What do you want your package to convey?
- How do you want your consumers to feel when they interact with your packaging?
- What do you want your consumers to take away in 3 seconds or less?
- What story do you want your packaging to tell?
Have a clear sense of what your brand is and be sure the packaging conveys that, with all design elements, colors, graphics, and language following your branding guidelines
Boost Engagement with Digitally Enhanced Packaging Features
Taking your design a step further with a digital element is a great way to not only engage with your consumers, but also gain valuable insight into your brand, supply chain logistics, and more. With digital print technology, you have the ability to do the following:
- Consumer Engagement: Engage and connect with your customers on an entirely different level. Consider adding a QR code or guilloche code to share a giveaway, rewards program, game, recipe, or any additional information you want to share with your customers.
- Serialized Track & Trace: If sourcing is important to your brand, you can give your consumers visibility into your product’s journey from origin to retail. You also have the ability to gain insight into your supply chain and logistics efficiencies.
- Product Authentication: If product authentication is necessary for your product, you can incorporate track and trace technology to your packaging. This can increase consumer loyalty and trust in your brand.
Partner with a Flexible Packaging Company
At ePac, we specialize in digitally printing our high-quality flexible packaging. With digital printing, bright, vibrant, and precise graphics are our standard. You’ll enjoy endless personalization and differentiation options to create customized packaging so that your brand can reach various markets. Call us today at 844-623-8603 for more information, or click here to get a free quote.
