The way people perceive your brand has a lot to do with how much they are willing to pay for it—and if they will buy it.
One of the things you can do to make sure they have a positive feeling about your product and brand is to design the packaging well. Learning how to design packaging will make your products move when other products are stuck on the shelves.
Continue reading this article to learn how to do packaging design that will make people want to buy your products.
Choose a Software to Start Designing or Outsource
If you're a DIY type of person or don't have the money to hire someone to do your design, you need to choose a software to get started.
When you're going the DIY route, you'll use a vector program like Adobe Illustrator. You can send your 2D artwork to the manufacturer, and you're off to the races. If you are less than imaginative, you might want to get a good idea of how your design is going to look in 3D.
When you want to do this, you'll need to use a plugin that will allow you to see your design in 3D before you send it off to the manufacturer.
Design With the Customer In Mind
It's easy to get wrapped up in what you want the packaging to look like. It's your baby after all, why wouldn't you get to make it look the way you want it to look?
The reason you need to throw your own desires out and design with the customer in mind is that they are the ones you want to buy it. If you design thinking of yourself, you might like the way it looks, but you may have difficulty selling it.
Think about the people that are going to be buying. What do they like? What do they dislike?
You need to get inside the mind of the buyer and figure out what types of things are going to be attractive to them. For instance, cannabis packaging design is going to be much different than if you're designing a religious product because they have different markets.
Keep It Simple
It's easy to get excited about your design and want to go overboard. You think about different images and colors you want to try, but more isn't always better. If you have too much going on with your product packaging, you can confuse the consumer.
Having too much text that is trying to convey benefits can be more harmful than it is helpful. The best idea is to keep things simple and focus on one thing you want to convey to your potential new customer.
Think About How It Will Be Sold
Depending on how you're going to sell your products, you might want to use different packaging. If your products are going to move online primarily, you're going to want a different design than if you're selling everything offline.
When your product is on the shelf, you have to think about the other products sitting right next to it. Does your product stand out and tell customers they should buy your product instead?
Before you design your products, know who your competition is. Knowing who your competition is will allow you to figure out what you need to put on your packaging to get attention.
One of the best things you can do to get attention is to figure out what your competition is not doing for their customers and let them know your product can do it.
Think About Typography
You want to be unique and eye-catching, but you also want what you're saying to be legible. If your product name or brand messaging isn't easily read—people won't bother with it.
The words on your product packaging need to match with the rest of the design. You also need to make sure that the text is big enough for your target audience. If most of the people in your target market are seniors, then you shouldn't be using small typography on your packaging.
Consider All of the Available Space
When you're putting packaging together, you likely have more real estate than you think.
Of course, the outside of the packaging is important, but what about the insides of the packaging? You can use this space to create an extra special experience.
Keep Experience In Mind
When people open your product, you want them to remember that they had an experience. You want them to enjoy opening the packaging.
If people are fine with ripping the box apart—you did something wrong. They need to see the quality right off the bat so that they will want to open the package slowly to take it all in.
Think about the level of luxury your product delivers. If you're a luxury product, then you need to take extra steps to make it even nicer. Even if you're not selling a luxury product, you can still make your product packaging nice, and people are going to appreciate it—but make sure you don't overspend.
Now You Know How to Design Packaging
Now you know how to design packaging. You'll be able to design packaging in a way that people are excited to buy your products and you won't have to push them.
Do you want to learn more about business and other important life topics? Keep reading our blog to get the information you need on business design and product branding.
