Many companies tend to underestimate product and packaging design as the bearer of branding. In other words, brand packaging serves as the extension of a brand and its identity. According to a survey, 72 percent of Americans say that packaging designs influence their purchase decision, whereas, 67 percent of them are influenced by the packaging materials.
Moreover, 30 percent of businesses have claimed that after a packaging improvement, their revenue increased significantly. These numbers prove that a good packaging design will reinforce the brand identity and help you stand out among the competition. Additionally, the resultant revenue increase will also help you cover the cost of a packaging design refresh.
Considering how hyped the unboxing trend is these days, it makes sense to give customers an unforgettable experience. According to Statista, at least 27 percent of respondents watch product unboxing videos once a week. The trend has only grown ever since and unboxing is now a crucial part of any branding strategy. If you are wondering how to build your brand through product and packaging design, here are the best tips.
Keep Branding Consistent
The golden rule of branding is to be consistent. It’s good to shake things up aesthetic-wise. But if your offline assets don’t align with your online visuals and your online visuals don’t go with your social media presence, it’s all moot. The integral part of maintaining a brand is to be consistent when it comes to offline and online aspects.
Start with your website and ensure that your product and packaging design matches the overall schematics. Customers ordering online from your website will be expecting the packaging to be consistent with what they saw on the website. Keep track of all design elements including the color palette, typography, logo, and watermarks. This is the best way to keep track of all aesthetic cues and prevent any inconsistencies from happening.
Put Your Brand Everywhere
The product and packaging are the physical representation for any business. This is why it’s of utmost importance to let your brand identity shine through the packaging. Needless to say, the packaging should have your brand name, logo, and tagline, if possible.
Printed packaging and boxes can be slightly out of budget, especially for small and medium-sized businesses. One of the best alternatives would be to get self-inking stamps that last forever and don’t require a sizeable upfront investment.
The best part about these stamps is that for a little cost they can be customized as per your requirements in terms of size, design, and pricing. More importantly, you’ll just need one stamp for all your packaging, which is cheap in long run.
Let Your Logo Shine
There was a time when detailed and intricate logos were the talk of the town. However, the keyword here is “was”, as in the past tense. The modern design philosophy for logos is to keep it minimalist and straightforward. The best logo is determined by how quickly it’s recognized by people.
Come to think of it, every time you see a swoosh, you can’t help but think of Nike. The iconic swoosh logo is minimalist, recognizable, and utilizes negative space very well so that it can be placed anywhere.
Pick Unique Colors and Shapes
In a similar vein, the color and shape of your packaging can be as crucial to branding as the logo. The best example of this would be the iconic blue box of Tiffany & Co. Their packaging is without a doubt the single most recognizable packaging in the world. The iconic blue shade and boxes have been an ideal representation of retail packaging since the mid-1800s.
When deciding upon the color and shape of the packaging, think of a unique combination that has not been used by anyone before. However, refrain from overthinking as it may lead to packaging that is quite impractical or doesn’t reflect your brand identity. The product packaging should be able to communicate on behalf of the business and what it stands for.
Use Sustainable Materials
There was a time when eco-friendly packaging materials were the hottest trend in the retail industry. However, it has since evolved from being a trend to a necessity for any business’s future in the market. With growing awareness about the environment, more people are now rejecting brands that still conform to single-use packaging and plastic.
To sustain in the market, brands need to project themselves as sustainable units. The best way to do this would be to use recycled materials in their packaging or recyclable materials. This will create a feel-good element in the buying process for the customer.
As you can tell by now, the importance of packaging can no longer be undermined. The product and packaging design play a huge role in creating your brand identity in the market. With the help of adobe tips, you can now create a design guide for your packaging that will make customers feel good to be associated with your brand.
