Great products come in great packages. How a product is packaged is almost as important as the item itself. Your last purchase was likely influenced by more than the product itself, too. Perhaps it was the brand that caught your attention, but maybe it was the eye-catching packaging. That’s why you chose that product over other similar ones from different companies.
When you have two products with the same price that are equally good, the packaging could be what tips a buy decision in your favour. If done creatively and appropriately, packaging literary moves your products. Having a beautiful logo and a strong brand is not enough. You need attractive packaging that stops a customer’s attention long enough to get them to take a closer look.
Below are 11 modern packaging techniques that would make your products fly off the shelves:
Technique #1: Consider the Available Space
Utilize every inch of a package. For instance, rather than using only the outside of a package, utilize the inside as well to give it an upscale look and feel. Use a floral pattern on the inside of the packaging to give the impression that the product has a much higher value and class.
Technique #2: Go for Simplicity
Simplicity is an oft overlooked aspect in modern packaging techniques. When designing packaging for an item, less is often more. This is what elegance is all about. Go for simplicity instead of complicated designs that appear cluttered or too busy.
For instance, earth-toned packaging with colourful labels that uses recycled material gives your package a modern eco-friendly twist.
Technique #3: The Package Should Complement the Product
If the packaging reeks elegance, so should the product. Nothing puts off a customer more than a substandard product hiding behind layers of packaging beauty. If the package looks natural and simple, the item inside should be as well. In essence, what you see is what you should get.
Technique #4: Have Fun with the Packaging
Depending on the product, have fun with the packaging printing. A playful, simple packaging is very effective in attracting a customer’s attention as they browse the shelves.
To enhance playfulness, find ways of making the product interact with the packaging. However, make sure the design doesn’t outplay the product. Instead, it should amplify it and allow it to shine through.
Technique #5: Be Unashamedly Bold
Use shapes and colours that make your packaging stand out. If your packaging is not bold enough, it will shyly disappear from a customer’s probing gaze. When designing packaging, be bold by using colours and patterns that make it pop.
Technique #6: Be Unconventional
Packaging designs are a dime a dozen. In other words, what you think is a spectacular design is probably featured elsewhere. Don’t follow the herd. Be a contrarian and come up with unconventional designs that say you believe in your product so much that you are not afraid to break away from the mould and to shout about it from the mountain tops.
This approach is especially critical where a product is manufactured by many companies. In such circumstances, you must stand out; and conventional won’t cut it.
Technique #7: Package with Purpose in Mind
Is your product gift-worthy? Display it as such. Besides form and function, the purpose of a gift should dictate its packaging. The beauty of a gift is in seeing someone’s face beam with excitement as they impatiently tear through the wrapping.
Technique #8: Be Modern
Packaging that stands out today is often modern, simple and sleek. To pull this off, go for sans serifs, simple colours, and clean lines. For instance, seek to make your packaging designs gender-neutral and eco-friendly. Packaging should not antagonize or pitch one segment of society against the other.
Technique #9: Texturize
Texturize your packaging both visually and physically. Since customers interact with a package physically, enrich their experience by appealing to both their sight and touch senses. Packaging that is texturized at the bottom provides for a firmer grip and also gives your hands an interesting sensation when you touch it.
Technique #10: Go for Bright Colours
Products such as candy, chocolate, and biscuits come in colourful packages. Use bright coloured accents on their packaging to communicate happiness, sweetness and pure delight. Feature the product’s colour on the side of the packaging so it can induce craving in a potential for the product wrapped or boxed inside.
This is critical since there is no other way of telling exactly what you are buying except looking at the bright-coloured packaging. Make sure the colours you choose enhance the memorability of your product’s label so it stands out.
Technique #11: Tell a Story
Nothing sells better than a product with a nicely told story. KFC, for instance, has for years featured a doodly outline of its founder that tells a story of resilience and determination borne in the crucible of failure and despair. Don’t miss a chance to tell a story with your packaging as people love a well-told story. A story takes the customers beyond the product and invites them inside the making of it.
When designing your packaging, there are three things to remember—simplicity, boldness, and a good story. Avoid the tendency to clutter the design, which leaves it looking busy. Use bold colours and don’t be afraid to be unconventional. This will help you stand out from the pack. Finally, if the design can tell a story about your product, you have just found the right marketing angle with a potential for going viral.