It goes without saying, that there is a correlation between attractive, effective package design and an increase in sales. Companies must understand how well-designed packaging may lead a consumer to purchase your product with no previous knowledge of your brand. That said, the tremendous benefits of exceptional branding services cannot be overlooked if a company truly wants to succeed in today’s marketplace. In this article, design experts discuss 16 tips for great package design.

Extensibility, Shape, And Shelf Impact

“Extensibility – Great package designs are versatile in a way that it’s easy to introduce a new product with the same aesthetics. For instance, your product is ice cream. You may want to have different flavors in your product line, so make sure to use a design that can be flexible when it comes to color and text changes. If one of your flavors is Vanilla, you should be able to easily change it to longer names such as Strawberry or Cookies and Cream. Extensibility promotes consistency as well, so your products will look like it’s from the same company even if there’s a variation in the flavor or function.

Shape – Don’t forget the shape and the size of the packaging itself. Some designs look great at first glance but are actually hard to line up on the shelves or use in real life. Whether the package itself is a bottle, a box, or a jar, customers should be able to use it with ease.

Shelf Impact – How your product looks when placed beside other products can directly determine if you’re going to sell or not. The design should have the ability to get the attention of a person at first glance so customers are more likely to take it. Then again, keep in mind that simplicity may be the key here, as other products may all have popping designs that are chaotic to look at on the shelf.”

Laurie Wilkins, Founder, Call Outdoors

Clean/Bold Design, Have Pertinent Info Front And Center, Pop Off The Shelf, Fit For The Appropriate Audience, And Be A Good Product

“We understand that curating a great package design takes time and effort, but that’s exactly what separates great products. The 5 things we believe are most important when designing a package are as follows:

1) A clean/bold design- The design should be simple, but visually appealing. Doing too much to a package could make it seem gimmicky or trying to compensate for a poor product.

2) The package clearly states what the product is – Even with a great design, if consumers don’t know what’s inside the package then it will stay on the shelf. It needs to have pertinent info front and center like what it is, flavors, mg amount etc.

3) The package should pop off the shelf- consumers should be drawn to the package.

4) Fit for the appropriate audience- the tone and message of the design should take just as much time as designing the package.

5) The product should be a good product- although the packaging should draw attention to the consumers, it’s the product’s job to keep that attention. If a great package holds a worthless product, then consumers will stop caring for the design.”

Jed Fule, Marketing Assistant, The Skyline Agency

Make It Simple, Use Color, Think Outside Of The Box

“The Following are the tips for package design:

1) Make it simple – Simplistic designs are easy to understand and are quite comfortable to look at. Simply designed products are usually the cause of attraction because it looks soothing and makes the purchasing decision easier.

2) Use color – Colors are a great way to showcase your products more prominently on those shelves. If you have multiple colors on your packaging, it will get mixed with other elements of products on the shelf. This means that you should be able to select one color and design your package around it.

3) Think outside of the box – This is necessary because gone are the day when you would see a simple box with products in it. The designer should be able to keep multiple aspects of customers in mind. IF you are targeting a younger audience, the package design should include something that should be relatable to their audience. This way you can gain more customers in less time.”

Adeel Shabir, Creative Manager, Smith Thompson

Originality And Uniqueness, Clear and Iconic, And Appealing

“Your package design says a great deal about your product. It should be unique and original that illustrates how your product or services can be perceived by your clients as well as your customers.

For my dating website, for example, we have researched how it should look and how it will capture audiences. We managed to get to the conclusion of the overall design of the website with the help of web designers who are open to our suggestions.

Here are the best elements you have to consider in the creation of great packaging design:

1) Originality and Uniqueness – For a package design to be original and unique it would take time and effort from you and your designers. It should convey the product or services you offer.

2) Clear and Iconic – With originality and uniqueness in mind, you should also identify clear graphics or images as well as the brand name and choose a design that is iconic.

3) Appealing – More importantly, it should appeal to your clients and customers’ emotion of wanting to be a part of your brand.”

Sonya Schwartz, Founder, Her Norm

Packaging Should Be Informative, Reusable, And Easy To Carry

“Package design is the first thing that attracts our customers. As a business owner, I make sure that the package designs of my products are attractive, informative, and useful. People nowadays are more eager to know what they are buying and read through all the information provided in the package. Here are 3 tips for great package designs:

1) It should be informative – The packaging should carry all the information that the customer needs to know. The ingredients, the expiry date, etc.

2) Packaging should at least be reusable – It should first and foremost be environmentally friendly. Reusing it means one less packaging out in the woods or in the ocean for the animals to chew on.

3) Keep it safe and easy to carry – Shopping for anything gives the customers an unimaginable excitement, thus, having a packaging that is so comfortable to carry will always be an advantage.”

Shari Smith, Founder, Shari-Sells

There a myriad of components that must come together when designing a great package. Regardless of the product, the packaging is an imperative element to its success. Regardless of the industry, without effectual packaging that takes into account the numerous components, it simply will not sell.

Sarah Bauder

Sarah Bauder is a senior content specialist at Little Dragon Media. Sarah has a degree in journalism and has a decade of experience writing content at numerous renowned publications. She enjoys writing about digital marketing, business, entrepreneurship and more.