Covers and first impressions are key in many types of design. Food product packaging design isn't the exception. The majority of customers are biased by the packaging of products. But there's a lot to talk about in this type of design. The packaging doesn't have to be only attractive, there are a lot of aspects we must take into account. That is why in this post, we will go over the importance of packaging design and some tips to master it.
How important is food product packaging design?
We already know first impressions are important in design. Imagine presenting yourself to a group of people and having less than a second to do it. You'd probably take extra attention to that first impression and work hard to make it perfect. In food product packaging design something similar happens. Almost 75% of the US population believes that de exterior design of a food product affects their purchase intention. We often judge products by their exterior, and that's natural. The cover of a food product says a lot about what is in it. A well-designed packing can increase your sales and build a consistent customer base. The packaging helps you build a strong and trustful brand identity, it'll provide a unique and strong look to your products. Packaging is a way to express your product's content and your company's values, vibes, and more. Is a way to tell your brand's story.
Tips to master food product packaging design
There are many things to consider when designing food packaging. We talked about the importance of food product packaging design, but how can you make your packaging stand out? Here you have some tricks that'll help you have clever and original packaging.
1. Be honest
As we've said, a good food product packaging design will result in a trustful bond with your buyers. Without honesty, there's no trust. Customers are spending money on your product, and misinforming them with your packaging is a dirty and unethical move. It will seriously affect your sales. No trust no buy. You can think outside the box and design a creative package but it must be real as it must make sense. To achieve this you can follow these tips
- Include the energies, vibes, and values your company lives by
- Show the real ingredients your product has
- Make your customer service contacts clear
- Use normal and casual language
2. Sketch, test, repeat.
The product packaging process is long. In any design process, there's a key step, sketching. And food product packaging design isn't the exception. Keep on sketching till your arm falls off. Gather elements from different sketches and combine the. Once you have a draft you like, keep sketching a little more. You must be tired from all the sketching and want to get your product with the freshly designed packaging out there, right? Well… now the testing phase. This is the part where you see the potential reaction customers might have with the design. The best way of gathering the needed feedback is the following:
Call a group of people and give them a glance at your packaging (a real prototype). Show them different versions. The versions don't need to be essentially different, maybe just a color, shape, or typography change is enough.
Gather the quantitative and qualitative data required and analyze it. You have to understand the preferences and choices made by the subjects. Ask them to justify their decisions and use that feedback to redesign your packaging.
3. Functionality comes first
Something can look really nice but if it doesn't work correctly then it's garbage. When designing packaging, you must understand that functionality is the most important thing. You cant make the functionality based on the aesthetics, you must make the aesthetics based on the functionality. Some basic questions to think over before the final design: is your packaging easy to open? is the content secure in the packaging? is it eco-friendly? is it easy to transport?
Thinking about this stuff is fundamental for food product packaging design. Visual attractiveness is obviously important, but don't let it interfere with functionality.
4. Pay extra attention to fonts
When talking about visual elements, all the flashes go-to color. There are other crucial elements such as size, shape, and fonts. This last one is one of the keys to a good food product packaging design. You must make the right font combinations to give out a clear message. There are thousands of fonts that make millions of combinations, but not all of them are right. Fonts by themselves already say something, regarding the actual text. You must carefully select the fonts that are right for your product, and more importantly how to combine them.
5. Check the industry
Whenever a brand is creating an identity, it must research the industry. The same happened in food product packaging design. Visit stores and navigate online to find some ideas and inspiration. Take notes of what you like and also what you don't like, so you don't replicate it. Behance is one of the biggest platforms online where designers show their work. There's a huge collection of products and portfolios of diverse creators that can work as a huge inspiration source. There are also sites like Dieline and Packaging of the World that specifically work with packaging design.
You should also check out some blogs, these are a big source of inspiration where you can find articles written by designers and design enthusiasts.
Final Thoughts
With all the aspects we talked about, we can assure you that food product packaging design is fundamental for any type of product. A great packaging design will have great consequences on your business, such as higher sales and a trustful bond with your customers. In this post, we have gone through the importance of this type of design and some useful tips to achieve more clever results. Always remember to be honest with your brand's identity and values, and don't lie to your customers. Also, remember sketching a lot and going through a solid testing and feedback process. Give priority to the package's functionality but take care of the design (especially fonts). Lastly, research your competitors' packaging and finalize your master packaging design.
