Packaging design may seem simple, but it is not. When an experienced packaging designer executes a design case, he or she considers not only the visual mastery or structural innovation but also whether he or she has a comprehensive understanding of the product marketing plan involved in the case. If a packaging design lacks a thorough product analysis, positioning, marketing strategy, and other prior planning, it is not complete and mature design work. The birth of a new product, through the internal R & D, product analysis, positioning to marketing concepts and other processes, the details are quite complicated, but these processes and the formulation of packaging design direction is inseparable, designers in the case planning, if the business owners do not provide such information, designers should also take the initiative to understand the analysis. 

The good or bad of a piece of packaging work is not only the mastery of aesthetics but also the visual performance and application of packaging materials are also very important.

▪ Visual performance

Formally into the visual planning, the elements on the packaging are brand, name, flavor, capacity label ……, etc. Some items have logic to follow, and can not be expressed by the designer’s wild ideas, business owners who have not clarified in advance, the designer should also be based on the logical deduction way to proceed.

Maintain the brand image: certain design elements are the established assets of the brand, and designers cannot change or discard them at will.

Name: The name of the product can be highlighted so that consumers can understand it at a glance.

Variant Name (flavor, item ……): Similar to the concept of color management, it uses the established impression as the planning principle. For example, purple represents grape flavor, red represents strawberry flavor, designers will never violate this established rule to confuse consumers’ perception.

Color: Related to product attributes. For example, juice packaging mostly uses strong, bright colors; baby products mostly use pink color …… and other color schemes.

Accurate performance claims: commodity packaging can be expressed in a rational (Functional) or emotional (Emotional) way. For example, pharmaceuticals or high-priced goods tend to use rational appeal to convey the function and quality of the goods; the emotional appeal is mostly used for low-priced, low-loyalty goods, such as beverages or snacks and other goods.

Display effect: The store is a battlefield for brands to compete with each other, and how to stand out on the shelves is also a major design consideration.

One Sketch One Point: If every design element on the package is large and clear, the visual presentation will be cluttered, lacking in layers, and without focus. Therefore, when creating, designers must grasp a visual focal point to truly express the “focus” of the product’s appeal.

Application of packaging materials

Designers can be as creative as they want to be, but before formally presenting their work, they need to filter the possibilities of implementation one by one. Different product attributes have different requirements for packaging materials. Therefore, the choice of packaging materials also falls within the scope of design considerations.

Material: To achieve the stable quality of the product, the choice of material is also crucial. In addition, to ensure the integrity of the product during transportation, the choice of packaging materials should be considered. For example, in the case of egg packaging, the need for cushioning and protection is the first important element of the packaging design function.

Size and capacity refer to the size limit and weight limit of the packaging material.

Creation of special structures: To make the packaging material industry more sophisticated, many foreign companies have made efforts to develop new packaging materials or new structures. For example, Tetra Pak has developed “Tetra Pak Diamond” structure packaging, which has impressed consumers and caused a buzz in the market.