Your brand, business, and product are made up of lots of little components that need to come together harmoniously to create something special. Creating the perfect design for your product can be a difficult and time-consuming task, but when you finally crack the code it is so worth the time you have invested.
Here are 7 key pieces of advice on how you can create the perfect design for your product.
1. Understand Your Branding
The most important thing for you to consider is your branding. This will be the first step in designing a package for your product. The better you know and understand your branding, the better your package will be. Your product, package, website, and social media should all be consistent with the same branding and should all look like they belong together. The first call to action is a colour scheme, so if your website uses teal, mustard, black and white, then your product should not be using pink, red, and green because it is off-brand. This might not seem like a big deal, however, inconsistency among your brand can be very damaging to a company’s success. So pay attention and keep things consistent. Stick to your colour scheme, use similar fonts, and if you are using images, then make sure they are consistent in style, for instance, if you are using cartoon-style imagery then don’t go off-brand and suddenly use realistic sketches. The bottom line here is having a strong brand image is vital and that the branding relies on consistency.
2. Seek Outside Opinions
It is important to accept that sometimes you are going to get things wrong and that a process of trial and error is not necessarily the worst thing in the world. If you try a design out and it doesn’t seem to be a success, then it is worth seeking feedback and outside opinions. Also, you could consider seeking professional advice from packaging professionals such as Idea Dolls, as they will have a better sense of what is working and what is not. Getting the opinions of professionals, friends, and family are extremely beneficial as sometimes when you are at the core of the product you can begin to miss things that are right in front of you. So make sure that you listen and take on board the feedback that is being given to you.
3. Keep Text To A Minimum
When it comes to the packaging you do not want to have an overload of text across the package. This will make the look of the package appear messy and confusing! Plus nobody wants to read an essay of text on the exciting package that they have just received. Keep text to a minimum. One way to do this is to ask what the text is bringing to the table, why is it there and what purpose is it serving? If writing is there for the sake of it then it is a waste of space that could be used for something far better. The key takeaway from this point is to keep the copywriting to a minimum and make sure it is there for a reason.
4. Understand Your Audience
It is important to consider your audience when designing your package. If you are aiming your product at a younger audience, then you can have a bit more fun with the design. Make it eye-catching and edgy! If your product is something a bit more serious, then you will want to keep your design professional and minimal. The more you understand your audience, the easier it will be to create something tailored to them. Focus groups, questionnaires, and reviews are a great way to see who is attracted to your product. Try not to tailor the design solely to your primary demographic as you do not want to risk isolating other potential demographics who may have an interest in the product.
5. Sometimes Less Is More
It can be tempting to go all-in on the design and cover it with imagery, fun colours, and texts, however, this can often lead to a confusing and over-the-top design that doesn’t actually look all that good. Don’t be afraid of white or ‘empty‘ space, as it is needed in all designs, whether that is for a package, a website, or a magazine cover. They all use white space in their design because this helps bring attention to the key components of the design, whereas too much can take away from the focal points.
6. Make Sure It Is Fit For Purpose
Another key thing to think about is making sure that your package is fit for purpose. There is no point in having a super cool design if it is flimsy and fragile because it will get destroyed in the post. A package needs to be strong and sturdy so that the product can arrive safely and in one piece to the customer. While your branding is important, it is also important that the package can do the job it was designed for. Your package can look great as well as be fit for purpose, just try to remember this at the beginning of the design process as you do not want to waste time designing something that is not feasible.
7. Check Out The Competition
It is worth checking out what your competitors are doing so that you can take their good ideas and make them better. If you see your competitors are using a design that seems to be going down really well, then think about how you can create a similar design while also staying true to your brand. It is not about copying the other guys, but more about being smart as you can also learn from their mistakes and that will save you time from making them. So take the time to look around and see what other companies similar to you are doing.
Your package matters. So make sure that you take the time to create a strong sense of branding before implementing those ideas into a design for your product.