Consumers cannot escape packaged goods, they interface with packaged goods from grocery stores to cafes to Instagram. We’ve all heard of stories that consumers or yourself might have even bought a product solely because you deemed the packaging to be “cool.” With that said, in today’s competitive market, consumer packaged goods (CPG) brands have to design their products’ packaging to stand out on the shelf (or online). Check out our thoughts on designing packaging that sells. 

1. Without Branding There is No Packaging

Packaging design and branding go hand-in-hand. However, it would be best if you had your branding solidified before starting the packing design process. Keep in mind that your packaging design should accurately reflect your brand identity, including your company’s mission, values, and personality. To ensure consistent branding, your logo, color scheme, typography, and imagery should be uniform across all packaging designs. This enables consumers to recognize your products easily on the shelf.

2. Packaging Design Must-Haves

Now that we have branding squared away, next up is the exciting part: the design of your CPG packaging. To have your product flying off the shelf (or added to the cart –  expeditiously) your product should be visually appealing and communicate the product’s benefits. Consider these aspects: 

• Unique packaging shapes that resemble your brand identity 
• The actual material of the packaging
• Obvious and easy-to-read product information 

3. Pick the Right Vendors

Let’s talk about vendors. Vendors are an extremely overlooked aspect of getting your packaging design right. You can’t just use any vendor to execute your vision! With that being said, there are a wide variety of vendors and the best partner can bring your product to life. On the other hand, the wrong partner can completely ruin your product (and cost you a lot of money.) 

Pro-tip: Make sure your selected design partner has established relationships with vendors that they trust. Design, minimum order quantities, and materials will be major factors in finding the right vendor.

4. Time to Test

To test or not to test, is not the question! Before launching your CPG product, it’s essential to test your packaging design to ensure its effectiveness. Conduct focus groups (or online polls) to get feedback from potential consumers on your packaging design. Test different packaging designs to determine which resonates best with your target audience. 

MAVRK To the Rescue

To be at the point of crafting CPG packaging design for your product is a great milestone. Keep in mind that consistent branding, unique shapes, and testing are crucial to your final CPG packaging design. If you need help on how to begin, let’s talk!