Judging a product by its cover
In part two of Stand Out on Omnichannel, we turn our attention to package design. How influential is packaging to a consumer and what are manufacturers doing to make their products shine?
From the shape to the size, and the colour palette to the font, there are many layers to consider when designing a great package. Get it right – like Apple or The Coca-Cola Company – and your packaging could become part of history. But, get it wrong and you could seriously damage your brand.
On top of aesthetic appeal, packaging design also has to incorporate consumer demands and global megatrends such as a growing awareness of health and wellness, convenience and sustainability – making everything from the materials used in the packaging to how easy it is to handle just as important as the overall look.
The X-factor
So, what factors take precedence and why? According to one in-house designer we spoke to trends and brand heritage should be top of mind, with the final product delivering long-term impact without being too outlandish.
All in the look
All of which brings us to aesthetics and how important visual appeal is. “Packaging design matters a lot as it reflects the way a company sees the world – and its place in it,” says the designer. “For consumers, packaging offers both a tactile and visual way to interact. Every time a consumer reaches out for a package you can imagine them almost tasting and smelling what’s inside. That is the power of great packaging.”
The future of packaging
With such an important role to play, and with consumer expectations constantly growing, can manufacturers keep their clientele satisfied? “I believe we will see a huge transformation in terms of materials with more focus on sustainability,” says the designer. “But the biggest issue is how to make these new materials strong enough to hold, for example, liquids for a very long time. In addition to being stable enough to handle transportation and suchlike.”
Between sticking to the overall brand image while pushing the boat out in terms of look and shape and feel – not to mention doing all this while meeting sustainability demands – there is certainly a lot to navigate. But once you get there, the results will be more than worth it: in the US alone, approximately 70% of consumers consider packaging design an influential factor when buying something. The numbers speak for themselves, and we as individuals also know exactly how design speaks to us.
Who among us, for example, hasn’t purchased the more expensive of two similar items based purely on how attractive we found the packaging? And what happens when a brand switches to sustainable packaging materials while still having to deliver in terms of durability and feel? With our natural looking SIGNIA packs – among the many other packaging options we offer – we have you covered.
In the third part of our series we will focus on the power of point of sale, be it in person or online. Find out what we have to say by getting the entire series and more delivered straight to your inbox. Just subscribe to our bi-weekly SIGnals Update newsletter and we’ll do the rest.
- December 10, 2021