How companies create a perfect packaging design

For SMEs, there is no big budget for advertising or public relations, but the motivation and demand for branding is the same. In this case, it is no doubt wise to start branding from scratch. Packaging design is undoubtedly a crucial link in brand building, and it is also a key link in creating static sales and enhancing brand image. However, there are many small and medium-sized enterprises in China. Really realizing the importance of packaging design and making it a key part of marketing are not many. Therefore, practically speaking, the first step in brand building and communication is packaging design. Advertisements can be exchanged in a timely manner, but packaging is not easy to do. Generally, the replacement cycle is relatively long. Therefore, once a poor package is produced, it will not only be of no benefit to the sales of products, but it may also cause further economic losses.

So, as a new product, how do you design for packaging?
Personally summarized the following nine steps, hoping to give everyone thinking and guiding role.

First, do a good job of branding or product positioning;
If it is a new brand, then it is necessary to think about the brand positioning, the value proposition of the brand transmission and the problem of brand tone. If it is a new product of the old brand, it is necessary to think about what to do, and whether it is different from the original product packaging design, whether it is to make product upgrades, product supplements, or product innovations.

Second, find a good target consumer group;
Undoubtedly, designing a package must assume a target audience, thinking about core consumer groups, and the core consumer groups' values ​​and aesthetic interests. Whether it is right or wrong, we must set up a hypothetical consumer based on the consumer insights you have set up, according to this consumer insight in quality, aesthetic taste, and buying habits. Your goal is to do for this virtual consumer. An ideal packaging, so that your packaging design has its soul.

Third, research competitive product packaging and seek out divisions;
Look for other brand packaging with the same grade, the same variety or the same value positioning, refer to if there is a competing product, if not, refer to the packaging of other products that the same consumer chooses for reference. For example, your target consumer may be both a Watsons consumer and an Evian consumer. This is a package that you can learn from each other. After studying their packaging design, you must be packaging. Build on and strengthen your segment! In addition to the different packaging forms, there may be different ways of distinguishing colors, characters, and fonts.

Fourth, find your own packaging style and tone, and design it;
This is very important, which is to give you a unique value proposition and soul. What does your package pass? Do you want to do it well?

Fifth, highlighting and emphasizing your unique selling points, doing packaging and display of renderings. Are your packaging design's soul and unique selling points transmitted? Did you do the rendering, but did you think about the value of the renderings?

Sixth, to play the sample draft; to do internal discussions or consumer symposium renderings are often not the most accurate, the most critical is to make a real appearance out of reality, and then package some to compare and continue to review. It is even possible to organize a target consumer packaging test symposium for this purpose. At first glance is your brand feeling? Whether there is a core mark of the brand, whether it meets the aesthetic taste of consumers. The most critical thing is, don't just look at a bottle and put it on the shelf to feel and compare! Do not worry that the appreciator is not professional enough or not clear enough what you mean by packaging. Always remember one thing: Good packaging can speak!

Seventh, after calculating the costs, modifying and making final drafts, the tips and techniques here are many. The author believes that the key skills are "seeing far, seeing, touching, and contrasting."

From a distance, put it a few meters away, and see if the characteristics of the package are still obvious. Look at the eye-catching degree of the package, and see how the color of the package matches, and see if the difference between packaging and competing products is obvious.

Closer look, see if the packaging brand name is obvious, whether the color is concise and bright or saturation, look at the quality and grade of packaging materials, see whether the key elements are delivered clearly.

Touching and playing is a matter of looking at details. Whether or not you will see flaws and problems, there are many problems that are seen in detail.

Compare, compare the details of your packaging and competing product packaging design, such as the size of the brand name and identification, such as product name design, advertising language planning, unique selling point of expression, the performance of the specification techniques, important tips and many more.

Most importantly, don't forget to measure the cost of your new packaging. There are many times, although we know that the cost will increase, but the increase in the cost of good packaging may also be insufficiently prepared, it is easy to mistaken, and there is no substitute for packaging. Easy to grasp the quality.

Eighth, the formal adoption and use of the previous issues are all taken into account. It can be adopted and tested. It is recommended that the first printing of the packaging is enough, because there are many changing factors, such as changes in national standards, changes in formula ingredients, and problems found in the actual use process, if the one-time print is too large, although the unit cost However, in the end, it is very likely that some of the packaging will be wasted due to force majeure. This is actually not worthwhile. At the same time, the principle of adequate printing for the first time can also avoid the more direct losses caused by genuine packaging failures, and facilitate timely changes. And adjust the direction.

Ninth, inspection and correction of the packaging in the specific use of the process, we must pay attention to listen to the views of sales staff and specific dealers to prepare for modification. The process of modification can repeat the above steps.

Source: China Marketing Communication Network Author: Cui Hongbo