
Food packaging design is an art form that can have a huge impact on the success of your food and beverage products. From eye-catching illustrations to clever structures, there are many ways to make your packaging stand out from the crowd—but how do you get started?
In this blog, we’ll look at some of the key aspects you should consider when designing food packaging and some creative ideas to inspire your own designs. Ready? Let’s dive in!
Explaining the Food Packaging Design Process
Perform a Brand Analysis
It’s important to understand the behavior of your target audience in order to create packaging that resonates with them on an emotional level. To achieve this, you’ll start your food packaging design process with a brand analysis. During this stage, you’ll assess your strongest competitors to see what they’re doing well—and what you can do better. Once you have an understanding of the market, you can figure out how to create a unique and compelling value proposition.
Position Your Product
Your product may have a real, recognizable competitive benefit, but if you can’t communicate it to consumers, it won’t get the attention it deserves—that’s where brand positioning research comes into play. By answering the following questions about your product, you can create a strategy that helps influence consumers’ purchasing decisions:
- What’s your product used for?
- How can you communicate what the consumer will experience?
- What do consumers want from your product?
- What does your product have that competitor products don’t?
Answering these questions will help you develop a positioning strategy that sends the right message and entices your target audience.
Incorporate Creative Linguistics
After you identify what sets your brand apart, it’s time to start using creative linguistics to engage your audience.
To get the creative juices flowing, consider:
- Product positioning lines
- Taglines
- Slogans
- Product messages
- Brand and product stories
Even just a few well-crafted, thought-provoking words can help your product stand out on the shelf, inspiring consumers to pick it up and place it in their cart.
If your current logo doesn’t match the message you’re trying to convey, it’s time for an upgrade.
Keep These Food Packaging Design Guidelines in Mind
Once you start the designing process, make sure to keep some of these packaging design guidelines in mind:
Brand Identity
Creating an effective packaging design requires careful consideration of many different variables, including core guidelines, color psychology, and brand storytelling. Your packaging design should be a reflection of your company’s values, mission, and vision.
You must also consider who your target audience is—what kind of design elements will resonate most with them? Are there certain shapes, sizes, colors, and materials that your consumers connect with? Examining all of these design elements for your packaging can help you effectively convey your message and brand identity to your target consumers.
Elements of Architecture
The architecture of your packaging design should align with the three simple principles:
- Form
- Function
- Beauty
Your packaging’s form depends on the size and shape of your product. Its function is to protect the contents inside (your product) and preserve its shelf life, and beauty refers to the aesthetics of your packaging. Make sure to keep these principles in mind when designing your packaging.
Versatility
One of the most important design considerations is to ensure that your packaging can be used in a variety of ways. By making sure that your design can be used in many different applications, you can maximize potential profits and reach a wider audience. The design of a box of crackers may be suitable for one containing multiple servings, but what happens when you want to produce single servings, or pair the product with other food items? In this case, the design, including the logo, must be able to fit comfortably into different types of packaging.
Fortunately, you can create a versatile design that can be used in various applications. For example, create a logo with an abstract shape, so you can use it versatility without losing impact. Additionally, you can incorporate colors that work well with different types of packaging, such as bright colors for cartons and more muted colors for bags and boxes.