In a nutshell, the packaging is the outermost layer of any product. The packaging is not considered a product itself, but it is an important part of the product from both a marketing and design perspective. The packaging design is everything in which a product is contained.
It’s comprised of multiple elements, including the materials, images, fonts, colors, and shape. Practicality (or ease of use, as in opening and closing), as well as functionality (how it works as a container for the product inside), must be taken into account.
Some will go as far as saying that packaging is a practical tool to help you put the product to its intended use. If you purchase a bottle of soda or canned fruit, you want the packaging to make using the content efficient.
At the same time, it has to preserve the content well before you use it. Every detail of the packaging makes customers understand what a product actually is, how it should be used, and whether or not they should buy it, to begin with.
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Different types of packaging
There are many different type of packaging available for your product. You can use a box, bottle, bag, cup, or tube—each can be made from various materials including plastic, paper, metal, glass, or a combination of those. The decision to use any particular shape and material should be based on the following:
The Product
If your product is a liquid, like a beverage, cooking oil, shampoo, or lubricant, it’s going to limit your options a great deal. You can use aluminum to make a can for a beverage, but a paper bag is out of the question unless you put said can in the bag.
Using multiple types of packaging for one product, however, forces you to increase the price. Certain liquid products such as yogurt and jam can be packaged inside spout pouches too. A packaging concept design service can help you create inventive ideas.
Competitors
Whether or not you want to admit it, the decision to use any type of packaging is affected by your competitors. Let’s say your product is instant noodle, of which customers believe such products are packaged in either a plastic bag or paper cup.
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On one hand, using a similar packaging design helps you join the market right away. Your instant noodles are likely placed alongside competitors’ in the same aisle in grocery stores anywhere. On the other hand, unique packaging helps you catch people’s attention although you’ll be hard-pressed to convince people to grab the product at first glance.
Budget
Of course, it all comes down to the budget. While you can pack instant noodles inside a plastic-sealed cardboard box, there is going to be an increase in production cost. To justify multilayer packaging, customers have to pay a little bit more for each item.
Keep your target demographic in mind while working with your freelance product design service. Inexpensive functional packaging is best for everyone because you can keep the price low. Luxury unique-shaped boxes only make financial sense for a few customers, yet a single sale can yield a good profit.
For start-up and budding entrepreneurs, recruiting a team of industrial design services does not really make sense. It would consume a big portion of the budget and they won’t have anything left for a post-launch marketing campaign. Thankfully, they can always turn to packaging design companies for help. Those with smaller budgets may find solutions from freelancers as well.
Freelancers vs. design companies
First, the similarities. Freelancers and concept design companies work on a contract basis. They communicate directly with business owners for rough ideas and approvals. Both are not integral parts of your business, meaning you are relieved from the entire process of recruitment and training.
You don’t put them on your payroll because they get paid per project. The collaboration essentially ends as the project concludes. The biggest differences lie in the scope of the work.
The vast majority of product engineering services and freelancers are independent and self-employed. Each specializes in specific trades and most likely work without input from or consulting with other professionals or quality control experts. You can theoretically assemble a team of freelancers with various specializations, but ensuring they collaborate well is a monumental task assuming they have never worked together before.
On the contrary, CAD design companies have a clear organizational structure, with a single person in charge of a number of employees. Every professional has a specific role and handles a definitive set of job descriptions. The employer makes sure the company works on a single idea using the same internally agreed-upon approach to packaging design for a more streamlined process.
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Depending on the size of the company, there can be two or more teams that handle the project in its entirety. This is not only packaging design itself but also market research and marketing strategy. The design process alone, including type, material, and visual graphics, is just one phase of the whole project. Once the design is ready, you still have to figure out how to mass-produce the packaging. A packaging design company may assign a separate team to establish a factory partnership for you.
It takes a lot of time and effort to navigate through the complexity of the design process on your own, especially if you have never done this before. Bear in mind that there is always a possibility of failure, which means losing money.
A reputable invention help company that specializes in packaging design has the employees with the knowledge and experience to pull through. Yes, you have to spend a sizable amount of money to hire the company, but it does come with a range of great benefits:
Learn about a packaging design that will work
As soon as you provide the company with a product sample and rough sketch of the packaging design you have in mind, the professionals can search from their library of designs to make suggestions. They know the specific niche your business is in, and based on experience, it would be relatively easy to determine what works best.
It may take a lot of testing and market research before the company can come up with the perfect choice, but their work will save you a lot of time, hassle, and headache.
Minimize chances of mistakes
Just consider how much time you need to move the project ahead without help from professionals. Hiring a design engineering company brings instant access to experts who have seen their fair share of design mistakes.
Think of it as taking a premium shortcut to the destination without all the obstructions. More importantly, you actually get there safe and sound. You avoid rookie mistakes that may otherwise take you back where you started.
Brand Recognition
Product packaging is the first thing potential buyers see in your product, and it is a good thing that the packaging says a lot about quality. Good packaging design is a powerful marketing factor that anybody can touch and feel.
It plays a huge role in convincing everyone to make a purchase. And if the product is as great as the packaging, returning buyers are not that hard to come by.
RELATED: Your product packaging design can make your brand into an icon
People buy products for a lot of different reasons. Although they rarely purchase certain products just because they like the packaging, you should not take the matter lightly. Two of the same equally well-made products are only separated in the customers’ appeal department by the packaging. The one with a better packaging design will attract more buyers.
Packaging is brand identity
Not all designs are created equal, but one thing they all have in common is the informative element. More than just eye-candy and visual appeal, product packaging is a representation of brand identity. Before customers can see, touch, wear, eat, drink, or use the actual product in any way, they judge its quality by the look and feel of the packaging.
At Cad Crowd, we can connect you with some high-quality packaging design experts who have worked on projects for companies like Tiffany & Co. Find out how it works.
