Packaging design? These are the questions you should be asking before starting it

Before making a purchasing choice, every customer, regardless of demography, age, or need, with a product's Packaging Design. Packaging Design may have a significant effect on a buyer's choice. Long-term, loyal consumers will result from the proper Pouch Design. Low sales and significant losses may result from poor packing.

As a result, all businesses must create high-quality Box Design that reflects their purpose and creates a positive first impression on prospective consumers. What questions should you ask yourself before starting on a path to Pouch Design with this goal in mind? We've put up a list of questions to ask DesignLab, Packaging Design agency, and to assist you to handle the briefing with your client:

These are the questions you should be asking before starting Packaging Design

What are the major characteristics of the product?

Asking your customer to describe the product's key characteristics in-depth should be the beginning point for your idea and design work for the new Packaging Design. Gathering all of the information clearly and accurately will provide you with a wider perspective and the chance to create a Pouch Design that is more suited to the product and emphasizes its strengths.

What distinguishes it?

Typically, customers respond with a list of their product's many qualities. Request that your customer responds with a single word describing the actual uniqueness of the product (or, at least, its most important feature). In other words, attempt to determine why a prospective customer would pick that product above the competitors. The answer to this question will assist you in determining the essential information that must be conveyed through Packaging Design to the Packaging Design agency.

What is the product's retail price?

You and your customer may decide how much money you want to spend on packing based on the product's selling price. There is no hard and fast rule, but in general, the greater the cost of the product, the more money you may spend on its Packaging Design to market it and enhance the customer's sense of its worth.

Who is the intended audience?

To put it another way, who is the average customer? You must understand if the product is intended for a demanding audience, who are ready to pay more in order to possess an exclusive product, or a price-conscious audience who want to save money.

You must choose the kind of Pouch Design depending on the characteristics of the target audience as well as other marketing considerations such as communication mode, pricing, and sales channels (small shops, supermarkets, exclusive boutiques). In reality, the Pouch Design should be tailored to the average consumer and "work" in tandem with all other components that contribute to reaching the intended target audience.

How and where will people buy your product?

It is also critical to consider where your goods will be presented. Is this something that will be purchased virtually? Will it be available on shop shelves? Is this something for a high-end boutique? Understanding the context in which your product will be marketed is important to understand how it must fit in while also standing out from the crowd of competing goods for consumers' attention. You want to ensure that your product blends in with its surroundings while still making a statement.

What are the brand criteria that must be met?

While it may seem apparent, it is critical that you establish branding components and needs early on. Failure to do so may result in Label Designs that do not match your brand or are too far outside of your core brand, causing customer confusion in the market. Is there a certain typeface or Label Design that must be used? How will they be integrated into the rest of the Pouch Design? These kinds of questions must be addressed explicitly to your packaging design agency early in the Label Design process.

What are the competitors' names?

Once you've gathered all of the accessible information about the product, compare it to the products of your rivals. This exercise may be extremely beneficial since it enables you to learn how rivals position themselves on the market and, as a result, discover a method to distinguish your client's product and make it stand out with the appropriate Pouch Design.

Colors such as white, blue, and green, for example, are often used in the dairy sector to convey a feeling of freshness. Why not attempt to break this unwritten norm and propose fresh, less often used colors and Label Designs to pique the interest of prospective customers?

How much money do you have set up for packaging?

Your packing budget must be established in order to prevent accidents and disappointments. Some of the expenses involved with creating your new Pouch Design will be one-time, while others will be ongoing charges based on the number of items. Thinking about this ahead of time will enable you to quantify the bottom line and prepare for the future. This will also make your procurement department pleased since it will show that you are staying within your budget.

What is the ideal packing structure for your product?

What kind of Box Design will work best for your product? The form of your Box Design may make a significant impact in terms of visibility, price, and overall success. When it comes to buildings, you'll have lots of options. Consider hard set-up boxes, conventional cartons, telescopic cartons, and many more options!

Will the packing be main or secondary?

If you operate in the food business, it is essential that you inquire if the Box Design is main or secondary. If primary – that is, it comes into direct touch with the product – the materials and finishes used must adhere to strict guidelines. Cardboard, glue, and ink, for example, must be acceptable for contact with food. In this instance, you may use this extra feature to inform the buyer that the Pouch Design is food-safe, suggesting that the company is concerned about consumer health.

Will the package be manually or mechanically filled?

If the goods will be packed in an automated facility, get a copy of the machinery's operating instructions and the Box Design based on technical requirements. On the other hand, if the package is filled manually, you will have more design flexibility. In this instance, for example, you may choose a package with an automated bottom to make the process of manually filling the boxes easier.

What are the product's physical characteristics: weight, size, shape, and texture?

The physical features of the product influence structural design decisions (such as form, size, material type, and paperweight). For example, when designing packaging for a liquor bottle, bear in mind that the weight will be concentrated on a small area. Therefore the bottom of the box must have an automatic or dovetail groove to hold the weight of the bottle. On the other hand, if you're creating Pouch Design for a big product, such as a huge cake, you'll need to figure out a feasible method to carry the box.

What are your product packaging's logistical and structural requirements?

When considering the Label Design for the packaging, it is essential to consider the requirements first. How robust should the packing be? Does it need to be child-resistant because of the contents? Is it necessary to have several compartments to segregate specific items? Consider the requirements first, and then design around them.

Is it necessary for your packaging to have unique IDs or iterations based on several SKUs?

Unique IDs are sometimes required for Box Design for safety, tracking, or inventory reasons. Consider where they will be shown on the Box Design if necessary and how this will affect its appearance.

How does the packaging of your product fit in with the rest of your brand and products?

Also, consider if your package should be a supplement to or an expansion of an existing product range. This may need a study of the Box Design of the other product in order to find methods to complement it while yet making it distinctive. Your Packaging Design agency would be able to answer these.

Final Thoughts on Packaging Design agency

Answering these critical questions will help any package design journey get off to a good start. Customers' loyalty and business will increase if appropriate Box Design, Label design and packaging design is used. Rely on DesignLab, Packaging Design agency’s expertise and creativity to help you solve these difficult issues. Our skilled Packaging Design agency staff can assist any business in developing a Packaging Design, Box Design, Pouch Design, Label Design that meets the requirements of both the company and the consumer. We can help any brand create a fantastic first impression by using the most up-to-date print technology and the most creative Packaging Design, Box Design, Pouch Design, and Label Design.

One of the most crucial parts of branding is packaging design. After all, it gives your customers an emotional connection to your product, and serves as a bridge that can make or break your business when it comes to new customers and their purchasing decisions.

But how do you knock your packaging design out of the ballpark? Once you hire the right packaging designer for the job, you can give them all the details necessary to create a great end product. 

Well, it all starts with asking the right questions. 

Below are several questions you should give some thought to when it comes time to design your product packaging. 

Why Does Package Design Matter?

Now that you know the importance of packaging design, let’s take a closer look at why it matters. 

You’ve heard the saying that first impressions are everything, and true even with product packaging.  

That’s why you need to ensure your design is high-quality, as it’s critical to convey your product and branding effectively to potential customers. 

Now let’s take a look at the questions you need to be asking to execute your product design flawlessly. 

What Are Your Product’s Essential Features?

All great product packaging designs effectively showcase the product’s main features. Consider this the starting point for your concept and design work. Make sure to highlight your product’s key points to the buyer. Show what exactly it offers that would benefit them! Create a list of your products’ top three to five essential features and write them out, along with both what the feature is, and the benefits it offers potential customers. This can be a great asset to pass along to your packaging designer. 

Who Is Your Target Audience?

Identifying your target audience is essential to early success. Will you have a demanding audience who will spend more to own an exclusive product? Or will you have a price-conscious audience trying to save money?

Choosing a packaging type will depend on several factors, but it can be especially informed by your target audience’s characteristics in both their purchasing habits and the decisions they make in life. Try to consider where your product fits in with your customers lifestyle choices by asking yourself what other brands would they regularly purchase? Consider this answer then look to those companies for inspiration in your packaging design.

What Are the Proper Materials to Work With?

It’s best to be working closely with your packaging designers when it comes to choosing the right materials for your packaging. Plastic, aluminum, glass, and paperboard are the most common materials. Yet, there have been significant developments in eco-friendly packaging materials in recent years, and the consumers have started to take notice of companies that practice sustainability in their packaging, which can be an influencing factor in their purchase decision.

Who Are Your Competitors?

As part of your research, you should have an in-depth look at your competition and see what they are doing well. Take note on how they position themselves in the marketplace.

While you’re doing so, you should be identifying areas where you can make improvements. Look for a gap in the market and capitalize on any missed opportunities.  

For example: In the tech industry, preference lies with colors such as black, white, blue, and red. Red gives the impression of excitement and innovation. Blue implies reliability and professionalism. 

Why not challenge this unwritten rule? You could consider a more unusual color palette or a series of interesting graphics as a way to attract potential customers’ attention!

Will the Actual Step of Packing the Product Be Automatic or Manual?

If you plan to use automated plants to package the product, request a copy of the machinery guidelines, as you’ll need to design the packaging accordingly. 

This will give you a better understanding of the packing process, along with its limitations, which can be invaluable when choosing a final design, especially as automated designs aren’t always customizable. 

However, if you’re going to package the products by hand, you will have greater design freedom in the packaging’s final design. This can also be an exceptional way to market products to niche markets that care a lot about small details, so be sure to know that each product was “hand-packed with care”, if that fits in your company’s branding.

Conclusion

Remember, first impressions matter. By asking yourself the questions we listed above, you will come up with a solid packaging design, one that showcases the unique features your product has to offer and the benefits your customers get from their purchase.

Never assume the product is good enough to sell itself, while you might know how excellent your product is, it’s your responsibility to show that off to your customers, and one great way to do that is through your product packaging!