We've all heard the saying, "don't judge a book by its cover." However, in the world of branding, a product's "cover", or packaging design, can speak volumes about what's inside and who is behind it. In the ever-changing world of branding, packaging design must evolve as quickly as products do.

While a top product may be effective, cutting-edge, and unique, its packaging design must support that. Packaging works to tell a product's story, and powerful design can separate great products from average products. To stand out in a sea of brands striving to be seen, brands should be asking themselves how to design packaging people want.

If you're looking to take your product, and brand, to the next level and achieve greater customer success, see these ten tips and answers to what makes a good package design.

1. Keep It Simple

With so much information about products and brands clouding advertisements, products can benefit from clean, minimalistic, simple package design.

If a product looks to be overly complicated and clustered with details, data, and designs, consumers may be discouraged from buying it. Simple designs with complementary colors and easy to read words can encourage consumers to pick your product up off the shelf.

While keeping packaging simple, necessary information can still be portrayed in a tasteful, effective way. In design, less is often more.

2. Choose Colors Wisely

Colors in package design are crucial to the message your product portrays. What do your colors say about your product? What do they say about your brand as a whole?

Depending on what your product is, your packaging colors should reflect it. For example, if you're selling tasty fruit gummies for kids, bright and vibrant colors may help portray the product. If you're selling a calming tea for stressed-out adults, pale and cool color choices may help support the message.

Choose colors wisely when it comes to product packaging. Colors should be unique enough to gain attention while making sense of what you're selling.

3. Be Mindful of Typography

One of the most important aspects of package design is typography. No matter the product, typography on packaging should always be legible and concise. If consumers have difficulty reading a product's information, they will also have difficulty in purchasing it.
Overflowing text and hard to read fonts will only push consumer attention to your competition. Typography should be consistent across the brand and match with overall packaging design.

4. Make It Interesting

Sparking and keeping the interest of consumers should be a top priority for any brand. One of the best tips for designing packaging is to think outside of the box. Do something with packaging that has never been done before.

Beverage brand Martinelli has taken the internet by storm with its apple juice bottle packaging. What looks like a normal bottle has actually become a viral sensation for its unique effect. When biting down on the plastic bottle, it sounds exactly like biting into an actual crunchy apple.

While it may seem odd to think of someone biting an apple juice bottle, there's no denying that this unique packaging design has boosted Martinelli sales based on the virality of their idea.

5. Be Sustainable

Many products are sold in packages that are non-recyclable and only able to be used once. Disposable packaging can often add to the world's overflowing landfill space. Rather than opting for typical packaging materials like plastic, work toward sustainability but using biodegradable or recyclable materials.

In packaging design, it is important to not only stand out but to stand for something.

6. Prioritize Functionality

While packaging design can look beautiful, adding a factor of usability takes it even further. Think about how your consumers will interact with the packaging. Will it be easy for consumers to carry and store?

If your packaging is used to hold and protect your product, commit to making this a priority. Add handles, padding, wheels, and any other feature to add to its design and usability. Consumers will appreciate the extra effort.

7. Don't Forget About Texture

While well-designed packages may be beautiful to look at, don't forget that they are meant to be picked up and held, too. The goal of packaging design is to motivate consumers to pick up your product. Create packaging that is pleasant to hold.

Whether matte, glossy, silky-smooth, or rough, packaging texture should align with the other components of its design as well.

8. Use Transparency to Showcase Products

If you're selling food or drink products, designing your package around transparency can be a smart choice. Consumers like to know exactly what it is they're purchasing. Transparent aspects of packaging design are clean, simple, and highly effective.

Consider using transparent design on products not typically sold that way. For example, creating a transparent coffee ground package or a transparent lipstick tube shows exactly what consumers are purchasing while also catching their attention. While transparency in packaging is not usually seen as flashy, it can undoubtedly be a head-turner.

9. Be Extensible

Packaging design should be unique but simple enough to be extended. Remember that in the future, your product line may be expanded.

If your product is salad dressing, you may eventually introduce new flavors. Make sure your packaging design is product-variation-friendly. Do this by designing with the future in mind and implementing packaging that is easily adapted.

10. Consider the Point of Purchase

Where will your product be sold? Will it be sold in a supermarket with other competing products? Will it be sold solely online?

When thinking about how to design a good-looking package, the product's point of purchase must be considered. Different target markets have different spending and shopping behavior that varies from one platform to the next. Design should be made specific to where your product is being sold.

If you're selling online, typography and colors will be viewed differently than if a consumer is viewing the packaging in person. Take this into consideration and tailor your packaging to create the most effective design.

Implement What Makes A Good Package Design Into Your Branding

Brands work hard to tell their story. Through products and advertising, the messages brands convey are the backbone of their business. What will your package design say about your brand?

Implement what makes a good package design into your brand today to stay relevant and successful among the masses.

For more business and branding information like this, browse our website.