For your product packaging to become your unique selling platform, your design must capture your target audience attention and inspire them to engage with and ultimately buy your product. The pack design must charge the consumers desire to discover more about the product and ultimately have them buy the product and put it into their shopping trolley.
Here is the 7 step packaging design process required to achieve this outcome ensuring your product gets bought.
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For your product packaging to become your
unique selling platform, your pack design
must capture your target audience attention
and inspire them to engage with, and
ultimately buy your product.
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Here is the 7 step packaging design
process required to achieve this outcome
ensuring your product gets bought.
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STEP 1- The brief
If things are going to go wrong with your packaging design…it’ll be at the briefing
stage.
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It's the quality of the brief that largely
dictates if the creative work which follows is
‘right’ or ‘wrong', good or bad.
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Often times a poorly constructed brief is put into
your packaging design agency with the "hopes"
that it'll all get sorted in the design studio.
WRONG!
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An incomplete or substandard brief leads
inevitably to substandard work and cost blow-
outs!
The creative work will
often reflects the quality
of the brief.
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“Prescription without diagnosis leads to
malpractice”
The better the quality of the brief, the more likely you are to get
a pack design closer to your expectations.
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Because a professional agency has written &
co-written dozens of briefs and reverse briefs
they are able to bring their vast experience &
understanding of the strategic components of
the design requirements.
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This is especially helpful when
there are inexperienced brand
managers or first time product
developers involved in the
packaging design process.
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STEP 2- The project plan
As with any project plan, a packaging design project must also be
held accountable by timings, dollars and quality.
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A great project plan will keep the designer
honest and ensure the outcomes of the project
remain on track, without blowing deadlines and
budgets.
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STEP 3- Research
The purpose of your research and discovery is to ensure you
complete your homework so you can clearly win the two battles at
the shelf.
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The two battles at the shelf.
2. The targeted
consumer must
place your product in
their shopping
basket.
1. The targeted
consumer must
notice your
product and
reach for it (as
opposed to
something else)
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The following questions need to be answered as a
component of the research:
What is the marketing strategy for the product?
Will media advertising play any marketing role in supporting the
pack design ?
Which retailers are likely going to carry the brand/product?
Which brands/products compete most directly with the product?
Why do the brand stakeholders want to change the
current package?
What are the marketing outcomes and business KPI's required to be
achieved by the proposed change?
What, if any of the core elements of the current design, should be
retained?
What are the risks of changing the current design?
What are the territories that the product should sit in?
What are the cultural and lifestyle drivers reach the targeted
consumer on an emotional level?
What is the USP for the product? (read more here- http://jamandco.com.au/packaging-
design-usp/)
19. The better the upfront research the more
information the designers will have to support
their understanding as to….
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the product’s positioning in the market and how to enhance the
emotional connection between product designs and purchase
impulse.
how to blend both the qualitative and quantitative research and the
complete data profile, in order to make better design decisions based
on high quality insights.
establishing the appropriate perception of value in the mind of the
target customer ensuring they feel good about the purchase even
before they actually experience the product.
inspiring the desired emotion within the consumer such as
excitement, intrigue, desire, passion, or even hunger.
selecting the most appropriate texture, color, shape and imagery. All
of which defines the perception, the value and the shopping
experience of a product
considering environmentally sound choices appropriate for the project
budget.
communication and messaging. Unclear communication on your pack
can cause lots of frustration for the consumer.
how to strongly communicate the brand and evoke an emotional
response from the pack
Setting up hierarchy's
Setting up the colour palate etc. and so many more….
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Strategic Design Insights
The main goal
of the
research is
the gleaning
of insights &
converting
them into a
DESIGN
STRATEGY.
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The design strategy will map out the plan for achieving
the visual goal of the packaging design
Design strategy is essential for laying down a strong foundation
for successful pack design and is based on the research.
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Given the overwhelming choice of consumer
products that crowd the shelves in every retail
category….
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Like a moth to a flame, the pack design strategy must draw
the targeted consumer in for a closer look and compel them pick
up and engage with the product on shelf.
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Regardless of the design style, the design
strategy must consider all the key elements of
color, shape, hierarchy & imagery which will
catch the attention and evoke the relevant
emotional experience at shelf of your target
consumer.
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The designer will need to know the #1 & #2
reasons your targeted consumer should buy
your product instead of your competitors’.
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The design strategy must also communicate…
the core attributes and value of the product whilst
at the same time, build brand awareness and
brand recognition.
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The design strategy will also need to manage the
expectations of the targeted consumer and build brand
loyalty.
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Getting what's inside the customer's head onto the pack
Designers need to understand how the targeted
consumers will perceive & think about your
brand/product when they see it for the first time.
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The insights gleaned from the research must enable your
brand to overcome hesitations and objections, as well as
understand the benefits that consumers care about the
most and what will compel them to buy.
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The design strategy must answer:
What is the articulated value proposition?
How do the targeted consumer will measure
quality?
What are the specific "call out messages" the
pack must answer?
Are they buying based on ingredients, flavor or
variety?
How and where will the pack be displayed?
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Understand the intersection between the brand/product
& the targeted consumer insights.
Determine the alignment areas between the
brand/product and its targeted consumers demands.
Determine the key variables of the product and where it
sits in relation to it’s competitors.
Highlight and communicate a credible difference based
on a significant product characteristic.
Map out a plan for achieving the visual goal of the
packaging design
Exploring the most effective way to visually communicate
the key concept connecting with the targeted consumer.
Explore design concepts to bring the project to life.
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The key to effective package design is all in the strategy.
This is where the real magic happens.
The magic is delivered via a combination of
designer experience, understanding design, commercialism
&
natural talent & a passion for packaging design.
For your packaging to have impact on shelf, a packaging
design strategy is critical to success.
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STEP 4- Concept Development
Once the packaging design strategy has been resolved the
design agency creates multiple on-strategy design concepts
for revision.
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During the development of the concept design, the needs
of the target market are identified, competitive products are
reviewed, product specifications are defined and refined
until selected.
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When developing concepts the following should be
considered:
Brand identity: What is the brand essence? What does the brand
stand for? What is the distinctive personality? What image it the
brand trying to convey?
Positioning: Packaging often portrays the products positioning of
price and quality. Where is your product located on the product
positioning map Price vs. Quality?
Consumer persona: Who is your target customer? How can you
use design to make an emotional connection?
Colours: Packaging colours account for nearly 85% of the reason
why someone purchases a product.
Fonts: The most important thing here is to get the right balance
between legibility and visual appeal.
Images: There are occasions where an image picture of what is
inside the packaging can increase consumer confidence. However
today's trend is for simple graphics and symbols.
Checking design elements against brand guidelines
Proofreading all copy carefully.
Paying particular attention to regulations
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The initial design concept/s does most likely will not
include specifics.
Initial design focuses mainly on color
palettes, shapes, graphics, materials and other
material options that appeals to the consumers
many sensory levels: visually, tactility, emotionally.
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Once designs have been submitted they are rationalized
down the ones that most hit the mark.
For most marketers and clients there is
very little room for error. So selection is key.
Once the design had been selected then the design goes
through a process of refinement.
Design selection is key
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STEP 5 - Design refinements
Once the polishing and refining the selected design
determining the necessary finish.
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The objective : To ensure the final
design communicates the
intended deliverable's
Here…Client's may request changes to color,
typography and even graphic imagery..
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Careful attention and consideration is given
to:
The final brand identity
Shapes of the letter forms are
balanced, and the spacing are refined.
Structural dimensions, secondary
copy
Layout and positioning
Colours, and imagery are all
reviewed.
All copy is proofread.
All legal and regulatory requirements
are checked and approved
Slight alterations to the selected
design
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KEY POINTS: Does the design…
Deliver shelf stand-out
Differentiate on shelf - Clear differentiation from
competitors and line segments and varieties of complex
product lines
Align with the brand persona- The design must
graphically support the brands color palate and persona
Clearly convey positioning
Communicate communication hierarchy and product
attributes including usage, qualities, size, benefit,
flavor and characteristics
Call out features, benefits or changes
Create emotional connection
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STEP 6 – Dieline design
You cannot create a product package design without a
dieline
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A dieline is the flat template for the package.
• The dieline is the digital document that contains the
precise drawing indicating the shape and structural
specifications of a package.
• The dieline serves as a package template that ensures
proper layout for the printed product.
• The dieline is a diagram showing all the cut lines and
folds of a package in flattened form.
• The dieline is usually put together by the packaging
designer in a vector program, like Illustrator, using simple
lines and shapes.
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Often designers won't start a package design
without a finalised dieline because this could lead
them to make expensive guesses and wasting
time and money.
Dielines are created in Illustrator and must
be perfect.
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STEP 7 - Design Production- Finished Art
Bringing packaging concept to
reality
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Finished Art is….
where the integrity of the approved
design is maintained all the way
through to the printing process.
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Finished Art is….
Where design
production takes
layouts from finished
art to pre-press and
digital ready states.
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Increased
risk of the
visual
aspects of
the chosen
packaging
design will
be “off
brand”
sending
production
and print
costs
skyrocketing
Done poorly increases risk
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• getting artwork ready for print.
• taking into consideration a deep
understanding of the printing and finishing
processes to ensure that the selected
design is faithfully reproduced with the
correct creative and brand requirements.
Finished art means…
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Requires exceptional
attention to detail and
the ability to take layouts
from finished art often to
pre-press & digital ready
states.
The Finished Artist’s role:
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The biggest mistakes that hurt great packaging is when
corners are cut in production to save time and money.
The other big error is not telling the designer upfront the
printing method and medium to be used for the job.
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The finished art process must also take
into account the type of equipment the
product will be packaged on.
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The finished art process is to ensure the integrity of
the approved design remains consistent.
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The finished art team has to set up and supply
the highest quality finished artwork ensuring that
it's print ready.
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Here are the 7 step packaging design
process steps repeated:
1. The brief
2. The project plan
3. Research
4. Concept Development
5. Design refinements
6. The Dieline
7. Finished Art
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Ask how Jam&Co can help you with
your next packaging design project
contact us at:
www.jamandco.com.au/contact