Package Design Is As Important As Your Product

The majority of the products we buy come in packages. For instance, it’s difficult to think of products that don’t come in a box or some type of wrapping.  Before a customer sees your product, they’ll see your package design. In fact, as KeyContainerCorp states, “There are many organizations who believe that packaging design is as important as the brand itself”. So when it comes to package design, it’s essential that you think about how it affects your branding.

What Does Package Design Have To Do With Branding?

There is no harm in using cheap and generic wrapping when packaging a product… if you don’t want to stand out as a memorable brand. Yes, the inner packaging can be just as plain and generic as every other company in your niche, but the outer packaging needs to convey the message that your brand wishes to convey. Swedbrand Group puts it simply, “The label may help customers decide whether to buy it or not, but if the packaging doesn’t engage them, chances are that they’re not going to buy it”. Yes, your brand and your reputation will be the initial draw to your product, but the packaging is what will sell it.

Think, for example, about Apple’s package design. Whether or not you’ve purchased an Apple product, you’ll likely be able to picture their packaging. Apple is a master at creating package design that mimics, and perfectly represents, the product within. When you think of any Apple product, you think of sleek, minimalistic,  and visually appealing designs. The products are made in this way, and so too are the package designs. If the package they sold their products in were boring and generic, then they wouldn’t sell nearly as many products as they do.

Can Package Design Help With Marketing?

In short, yes! There are some brands who have created such well-known and prestigious package designs that simply being in possession of the package is enough to seem impressive. For example, after receiving a gift that comes in a Tiffany blue box, people rarely dispose of that iconic and legendary packaging, despite the fact that the true monetary value is held inside. Likewise, though you’re unlikely to find a Bloomingdales in Montreal, the Big Brown Bag has “transformed Bloomingdale’s from a stodgy Upper East Side family department store into a trendsetting international showcase of style and showmanship”, as AdWeek puts it. Everyone recognizes the Big Brown Bag; it’s, surprisingly, Bloomingdale’s most recognizable and marketable feature.

So Why Is Package Design As Important As Your Product?

Though your product and your package design may serve completely different functions, they are both equally important to your brand and your company. Every product, every action, every package design, etc., that your company puts out into the world, is another representation of the image that you wish to convey.

In addition, your package design will communicate all the information that your potential customer needs to know about your product. If done right, this customer will be able to tell: who created the product, what it is, what its features are, where it was made, when its supposed to be used, and why they need it. It’s important to realize that your packaging will be the deciding factor in a customer’s decision to purchase… or not. Basically, your product can’t sell itself; your package design will do the selling.

What’s more, your package design has practical value. Choosing the cheap or generic version of packaging will save you money, that’s for sure. But when the products arrive damaged, broken, or unusable, the fault lies solely on the packaging. One of the best ways to gain a negative reputation is by delivering faulty products. Conversely, one of the best ways to avoid this is by using exceptional package design.

So, to sum up, package design is as important as your product because it is just as representative of your company as your product is. Everything your company puts out into the world affects the image of your company, package design included.