7 Tips to Improve Your Product Packaging Design

Did you know that the grocery store Whole Foods carries as many as 55,000 products at a time on their shelves? That’s a lot of products, which means if you want your product to stand out from others, you need to invest in product packaging design.

But what makes a good product packaging design, anyway? And what can you do to ensure that your design helps you move more units?

In this article, we’ll give you 7 tips and tricks that you can use to create the best packaging design ideas. We’ll tell you which design elements to consider, what mistakes to avoid, and even how you can make your products more valuable to consumers with your design choices. 4 Ways to Market Your Ecommerce Store and Double Your Sales

1. Keep It Simple

When it comes to product packaging ideas, one of the biggest mistakes that people make has to do with trying to do too much with their designs. While it may seem like a good idea to go crazy with colors, fonts, and other design elements, there’s a good chance that strategy will backfire on you.

Our advice? Keep things simple, don’t try to do too much, and let your product do most of the heavy lifting. That way you don’t accidentally create a package design that is cluttered, tacky, or hard to read. 

2. Offer Added Value With Packaging

Some of the best product packages in the world offer customers added value, and thus, stand out from other product packages in their niche.

A 12-pack of soda can be used to make storing, and even dispensing, soda in your refrigerator much easier. That not only offers added value but makes customers want to buy your products more.

So, if you can, try to find a way to offer added value with your packaging. Be creative, consider your customers’ needs, and don’t be afraid to invest a bit more money into your packaging to get the job done.

3. Be Authentic and Real

Another common mistake that you need to do your best to avoid has to do with authenticity. Some brands tend to go a little overboard with their messaging on their product packaging, and thus, come across as fake or phony to consumers.

Of course, all you need to do to avoid this issue is to be authentic and real with your branding. Tell your story, don’t be dishonest, and again, let your product do most of the talking.

4. Focus Heavily on Font

No matter what it is your selling, the first thing that people are going to do when they look at your product packaging is read it.

And sure, the colors that you choose, and the overall design of your packaging, is important. But that first look will be all about what your packaging says, which is why font choices are so important.

Pro tip: only use bold, easy-to-read fonts for your packaging designs. Don’t try to get too cute with your fonts, keep it simple and make sure that your packaging is legible, especially from a distance.

5. Invest in Durable Packaging

It’s important to remember that, before a consumer takes home your product, your product will experience quite the journey. For some products, that journey could include multiple shipping trips before it finally arrives on a store shelf.

Because of this, we recommend that you invest heavily in durable, long-lasting packaging. That way you can ensure that when your product finally makes it to a shelf, it still looks as good as new.

Quality packaging will also help better protect whatever it is you’re selling. Once again, that’s an added value for consumers, which means you can charge a bit extra to help cover those added costs for better, more durable packaging.

6. Think About Shelf Impact

If your product is like most, it will sit on a shelf next to other, similar products from other brands and manufacturers. That means that to stand out, you have to make sure that your packaging looks the best on a shelf surrounded by similar products.

A lot goes into making this happen. The good news is, everything that we’ve mentioned so far on this list will help you create a product packaging design that stands out positively.

If you’re concerned that your packaging won’t get the job done, consider investing in packaging design testing. That way you can get some valuable feedback before your product reaches shelves, allowing you to give yourself a chance to increase your product sales. 

7. Study the Competition for Ideas

It goes without saying, but you never want to copy or steal ideas from your competition. With that being said, studying the competition for ideas, especially ideas on what not to do, is more than a good idea.

For example, if everyone in your niche is using bright, colorful package designs, going the other way might be a good idea. It’ll help you create a packaging design that stands out and is different from others that are on the shelf next to it, which of course is a good thing.

Need More Help With Product Packaging Design?

As you can see, a lot goes into creating the perfect product packaging design. For many, investing in the help of a professional designer, or even product testing, is needed to ensure that you get the best results.

That said, as long as you invest in quality design materials, and keep things simple with your design, you should be able to create something that consumers will react positively to.

Looking for more graphic design tips and tricks? Check back with our blog often for tons of useful information and ideas.