pack design process
EXPLORE,
DESIGN,
EXECUTE.
EXPLORE,
DESIGN,
EXECUTE.
EXPLORE,
DESIGN,
EXECUTE.
OUR PACKAGING DESIGN PROCESS
The first step is always the Exploration Phase - however for our Pack Design process, we break it down a bit further:
Define the scope: we’ll start by discussing the basics to understand the scope of the project: number of variants, expected size adaptions, design intent, consumer message, and finish preferences (cold foils, metallics, embossing, etc). We’ll review your branding and explore existing trends that would align with your existing visual identity.
Define the gold-standard: We’ll hold an intensive session of market and competitor research to see what works for other brands and identify opportunities to disrupt the market. We’ll have an internal discussion with yourself to truly understand the message behind the product - what are you trying to solve? What makes your product different? Why should customers pick you over others? We’ll review your brand guidelines and moodboard outwards from there to develop concepts that fit your brand and reflect your product in the best possible way and set you up to build for consumer loyalty. This step is essentially there to highlight and define everything you want the pack to be - it’s about building the foundation.
Define the restraints: As much as we hate to say it, compromise if often unavoidable in packaging design, be it due to budget, country-specific legal requirements, printer restrictions or something else. We’ve been in the industry for a long time, and can usually find creative solutions to work around these restrictions (for instance, we can often cut costs by moving to a different substrate or being clever about our ink station allowance; there are interesting ways to present the boring legal information mandated on pack; we’re able to recommend printers who provide the best value for money, or find creative ways to adapt to the restrictions they may have, such as splitting plates, reducing inks, etc) , but we need to identify and acknowledge them first.
The Design Phase - this is about more than the pack itself. Whilst we’re building the AW on screen, we need to ensure that it will translate well into a brightly lit shop or someone’s pantry. It’s not just about the printable AW, but the entire user experience: how does the pack feel, is it easy to use, does it align with current customer shopping trends (sustainability, value for cost, durability, etc). Packaging design is another limb of your overall brand identity and it should fit seamlessly with your overall message.
The pack itself needs to do it’s job, but it also needs to be translatable into a tiny little product image that will make people stop when they’re scrolling through an e-commerce store on their phones. We run all of our pack designs through various tests to ensure that the important content will be legible in that circumstance. These checks include legibility of written content; information hierarchy (brand first, followed by product, variant and size); colour contrast; colour blindness contrasts, etc. By checking all of these boxes early in the design phase we ensure that your pack shots and mobile ready hero images will be up to industry standard and won’t require any further edits (such as colour adjustments) in order to perform their job. This ensures consistency of pack regardless of where your customer is buying from, and builds reputation and customer loyalty.
The other thing that we’re very conscious of whilst designing is ensure that we implement a technique called Connected Pack - this essentially means that we strategically place QR codes on your pack and develop a compelling call to action with a strong value exchange offer to help you get scans. Not only does this code allow you to offer excess information on your product (enhancing the user experience, increasing convenience and building brand loyalty) but it also allows you to collect data such as number of scans and their location and demographic; this is an incredibly valuable tool that allows you to analyse where your products are selling well and where they’re not, so you can continually adjust and improve your marketing strategy.
And finally, the Execution Phase - Every printer is different and potentially have different specifications that we need to meet when building a design, so before we start building the final piece, we will reach out to your nominated printer and ask for their specifications and die line; this is so that we can save time by building the artwork correctly the first time and avoid a back-and-forth situation at the end of the project.
When designing a range of pack designs for the same range, we typically use a master-rollout scheme to save time and ensure consistency. This means that we will work on one nominated pack until completion, get sign off, and then use it as a template for the remaining variants. That first pack can then be sent to your printer for a final check whilst we’re producing the remaining designs.
Upon completion of the designs, you’ll receive files of all assets used within the designs, in their raw and printable formats. We offer ongoing support to all our clients, and are only ever a phone call away if you have any questions.