1.Packaging Design Must Align Closely with Brand Strategy
Brand strategy is abstract, while product packaging is tangible. Packaging design translates abstract strategic concepts into visual language that consumers can quickly understand. Enabling consumers to grasp the brand’s strategy is the first step toward success.
2.Create a Differentiated Visual Identity
Packaging serves as the core communication medium for a brand. A personalized brand visual system makes packaging a strong selling point. Differentiated packaging visuals enhance consumers’ purchasing power. This differentiation is reflected in contrasts with competing products/brands, breaking traditional thinking, and avoiding monotony.
3.Add Iconic Elements to the Packaging
Iconic elements are the brand’s “visual hammer.” They represent super creativity, selling power, and the essence of successful packaging. These elements could be a distinctive pattern, a unique bottle shape, or an unconventional color palette that powerfully embodies the brand’s image.
4.Packaging Design Requires a “Shelf Mindset”
Purchasing is a critical step in marketing communication, and all efforts ultimately aim at triggering this action. Purchases often occur at the shelf, so every creative idea must be shelf-oriented. Consider every display location of the product as a “shelf.” Whether in supermarkets, convenience stores, e-commerce platforms like Taobao, JD.com, and Tmall, or media channels like TV ads, newspapers, online articles, TikTok, Weibo, and WeChat, they all function as “shelves.” This awareness ensures consistent focus on maximizing visibility and appeal across all touchpoints.
5.Focus on the Consumer Experience
Consumer experience begins the moment they see the packaging. From seeing, touching, opening, to taking out the product, the entire process forms the consumer’s experience. Packaging design should start from the consumer’s perspective, aiming to create convenience, warmth, or surprise. A design that understands the consumer is a good design.
6.Leverage Packaging Copy Effectively
Many designers focus heavily on graphics while overlooking the importance of copywriting. Packaging is not only a medium for conveying brand value but also amplifies it. Great taglines strike a chord with consumers, evoke emotional resonance, create value recognition, and drive purchases.
7.Packaging is the Best Advertising Space for a Brand
Packaging is a crucial touchpoint between the brand and consumers. For brands with limited advertising budgets, packaging serves as the most valuable advertising space. It creates product added value, builds brand culture, shapes brand identity, and becomes a powerful tool for brand communication. Core information should be prioritized and strategically arranged on the layout to ensure clarity and impact.
