Great packaging for food and beverage brands isn’t about design elements: type, color, the number of certification logos on the front. No, packaging that slays combines functionality and emotional impact in a way that no other brand in the category can do.
So how can your team develop product packaging that outshines your competitors and sends out a Bat Signal to your audience?
Here are our 5 cardinal rules for disruptive packaging — with questions you can ask to evaluate whether your current system is working as well as it could.
Packaging Rule 1: It must stand out on shelf, both in store and digital.
- When’s the last time you walked the store and took photos of your category?
- Does your design system work when you’ve got a single or double slot, as opposed to an entire shelf?
- Is there evidence of a story on your packaging
- Does your logo or imagery hint at a larger mission that connects with consumers?
Packaging Rule 2: It must function as a poster or billboard.
- Is your look and feel simply irresistible? Does it project a charismatic attraction to consumers?
- Does it communicate boldly and simply? Does it read quickly?
- Does it stop someone mid-scroll or mid-walk down the aisle or mid-Instacart order with something that no other brand in the category has?
- Would the consumer be tempted to post it on Instagram or display it on the counter at home
Packaging Rule 3: It must communicate from a distance and up close.
(We call this the 30-10-3 Rule.)
- Does your package help the shopper find their way to the category?
- Are your brand and product identifiable from 10 feet away?
- Does the package tempt the shopper to reach for the shelf to pick it up?
- Is it novel enough to help the shopper filter out the noise (all the other brands on shelf)
Packaging Rule 4: It must invite physical interaction.
- Does the form or finish or image on the package make the consumer want to touch it, to interact, to know more?
- Does it create a moment of surprise and delight that transcends the mundane task of shopping for stuff
- Are they intrigued enough to turn over the box/bag/bottle and explore your brand’s story
Packaging Rule 5: It must deliver on the brand’s promise.
- Does it invite the consumer to align with the brand, to become part of its mission?
- Does it leverage your brand’s archetype?
- Does it sum up your ingredients and your certifications in a way that communicates the brand’s values
- Does it convey your brand’s unique personality, both visually and verbally
- Does the brand behave in the same way on shelf as it does on social media or other outlets where your fans find you
Recommended Reading on Killer Packaging Design
Leverage Your Brand’s Archetype
Increase Shelf Presence for Your Food or Beverage Brand
What Packaging Architecture System is Right for Your Brand?
Good Creative Lasts a Moment. Great Strategy Lasts for Years.