According to the Food Marketing Institute (FMI), the average supermarket in the USA carries roughly 41,000 different products. With so many competing items, standing out on the shelf is more than just about having a good design; it’s about creating a powerful impact and connection with the consumer. At Giant, we follow fundamental principles that ensure your packaging design is visually appealing and effective in driving sales. Here are five essential rules to keep in mind for your packaging design:
1. Clarity & Simplicity: Communicate Instantly
When consumers glance at a product, they spend just 4 seconds on average deciding whether it’s worth their attention. In that brief moment, your packaging needs to communicate two critical things:
- What is this product for?
- What is the brand behind it?
The shelves are full of complex designs that confuse rather than inform. We’ve all seen products with unclear messaging or cluttered graphics that fail to explain their purpose. Simplicity in design helps cut through the noise. Avoid overloading your packaging with too much information, and ensure the product’s use and brand are easily identifiable.
Pro Tip: Test your packaging in a real-life setting (e.g., placing it on a mock shelf) to ensure it’s readable and impactful from a distance.
2. Honesty: Set Realistic Expectations
It’s tempting to depict your product in its most glamorous form, but misrepresenting it on the packaging can backfire. For example, showing a cookie drenched in chocolate when it’s chocolate-flavored misleads the consumer. While the product might look beautiful, shoppers will be disappointed when they find it doesn’t live up to the image.
Being honest with your packaging builds trust. Consumers appreciate brands that accurately represent their products. Ultimately, trust leads to repeat purchases and positive brand associations. Make your product appealing, but don’t exaggerate beyond what you can deliver.
3. Authenticity: Be Bold and Original
With thousands of products on the shelves, authenticity will set you apart. Every brand needs a personality, and your packaging is one of the primary ways you express that. Ask yourself: what makes your brand different? How can you showcase your product’s personality in a way that others aren’t?
Bold design choices, unique visual elements, and even unexpected sources of inspiration can go a long way in creating something memorable. For instance, look outside your product category—spirit labels often exhibit stunning creativity that can inspire new approaches in other industries like food or cosmetics packaging.
Pro Tip: A strong brand voice and design consistency across all products reinforce authenticity and help consumers quickly recognize your brand.
4. Shelf Impact: Capture Attention Quickly
Your product is rarely seen alone; it’s usually placed among hundreds of competing items in rows and columns. In this crowded environment, shelf impact—the ability of a product to stand out when placed among competitors—is crucial. The more distinctive your design, the more likely it will grab a shopper’s attention from a distance.
Testing shelf impact early in the design process is critical. Simulate a real-world environment by placing your design in context with other products. Does it catch the eye? Does the color scheme or logo stand out amid a sea of similar products? These factors make all the difference in a consumer’s decision to pick up your product for a closer look.
Pro Tip: Use mock-ups of retail settings to test how your design stands up to competition, focusing on color, shape, and overall distinctiveness.
5. Extensibility: Plan for Future Growth
Successful packaging design goes beyond the immediate product and allows room for line extensions. Imagine designing beautiful packaging for an apple juice that looks beautiful, only to realize the design doesn’t work for an orange juice variant. Your initial concept may rely heavily on visuals tied to one product, limiting the ability to expand the product line without a major redesign.
To avoid this issue, consider future product variations during the design phase. Create a flexible packaging system that can easily adapt to new flavors, sizes, or sub-brands without losing its visual coherence. This way, your product line will look cohesive and professional, no matter how many versions are added.
Conclusion: Designing with Purpose and Impact
Packaging is the final message a consumer sees before making a purchasing decision. It’s your last chance to persuade them to choose your product over the competition. By following these five rules—clarity, honesty, authenticity, shelf impact, and extensibility—you’re setting your product up for success.
At Giant, we understand the delicate balance between design aesthetics and functionality, ensuring your product looks great and sells well. Contact us today for a no-obligation consultation on your next packaging design project!
By adhering to these guidelines, you’ll ensure that your packaging stands out and connects with consumers on a deeper level. Packaging is an art and a science; getting it right requires careful thought and creativity.
