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Custom Packaging Design Guide

October 11, 2022

Launching a new product line? Updating your branding or logo? Looking to switch packaging providers for your business? If you found yourself nodding “yes” in response to these questions, this is the custom packaging design guide for you. Simply put, packaging can make or break your bottom line.

Online or In-Store, Packaging Matters

The custom packaging design choices you make play a huge role in overall product success, especially when it comes to where your product is primarily being sold. Think about this as you prioritize design elements — this should include things like balancing protection with aesthetics depending on your answer. For example, if the product is sold online and needs to be shipped, the packaging should be lightweight and easy to pack to save time and money. On the other hand, in-store shoppers need a design that catches their eye.

Consider Your Current Branding

Beyond social media or paid advertising, packaging is one of the most effective branding tools at your disposal. It needs to be creative but also add cohesion to another branding you’ve implemented. Boil your message down to one sentence or a few key phrases and use that to guide your creative design process. Don’t overlook other branding elements in your custom packaging design, like logos, trademarked catchphrases, or other graphics that quickly identify your products and brand for customers.

Design Packaging for Size and Shape

Large items need simple, streamlined boxes, while fragile products need room for filler to help protect them. Don’t make the mistake of designing packaging without considering the product or even the line of products it belongs to. You want a cohesive look across your inventory catalog for brand visibility purposes, and this is often sacrificed in the name of price. A one-size-fits-all approach to custom packaging will inevitably backfire, especially if it’s deemed too wasteful or unwieldy by discriminating shoppers.

Keep It Simple

As you travel through the custom packaging design process, build on a foundation of simplicity. This doesn’t mean your packaging has to be boring, but the information you share should be clear, and the visual design shouldn’t distract customers from knowing precisely what you’re selling. That being said, you also need to find a way to stand out from the competition and showcase how your brand is unique. Make your logo visible so shoppers can recognize your brand at the outset, and use thematic design to tie into your marketing.

Tell a Story

Ultimately, your packaging needs to tell a story. Now more than ever, your shoppers look online for information before making a purchase. They also share their thoughts and pictures of your product and packaging on social media. Make sure your design is something you’d be proud to show off online and makes sense compared to another product packaging you currently have. This is the age of influencers, and your packaging needs to stand out in oversaturated social media feeds.

Sustainability Matters

Don’t overlook the sustainability of your packaging choices, especially when it’s intended for large, bulky items. Regardless of your organization’s mission and industry, customers are increasingly interested in brands that make eco-friendly choices, right down to their packaging. “Greening” your design can mean using recyclable materials or creating something that can be reused or repurposed to complement the product.

Work With Butler MSI

Custom cardboard packaging must be perfectly designed, sized, and executed, using strength, design, color, and typography to your advantage. Custom boxes make it easier to package your product attractively for the customer and give your brand attention as they move through the shipping process. And when the box is attractive and functional, the consumer may keep it for other purposes.

To make this work as a successful packaging design process, you need to work with reputable partners with experience and expertise to turn your vision into a reality. Our designs focus, first and foremost, on structural integrity and aesthetic appeal. We work with you every step of the way, and you receive a full-color prototype before production. When we do our work right, everything lines up to help you sell your product. Talk to us about your custom packaging needs; let us partner with you on this critical aspect of your marketing. Contact us today to get started!

December 26, 2024
Successful POS Design Pushes Traditional Marketing Strategies To Another Level. Point of Sale marketing in 2018 took traditional marketing methods – unique design, eye-catching presentation, effective branding with clear messaging, a clear tieback to existing consumer advertising, targeting emotional triggers, and an awareness of the shopper's journey – and pushed them to the limits of creativity. Studies in point-of-sale effectiveness showed that in 2016, properly leveraged marketing initiatives resulted in an average of 9.2% sales lift and that 40% of shoppers recalled the merchandising displays. As marketing has become more complex, these numbers have improved, and it’s been found that the most successful campaigns didn’t prioritize one method over any other but rather ensured each factor was leveraged to the fullest to maximize the impact of the overall strategy. Marketing is More than Matching Form to Function Across every industry and market segment, setting your brand apart from the competition is a fierce and driving force that informs every business decision. The process of marketing is no exception – companies everywhere have come to understand that customers can get whatever service you offer from a myriad of sources, so a successful marketing plan can usher consumers beyond any concerns of quality and focus their behavior on the one thing you can control: the journey they take in buying your product. Don’t Think Outside the Box, Leave the Box at Home Successful creative marketing approaches break down the boundaries around how consumers expect to consume and interact with your brand. Bold, compelling designs, larger-than-life displays, interactive or dynamic displays, and point-of-sale media that not only showcase the product but draw the user into the unique experience your brand has to offer. And don’t stick to only static floor installations. Explore shelf edging, ceiling-hung displays, or signage and displays for register counters. Approach your marketing without limitations on space and location, and open the door to all of the possible ways to engage consumers. Show and Tell with Clear Branding and Messaging While creativity is necessary, clarity is just as important. The last thing you want consumers to do is look at your POS branding and either not be able to tie your product to it, or worse, not understand the message you’re trying to get across. Your brand should be front and center, and the supporting messaging or call to action should cleverly play into your brand without straying too far afield. An energy drink display modeled after a refueling jet or a gas station is not only clever and engaging, but on-brand and appropriate. A display focused on your brand’s new chocolate bars combining imagery of clowns having a party on a yacht inviting consumers to dive in? Memorable, sure, but in none of the right ways. POS Displays are Breadcrumbs on the Trail Back to Your Brand A cohesive marketing campaign requires your point of sale materials to tie back to your overall brand image and message. As with the example above, great POS displays tell a story and paint a picture consistent with your brand presence across all mediums. Think about it from the perspective of the Apple aesthetic, where you can instantly recognize the sleek minimalistic design of an Apple product. Consumers should be able to see your branding anywhere – the store, online, on a billboard – and instantly recognize consistency in your messaging and presentation. Disrupt Routine with Emotion Let’s go back to the crucial element in marketing that successful campaigns take into account: the market is oversaturated, no matter the market niche to which you cater. All of the guidance discussed to this point is meaningless if you’re marketing department cannot embrace this one guiding principle: you’re not selling a product or service. You’re selling what it feels like to engage with your product or service. You’re honing in on the emotions and the place your product should hold in a consumer’s life. Your material must embody that aesthetic, that a lifestyle where your brand plays a role is the lifestyle they would prefer to anything else. Don’t Be Passive, Take Control of the Consumer Journey Building effective eye-catching, emotion-inducing POS displays for your product isn’t enough in the modern marketplace. Buying and shopping habits have shifted and more decision-making occurs before customers step foot into a brick-and-mortar retail space, requiring a marketing approach that places you squarely into the consumer journey. Engage digital throughout your marketing efforts – from targeted online advertisements that draw consumers to your brand to engaging and digital-savvy store installations that incorporate video and digital POS displays when consumers follow your advertising into the store and complete their journey to where your product is displayed. A Firm with a Successful Track Record in POS Design You want your product to stand out and make an emotional impact on consumers. You’ve created a solid branding and marketing plan, and need to find a solutions provider with a track record of success and the ability to bring your visions to life in ways that will draw consumers to your brand and maximize the return on your marketing initiative. Or maybe you’re a small business just starting and you could use some help in designing your marketing strategy to support your product. Whatever your needs might be, contact the award-winning team at Butler Merchandising Systems, LLC. today to collaborate on your next project.
By Butler MSI Team October 21, 2024
With online shopping growing rapidly, physical stores are under increasing pressure to stand out to the average consumer. Out of all the possible ways to differentiate yourself from your e-commerce competitors, visual merchandising is crucial in attracting foot traffic and driving sales.
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