Packaging Design

What does packaging design do for your product?

Packaging design does more than protect a product. It makes the product noticeable on the shelf, explains what it is and carries your brand into the customer’s hands. Customers often meet a product for the first time through its packaging; they read from the box or the label what it is, who it is for and why it differs from the others. On this page we explain how a package is designed, which decisions shape the result and what we ask from you.

The four jobs of packaging design

• Protect: Keep the product intact through transport, storage and shelf life.
• Get noticed: Catch the eye on a crowded shelf or screen.
• Inform: State clearly what the product is, how to use it and the information that has to be there.
• Carry the brand: Remind people who the brand is after the product has come home.

Product packaging design balances these jobs. A box that only tries to attract attention can make the information hard to read, and a label that only focuses on information can disappear on the shelf.

Who is it for?

Packaging design is most often needed by manufacturers launching a new product, brands preparing products for supermarket or chain store shelves, companies starting to export and small businesses that sell handmade products online. A redesign also comes up for brands that notice their current packaging gets lost on the shelf or that their variants are mistaken for one another.

The first contact on the shelf

On a supermarket, pharmacy or store shelf, customers usually walk past products quickly. In that short moment, a package needs a color, shape or mark that can be recognized from a distance. In packaging design we do not think of the shelf as a single product but as a wall made of dozens of products side by side; how your product looks on that wall matters more than how it looks alone. In product packaging design, color and shape are noticed from a distance, and text only when the customer steps closer.

Packaging online

For products sold online, the package is first seen as a photograph. A box that appears as a small square in marketplace listings and search results needs a brand name and product name that are readable at that size too. Thinking about how the package will look in a photo together with the product photography plan during packaging design prevents problems such as reflections on glossy surfaces and color differences before they start. Whether the brand is recognized in a photo the customer takes or in an unboxing video depends on the package staying simple and distinctive.

For products that arrive by mail, the moment the box is opened is also a touchpoint. The outer shipping box, the inner packaging, a thank-you card or the paper wrapped around the product make up the customer’s first physical experience of the brand. For brands that sell online, packaging design means thinking about the inside of the box as much as the outside.

Information hierarchy in product packaging design

A package carries a lot of information, but not all of it is equally important. Good packaging design guides the customer’s eye first to the brand and product name, then to the variant and the main benefit, and last to the details.

1. Brand: Who the product belongs to.
2. Product name and type: What it is; customers should not have to guess.
3. Variant: Options such as flavor, color, size or weight.
4. Main benefit: The one feature that sets the product apart from the others.
5. Detailed information: Ingredients, usage instructions, manufacturer details and any other text your product category requires.

This order is not the same for every product. On a well-known brand the logo may come first, while on a new brand it may be more important to explain what the product is and why someone should choose it.

Variant system and color coding

For products with several variants, each package should read as part of the same family at first glance, and the variants should still be easy to tell apart. This usually means a fixed layout with a changing color, icon or pattern. In packaging design we build this system so that it can also hold variants you do not have today but may add later.

The jobs of the front and back panels

The front panel stops the customer and introduces the product; the back and side panels help them decide and carry the required information. In product packaging design, trying to fit everything on the front makes the package crowded and weakens the main message. On the back, the legibility of small text, the line length and the contrast between background and text need careful attention. When products are placed on the shelf turned sideways, the side panels can take over the job of the front, so repeating the brand name and variant on the side is useful.

Typography and legibility

Text on a package is often read on a small, curved or glossy surface. That is why in packaging design we choose a typeface not only for how it looks but for how clear it stays at small sizes and on different materials. Very thin type, tight letter spacing and small text over patterned backgrounds can easily become unreadable in print.

Using the logo and identity on the package

The logo does not have to be used the same way on every panel, but it must always be recognizable. How the logo will behave on a curved bottle label or a narrow box side should be planned in advance. If you do not have a logo yet, or yours causes problems at small sizes, handling logo design before the packaging work saves you from corrections later.

Structure, material and printing technique

Packaging design is more than graphics applied to a surface; the shape of the box, its material and the printing method also shape the result. The same graphic can look completely different on a cardboard box, a transparent pouch and the label of a glass jar.

Types of packaging

The surfaces covered by packaging design vary with the structure of the product. The most common types are:

• Folding cartons and rigid boxes
• Bottle, jar and tin labels
• Pouches, bags and flexible packaging
• Corrugated cardboard boxes for shipping
• Hang tags, bands and product sleeves
• Inserts, instruction leaflets and gift packaging

Die-cut template and mockup

For box packaging, the design is built on a template that shows the cut and fold lines of the unfolded box. This template usually comes from the packaging manufacturer or the printer, and its dimensions have to match the product and the production machine. After placing the design on the template, printing it on paper and folding it into a mockup is the easiest way to see whether the text lands on the folds. If a new box structure is needed, product packaging design starts with a structural study done together with the packaging manufacturer, before the graphics.

Printing methods and their effect on the design

Methods such as offset, flexo, digital printing and screen printing affect how many colors you can use, how sharp fine lines come out and what the cost is at a given quantity. That is why, before starting product packaging design, we want to know where and by which method the package will be printed. A small trial run and a high-volume series run may call for different design decisions.

Special finishes such as foil, embossing, spot varnish or a window cut add a sense of quality that you feel when you touch the package. But each one adds a step to production, so it is worth deciding together which of them really adds to how the product is perceived.

Color management

Your brand color may not look the same on cardboard, on a plastic pouch and on a metallic surface. In packaging design we decide in advance which main colors will be printed on which material by which method, and for critical colors we consider spot colors together with your printer. Checking parts of the same product family on different materials side by side prevents a series that looks inconsistent on the shelf.

Material and sustainability

If you aim for recycling or for using less material, these decisions should be discussed before the design starts. Plastic lamination on paper packaging, or mixed materials that are hard to separate, can make a package harder to recycle. A simpler choice of material is possible without lowering the value of the product when it is paired with the right design. Keeping the inner dimensions of the box close to the product also saves both material and shipping volume.

Our packaging design process

Every product has different needs, but our packaging design work follows a similar order. The steps aim for a package that works on the shelf, on the screen and on the production line at the same time.

1. Product, audience and shelf analysis

We talk about your product, who it is sold to, which price range it sits in and where it will be sold. Photos of the shelves where you sell, or plan to sell, are very valuable at this stage: the colors, shapes and language of competing products show the space where you can stand apart. We also ask how the product is transported, how it is stacked in the warehouse and how it is arranged on the shelf; which side of the box faces the customer depends on this information.

2. Concept and front panel trials

We first develop different ideas on the front panel of the package. We present packaging design proposals not alone but among competing products, as if placed on the shelf. That way you decide by looking at how the product will appear in its real setting, not by abstract preference.

3. Layout on the template

The chosen concept is applied to all panels of the die-cut template. Back panel text, the barcode area, recycling marks and other information are placed at this stage. For products with variants, one main package is completed first and the other variants are derived from it using the same system. In multilingual packaging, the length of text changes by language, so we leave flexible areas in the layout.

4. Mockup and testing

We print the package at real size, fold it and test it in hand, next to competing products and in photos. Text that looks big enough on screen but feels small in the hand, or a color that prints darker on paper than expected, is usually caught at this stage. In product packaging design, the mockup also lets you judge the feel of touching and holding, which you cannot see on a screen.

5. Print-ready files

The approved design is prepared for print according to the technical requirements of the printer or the packaging manufacturer. Bleeds, cut and fold lines, color separations, special finish layers and the legibility of small text are checked one by one. We recommend getting a proof before the first production run.

When the range grows

After the first product, when new variants, different weights or gift sets are added, the system we built pays off. If packaging design was set up with a family logic from the start, a new product can be prepared quickly by adding a new color or icon to the existing layout. This avoids starting from zero for every new product. The same logic applies to seasonal and limited-edition series; the recognizable elements of the family are kept while a color or pattern specific to the special series comes forward.

Mandatory information, barcodes and design protection

The information a package must carry varies by product category and is set by the relevant regulations. Categories such as food, cosmetics, cleaning products or toys have their own rules. We recommend that you or your advisor provide the content of these texts and check the current rules in the sources of the relevant authorities; we focus on making sure this information appears on the package in a readable and orderly way.

Barcode area

For a barcode to scan without trouble at the checkout, it needs to be large enough, placed on a high-contrast background and surrounded by empty space. We avoid placing barcodes on sharp turns of curved surfaces and on folds. Testing the barcode with a scanner when the print proof arrives is a simple but important check you can make before mass production.

Protecting the packaging design

The look of your package is also something that can be protected. According to the design page of the Turkish Patent and Trademark Office, the definition of a “product” under protection also covers objects such as packaging, graphic symbols and typographic typefaces. According to the same source, registered designs are protected for five years and can be extended up to twenty-five years with five-year renewals; unregistered designs first made available to the public in Turkey are protected for three years.

The basic conditions for protection are that the design is new and distinctive. We recommend getting support from a patent and trademark attorney for the registration application and legal assessment; in the design process we focus on producing a look that is your own and does not remind people of other products.

Scope and preparation for packaging projects

The scope of a packaging project

The scope of packaging design depends on your product structure and production conditions. When preparing a quote, we clarify these points with you:

• Number of products and variants
• Types of packaging: box, label, pouch or shipping box, for example
• Whether the die-cut template is ready or a new box structure is needed
• Special print finishes and material options
• Multilingual text needs and export markets
• Whether product photography or illustration is needed

Common packaging mistakes

• Judging the package only on screen and approving it without printing it at real size
• Trying to fit every piece of information on the front panel
• Using the same colors and language as competitors and getting lost on the shelf
• Marking variants with tones that are hard to tell apart
• Working with estimated dimensions instead of getting the die-cut template from the manufacturer
• Leaving the barcode and mandatory information to the last minute
• Thinking only about the front and leaving the side panels that show on the shelf empty or cluttered
• Going into high-volume production without a proof

What we need from you for a packaging project

• Product samples or dimensions, plus weight and volume information
• The packaging manufacturer and printer you work with or are considering
• The text that has to appear on the package and the barcode numbers
• The vector file of the logo and your brand color codes
• Photos of the competing products you will sit next to on the shelf

When a package takes its rules from your identity system, your products look consistent with your other materials as well; we cover this topic separately on our corporate identity page.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between packaging design and label design?

A label is a part of the packaging and is applied to bottles, jars or ready-made boxes. Packaging design covers the label as well as the structure and material of the box and all the surfaces the product passes through until it reaches the customer.

Does the product need to be ready before packaging design starts?

The exact dimensions and contents of the product need to be known. If the dimensions or the production method change, the die-cut template and the layout change too, so this information should be settled beforehand.

Do you determine the mandatory information on the package?

No. Mandatory information is set by regulation according to the product category, and you or your advisor need to provide its content. We focus on making sure this information appears on the package in a readable and orderly layout.

Can we refresh our current packaging without changing it completely?

Yes. The information hierarchy, typography and variant system can be reorganized while keeping the color or shape your customers already recognize. This approach helps loyal customers keep finding the product on the shelf.

Does product packaging design matter in e-commerce too?

Yes. When selling online, the package is first seen as a small product image and then reaches the customer by mail. If the brand looks recognizable and carefully made at both moments, it helps the customer remember it.

Do you design packaging for small production runs?

Yes. For small runs, a design planned together with digital printing and ready-made box and label solutions can make a brand look carefully made. When production grows, the same design system can be adapted to other printing methods.

Let’s design your product’s packaging together

Tell us about your product, your sales channels and what you expect from the packaging, and let’s map out a packaging design that looks right on the shelf and on screen. For an initial call, you can reach us through our contact page.