Product Packaging Design for Kenya & Ghana: Complete Guide

Last Updated on December 6, 2023 by DesignerPeople

Did you know that the projected annual growth rate (CAGR) of industries in Kenya is projected to grow 4.8% from 2021 to 2026?

Being one of East Africa’s most developed countries, Kenya’s diverse culture is a massive reason for growing industries. The packaging industry represents approximately 2% of the entire GDP. Hence, the growth is evident.

If you are looking to set up a business in Kenya, your packaging design must stay relatable to the Kenyan people. Here are the top packaging design trends in Kenya and Ghana that will surely upscale your sales in no time. Let’s get started.

Cultural Elements in Packaging Design for Kenya & Ghana Products

The key is to connect well with the consumers of Kenya and Ghana. Incorporating the culturally rich heritage of Kenya and Ghana in your packaging designs can really put you ahead of your competitors. Let’s see how.

Symbolism and Traditional Motifs: Flag, Faces, Illustration

Many packaging designs in Kenya and Ghana feature traditional motifs to resonate with local consumers. Starting from the national flags to the faces of individuals of utmost importance to the people of Kenya and Ghana is a great way to celebrate the country’s heritage through your products.

Local Communication: Swahili and English

Language is the way to your consumer’s hearts and minds. Alongside English, integrate local dialects like Akan and Twi into your packaging designs to help local consumers become more aware of your brand.

Festivals & Traditions Patterns: African Motifs, Namibia Geometric Pattern

A key strategy to skyrocket your product sales is to include local festivals and traditions in the packaging design. This is a great way to communicate with the audiences and promote African culture worldwide.

Environmental and Ethical Designs: Wild Animals, Tree Abstract Art

Environmental sustainability is integral across every nation. Being home to stunning wildlife and landscapes, sizzle up your packaging designs with the abstract art of wild animals and greenery while promoting environmental awareness.

Packaging Design Trends in Botswana To Stay Ahead

Almost every company in Kenya and Ghana are investing in the best packaging design for their products. The key is to stay updated about the packaging design trends that will enhance the uniqueness and authenticity of your product packaging. Let’s check them out.

Natural, Earthy Colours

Natural, earthy tones are great for the organic industry. It is also a great way to capitalise on the sustainability movement among consumers. Simple and low-saturated browns, blues and greens are perfect to enhance the authentic ingredients in your product through the packaging design and increase sales.

Textures that add more depth to the design

When your potential consumers pick up your product from the retail shelf, they will likely feel the texture of the packaging that ultimately contributes to their experience with the product. By choosing high-quality textures like embossing and die-cut details, you can create an instant connection with them. Similarly, certain textures also contribute to successful brand recall within the Kenyans.

Traditional Typography

Embrace the local typography in your packaging designs, such as Swahili, English and Twi. It is one such distinctive trend that can give your products a significant edge over your competitors. Choose legible and minimalist typographies for your packaging design to successfully convey your brand and product information to the consumers.

Hand-drawn aesthetics

The sky’s the limit when it comes to graphics. Adding a human touch to your packaging designs through hand-drawn aesthetics, especially in this digital world, can create a distinct connection from person to person. Such custom packaging designs are great for building trust and loyalty among consumers.

Immersive storytelling through luxury packaging

The way to keep your consumers hooked to your packaging design and not explore the other options is immersive storytelling. Clean lines, unfiltered messages and restrained colour palettes remain timeless if you want your brand to resonate with the Kenyans. Share stories about your brand and the advent of the products with the consumers. However, keep it fun and engaging!

Cost of Packaging Design Work in Kenya

Now that you already know the top trends ruling the markets of Kenya and Ghana let’s take a quick look at how much it can cost you to create your first custom packaging design.

1. Freelancer Level (200 – 300 USD)

You can hire freelancers from different platforms such as Fiverr, Upwork, etc., simply look for suitable profiles, analyse their reviews and ask for their portfolio to get a decent understanding of their quality of craft. Depending on your design requirements and the freelancer’s experience, they can charge anywhere from 200-300 USD.

2. Agency Level (450 – 600 USD)

Agencies usually offer a plethora of services, inclusive of packaging designs. The best agencies provide logo designing, package design, ad designing, branding, web designing, brand identity and more such services. Depending on your requirements, their pricing plans range from 450 – to 600 USD.

3. Global Ad Agency (1000 – 5000 USD)

Global ad agencies usually have teams from across the world. Hence, you can get a diverse range of people working on your brand. Similar to ad agencies, they also offer a plethora of services for brands depending on your requirements, which will charge approximately 1000 – 5000 USD.

Projects Completed By DesignerPeople India

At DesignerPeople, our team has worked with many leading brands from Kenya and Ghana. Here’s how we helped them amplify their sales and revenue with high-quality packaging designs.

Papo Hapo

One of the renowned brands offering premium quality Maize Meal sourced from the finest maize mills in the nation. They wanted to keep their hero product – white corn, as the highlight while enhancing the overall design elements of their packaging design. The goal was to help the brand connect with the local customer base and increase sales.

We started with choosing simple yet impactful fonts that can effectively capture the attention of Kenyan consumers even on the busiest retail shelves.

Secondly, we highlighted their hero product and made it relatable to the local audiences to stir their interest in the product through the packaging design.

Next, we created a captivating visual appeal with a combination of a unique colour palette with hues of orange and other tones that made the product stand out.

All of this contributed to the successful retention of their loyal customer base while continuously adding new leads and sales to the sales funnel.

Johainah

Johainah is another leading brand from Ghana that was all set to launch the kid’s favourite Crispy Corn Curls in the market. The goal was to create a child-friendly and vibrant product packaging that would instantly attract the kids in the supermarkets.

We started with creating a fun mascot of a cartoon character that not only stays relatable with the children but also aligns with the overall brand identity. The eye-catching choices of colours and multiple designs ensured that every variant of the product lights up their excitement equally! Lastly, we conducted consumer testing with children to gather valuable feedback before we rolled out the design in the market.

These charming mascots and colours were readily loved by the children, making it one of the bestsellers in the market quickly. Their sales soared, and the brand further expanded its product line with more such variants and lovable mascots for the children!

Here, we have added some Inspiring packaging designs from Kenya & Ghana

Conclusion

The audience from Kenya and Ghana is highly inclined towards their diverse and rich heritage paired with environmental consciousness. Consider these prime aspects and the above-mentioned packaging design trends for your next design.

Instead of doing it all alone, hire our best designers, and just like our previous clients, our team will successfully create the best packaging design that will make your brand a hit in the African market this year!

India’s relationship with African Countries

In recent years, India and Africa have been partnering together for the growth and development of Africa on a global level. Starting from financial assistance to improving employment rates, food and water, health, technology and similar other sectors. There are numerous areas wherein India and Africa are closely working together for a successful future of the nation.

Author: Megha Malik

As a passionate entrepreneur and creative brand consultant with experience of 14 years in digital, branding and packaging industry, it is my honest effort to put my experiences and knowledge of industry towards readers. A chartered accountant by degree but a marketing personality in blood has motivated her to take in designing industry as a career. With her fun-loving personality and sharp branding skills, she is a great motivational speaker on her YouTube channel, an active member in various business channels offline as well as online. Do connect me personally via my LinkedIn and I love to share my expertise with you.