The 8 Steps in Packaging Design Process

Last Updated on December 3, 2024 by DesignerPeople

Process in any field is an essential aspect because process aligns an organized structure for completing any task productively. Today in 2022, knowledge regarding the packaging design process is not restricted up to designers or creative agencies. Even customers or aspirant designers should be aware of enriching the practical reality of packaging process.

To cherish the art of packaging, the global packaging design community comes together on National Packaging Day on May 7th of every year. This day is marked as a tribute to appreciating the most innovative and thoughtful packaging designs that demonstrate the artistic ideas, facts, and awareness shared by artists worldwide.

The packaging design of any product acts as the soul and brings life to the product. Product packaging design is the most influential element in a successful product launch. Around 72% of customers agree that packaging design can influence their purchasing decision. To gain excellent design, one has to follow the desired steps and process to reach expected results.

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7 Compulsory Questions to be asked before designing your product packaging

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  Who will be your intended audience?

  
  

The first and foremost requirement is to understand your target audiences well. This will help in directing some of the most crucial and game-changing decisions in your packaging design. Hence, before starting the designing process, know and segment your customer profile well.

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  What sales channel would you use?

  
  

To determine the right elements of your packaging design, you need to select the various sales channels you use, such as retail stores, e-commerce shipping, etc. every sales channel has different requirements for packaging, which is essential to determine beforehand for a seamless process in terms of understanding the shipping features, storage space, safety, etc.

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  How should the images and graphics be presented?

  
  

The appearance of your packaging includes various paramount factors, especially the fonts, images and graphics. To seal the customers’ first impression, you must focus on conveying the essence of the product through the packaging design and bringing a positive unboxing experience to the customer.

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  What is the normal supply chain path for your product?

  
  

There is always a risk of the product packaging being damaged during transit. Hence, understanding the standard supply chain path is paramount. Consider the shape, size and product type to determine the packaging elements accordingly. This will ensure the durability and security of your product throughout the transit.

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  What kind of material will be used for the packaging?

  
  

Your packaging material is equally responsible for how your design is presented in the final packaging. To maintain the structural integrity, look and feel of your product packaging, you must select the right material based on your desired price range, sales channel, safety requirements, etc.

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  What is the price of the packaging?

  
  

Starting from the design to the printing and assembly costs of the product packaging. You need to ensure that it should be consistent with your ROI goals and is sustainable for your budget for the future. You can also consult with a strategic packaging design specialist for assistance here.

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  Is the packaging environmentally friendly?

  
  

Sustainable and eco-friendly packaging always takes the cake for the consumers! Avoid using excessive plastics or materials that are harmful to the environment. The marketing team will have a new strategy of promoting the brand as an eco-friendly brand, gradually attracting more customers.

8 steps for the packaging design process which every packaging design agency should follow:

Step 1 – BRIEFING STAGE

This stage is most important because being the first stage potential of going things in right or wrong direction is decided by this stage. It acts as a roadmap wherein inputs from client acts as a crucial weapon in a clear understanding of the psychology of client around his/her brand.

The client here cannot expect to provide stone and gain gold, and he has to know where he wants to lead. Just like when you sit in cab, he will successfully reach you to the destination, but you need to inform him where you want to head.

Creative work is reflected through the quality of briefing and helps to bring dreams into reality. An experienced creative agency is versatile and knows how to unpack the brief. They figure out what is missing, what is working, and what doesn’t work on basis of the brief.

DesignerPeople –Briefing stage is done through telephonic or face to face communication. We understand the requirement of the client. Which industry do they belong to? Is it a startup or existing business? What are their products? If they want design for logo, packaging, web, or any other services.Which market they want to launch there product? In packaging design, we understand number of masters, variants and size adaptations to be done. This briefing allows us to grasp the relevant and basics of the project.

Step 2 – PROJECT PLANNING

Planning is a predetermined course of action which allows us to create a systematic framework of the project. Factors such as budgeting, quality, deadlines and manpower allocation done at this stage. The great plan often wins the half battle because if resource allocations are done effectively, then results will always be value-based.

A great project plan keeps the designer honest and makes sure results remain on track without deviating budget and deadlines.

DesignerPeople– Depending upon the requirements received in the briefing stage. We then work on relevant costing, deadlines and project manager is allocated as per expertise required.

We communicate costing by sending quotation through the mail and then telephonically inform them about the time frame required for completion of the project.

Step 3 – RESEARCH

Today we have a lot of brands around us, and all such brands don’t gain media and advertising support. Hence retail package on the shelf acts as an advertising campaign and has to manage massive responsibility on its shoulders. Package design role is to attract attention, engage the consumer, build positioning and convey a brand’s story and convince the consumer to buy.

There are two battles which need to be won

1. Customer should notice product with in 3 seconds
2. Customer should place your product into his cart. Customer Decide within initial 7 seconds.source

Both steps are possible by productive and honest research

Research is done by three steps, such as follows.

(A).Client research

As the name suggests it is input gained in detail about the brand from customer end wherein inputs are obtained for below questions.

• Will advertising play any marketing role in supporting the package design
• Which retailers or wholesalers or online medium are likely going to carry the brand?
• Which competitor brands compete most directly with the product?
• Why do you want to change the current package?
• Factors client wants to sustain from existing packaging.

(B).Market research

Here positioning of the brand is crafted where in SWOT analysis, primary, secondary survey’s are conducted as per the relevant requirement depending upon the type of product or services.

Industry type and relevant information are also studied.

Blend of both the qualitative and quantitative research done, to make better design decisions based on high-quality insights.

(C). Design Strategy

The design strategy is an essential strong foundation for successful packaging design and depends on research. Factors which are involved in this process are the type of colours, font, shape, hierarchy, value propositions and content.

DesignerPeople – We mail client forms for packaging design, which will provide us with the input of very relevant information.Such as their preferred colours, competitors, their brand USP, which will help us to construct their positioning and hence the brand story.

We also conduct competitive research domestic as well as internationally if required. Type of industry and its values analyzed as a brand strategy. Then designing strategy is decided as per research and inputs gained

Step 4 – DESIGN DIELINE

Dieline is the flat diagram which is showing all the cut lines and folds of package. Dielines are mostly created in Illustrator and should be perfect. Before the design phase start’s, packaging designer should ensure packaging shape type and accordingly draw packaging die-line which is suitable and relevant. Any mistake in Dieline will lead to big blunder in upcoming steps and will waste time, cost as well as efforts.

DesignerPeople -Each client has his requirement in terms of sizes, so depending on size and its needs, we design dieline. The innovative shape of packaging which will satisfy functional as well as creative role.

Step 5 – DESIGN CONCEPTS

Once the positioning is done at research stage next is identifying the target market and target audience. Thus once project manager freezes on this part, they will share and explain target, segmentation and positioning details with a graphic designer.

Front of the pack-The brand story majorly influences design concepts, depending upon story type, colours, font, theme and its overall packaging essence is decided. The design should be authentic, transparent and honest, which should satisfy both factors of being creative as well as practicality.

Packaging design melds graphics, shapes, materials and more to develop functional role which will appeal on many sensory levels such as visually, tactilely and emotional.

These days packaging should be shelf ready because role of Modern trade chains is gaining huge popularity. Today consumers prefer supermarkets or hypermarket for shopping and so product should have appeal on font of packaging.

Appropriate weight on size of brand name and product name should be decided, tagline, benefits, images and font style should be designed in such a way that visually consumer should grasp information in a single glance.

Back of Pack-In this step, the graphic designer develops creative magic and makes sure packaging is designed with legal and mandatory guidelines. Which are such as information on ingredients, barcode, nutritional facts, FSSAI and UPC codes.

Initial photography and illustrations will act as initial ideas for photo or images which will later be refined as per requirement by the client.

Brand identity, colour, target customer, font, image, check on the initial stage of designing occurs in this step.

DesignerPeople – project heads analyze target group and creative sketches done once project managers brief graphic designers. Then brainstorming of creative graphic designers leads to the creation of multiple designs which will go to the client.

Step 6 – DESIGN REFINEMENT FOR 100% CLIENT SATISFACTION

Packaging design here is polished and refined for the last time, determining the necessary finish. The client may request changes for typography, colour, and graphic imagery. The objective is to ensure the final design communicates the intended output.

DesignerPeople – Multiple design options sent to a client in the above step and customer as per his needs and preferences will share required changes inputs. We again rectify as per client need and send back revised file to the client.

In this stage, we give careful attention is given below points

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  Shapes of the font

  
  

According to the client, the font’s shape may need to be more appealing and easier to decipher. This requires a new inspection to adjust the shape and the other elements further.

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  Establishment of brand identity

  
  

We make a thorough assessment if the packaging design aligns with your brand identity and highlights your brand’s strengths, as this is another game-changing factor that contributes to your brand’s position and reputation.

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  Layout, brand story and positioning

  
  

Another important factor that plays a significant role in your branding is the layout. We ensure that the layout fits perfectly per your packaging sizes and that the brand story and positioning are loud, clear and attractive in your packaging design.

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  All copy is proofread

  
  

The final copy is proofread before submitting it to the client, wherein we check that all the requirements are fulfilled accurately.

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  Alterations are done

  
  

Based on the client’s required alterations, we will modify the different elements in the packaging design to bring their vision into reality.

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  Colours and imagery reviewed

  
  

The colours and graphical elements added to the design are rechecked in this stage. We analyse whether the colours or images contrast or do not suit the brand story.

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  Guidelines and regulations checked

  
  

Last but not least, we will check the guidelines and regulations based on the industry standards of the product before delivering the final copy to the client again.

Step 7 – PRINT READY FILES WHICH BRINGS PACKAGING INTO REALITY

Once the design is frizzed by the client then mock and open views of the product are sent to the client.

The finished art team will share the highest quality of finished artwork, ensuring that it’s print-ready.

In printing stage, one has to be aware of printing colour process to decide whether to use Pantone or CMYK colours. Pantone colours are specific and take highly precise mixes of ink to create an accurate colour. It uses pre-determined colours to “match” a specific colour used in the design process.While CMYK is four colours used in printing colour process such as cyan, magenta, yellow and black.

The design production team then takes layouts from finished art to pre-press and digital-ready states.

Then the printing process is done with collaborating with printing agencies.

DesignerPeople-Proto version established once the design is finalized by the client.This will be followed by final proofreading to check bugs, text readability status, look, colour and overall physical feel. We collaborate client for printing with established and active printing partners.

Step 8 – MARKET REVIEW

Once the product is launch in the market, post packaging feedback taken from the actual market. Market survey answers many question regarding product acceptance and sales. How product is performing in modern and general trade.

DesignerPeople-We review packaging design from market and feedback taken from client to understand results such as growth in sales, brand awareness, improve in brand identity and many more.

Check out below exclusive designs which productively satisfies each step mentioned above in packaging design process.

FAQ

CONCLUSION

Packaging design is as important as the product inside, so make sure you give your best when you are designing your packaging. Packaging essentially is the first impression that has the power to attract consumer’s attention and convince for purchasing. Hence to create effective design follow processes and make sure adequate resources involved which will enhance quality as well as productivity.

Hope we have clarified about steps involved in package designing process which will help you to organize structural framework. If you are planning to design or redesign packaging, then we are always there to support you. Because when you trust and enter our premises, your brand is ours.

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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.