There are a number of factors that you must consider when designing and creating packaging for your product. These include the type of product, the size of the product, the target audience, how it will be displayed in the store, and whether or not it will be shipped. Let’s look at these factors a little more.
Type of Product
There are as many types of products on the market today as there are people to invent them. From large appliances to tubes of lip balm and from TVs to DVDs, the array of products is nearly limitless. Know your product and determine the most appropriate packaging for it. If you manufacture ice cream, your package will need to be able to withstand moisture and freezing. If you make delicate blown glass figurines, your packaging will need to be sturdy yet dainty. Most types of pill bottles should be child-proof, yet able to be opened by arthritic fingers.
Size and Shape of Product
The size of your product will figure prominently into you design concept. The package should be of sufficient size to accommodate the product comfortably, yet not so large that the packaging is wasteful and a nuisance. Try to make your packaging about the same shape as the product. This won’t hold true for some types of products. A jar, bag, or box works perfectly well to hold cookies, nuts, flour, and many other food items. But many products should go inside a similar-shaped package.
How the Product Will Be Displayed
This is another very important aspect of packaging to consider. There are a number of ways that merchandise is displayed in a store, from hanging on hooks to shelving to smaller boxes that become shelf displays for impulse buying, usually in the checkout aisles. If your product will be shelved along with dozens of other, often similar, products, you will want to make your packaging unique so that it will stand out from the others. Choose a new color of box, design attractive graphics, use a window box that shows the product inside, or make the packaging a different shape. Also, consider if your packaging will be in a counter display. For this, it will need to be eye-catching while remaining efficient. Even though you want the package to basically follow the lines of the product, there are creative ways to circumvent this rule to make a unique and eye-grabbing package.
Will the Product Be Shipped?
There are some items that will only be packaged for shipping. Items like lawn mowers, small loose toys, books and magazines, and fresh produce are just some examples. Packaging for these types of items needs to be sturdy so that the product isn’t damaged in transit. Most products that are packaged for retail sales will also likely be packed inside a larger, sturdier carton for shipping. It is still a good idea to have the display packaging be reasonably sturdy, especially if the contents are fragile. Fragile items such as Christmas ornaments can get broken even when they are double boxed if the individual ornaments are placed in flimsy boxes that crush easily.
