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Industry Innovation

8 Retail Food Packaging Design Tips to Follow

Is Your Retail Food Packaging Design up to Par?

Designing pacages on a computer.
T

hink about the brands that you love - Reese's, Kraft, Lucky Charms. What do they all have in common? To these companies, food packaging is a serious art and science. If you want to make sure that you have the best food packaging designs, then you want to make sure that you follow the eight tips laid out below. And of course, consulting with a company to help you do it is always a great idea.

1. Display a Brand Identity

One of the most important things to do when you design food packaging is to make sure that it aligns with your brand and your brand identity. A lot of customers buy food because they know the brand. If they see that there are five brands of the food that you want, they will most likely choose the brand that they are familiar with. This is why it is crucial to display your brand and follow your brand identity.

2. Think of Retail Food Packaging Architecture

When you think of retail food packaging, you have to design your food packaging with architecture in mind. This means that you have to consider the form, the function, and the beauty of the food packaging design. You want the function to protect the inside of the package, the form to be in line with the size and shape of the contents in it, and the design to look pleasing to the customer.

3. Keep It Simple

The last thing you want to do when you are thinking of food packaging ideas is to make it too complex. You want to keep your food packaging simple and straight to the point. If it is too complex, your customers are not going to know what is inside and could even get overwhelmed with the packaging. The more simple it is, the more someone sees the food and will not overthink it. A great example of a product that does this well is Justin's.

4. Be Versatile With the Packaging

When you package your food products, you don't necessarily know how the food product is going to be displayed in a store. For instance, some shelves are smaller, than others so they may need to place the product horizontally. On other shelves or in other stores, it could be vertical. Because of this, you want to ensure that you are able to display what your product is at all angles and positions. This will allow it to be put anywhere while still being seen by the customer.

5. Consider Limited Editions

Everyone loves surprises. And that doesn't stop at food packaging! It can be really exciting if you create limited editions for special events or holidays. For instance, you may see Starbucks come out with their limited edition coffee cups and drinks every holiday season. Some cookie brands change their packaging based on the seasons as well. When you do this as a packaging brand, you are drawing consumers in and keeping their interest.

6. Consider the Materials

When you package food products, you want to consider the materials that you use. Part of what you need to think about is whether your customers would like the materials that you use. But there are other things to think about in terms of materials as well.

For instance, consider how the material will protect the contents inside of the packaging. You want it to keep it good for as long as possible. You also want to make sure that the materials aren't bulky or take up too much space, as this is both annoying for a store and a consumer to have.

Lastly, consider making your packaging sustainable. Many consumers love when they are able to recycle and even better, you could use recycled materials to begin with.

7. Play with Design

One of the best parts about designing food packages is that you can play with the colors, texture, designs, and materials of the packaging to get the perfect fit that you love.

While you do want to ensure that the packaging is simple, you should also not be afraid to make it bright or bold, have a fun pattern, or even an interesting texture! This can attract more customers to your brand over other brands. It is great to stand apart in this way.

Additionally, when you do stand out in a bold way, customers will have a hard time forgetting your packaging. They can spot it from anywhere, which will increase your brand identity, and therefore, the brand loyalty that you receive.

8. Make Sure the Packaging Complements the Contents

When you package your food, you definitely want to ensure that your packaging is matching the contents that are inside. This means that if you have cookies, they probably shouldn't just be in a box. It is best to put them in a carton to keep them from getting crushed. This is why Pringles are in tubular cans so that they stay in the right position to be in the best shape for the customer!

Food Packaging Tips - Do It the Right Way

When it comes to food packaging, you want to make sure that you are doing it the right way! By following these tips, you will be sure to appeal to the customers that you want.

Ready to get started with designing the perfect creative food packaging? Contact us at It's All Goods to help you come up with the perfect design that you and your customers love!

June 9, 2023