Audience
The importance of considering your target demographic is crucial for any
packaging design or
label design project. This is since there is a small window in which to pique a potential buyer’s interest. Like any undertaking where you are seeking to communicate effectively, you must first consider who the audience is. If not, you risk being overlooked.
For example, if your product is intended for seniors, a large font would be important to include in the final design. In this situation if a highly visible font is not used it will enable a senior to easily overlook your product – obviously not the desired outcome.
Your ultimate mission in
packaging design and in
label design is to make an instant connection with your audience. This is an impossibility if you never define one. Therefore, determining your audience will always be your first step and also be the top consideration in all subsequent stages.
Create Multiple Versions
Creating multiple drafts is a common practice in creative pursuits,
packaging design being no exception.
If new to this method it may seem that it would take more time and energy to create more than one version of something. It may take some more time, but the result is always better.
The timeline goes something like this: the first draft or two may not have anything good in them; the next few may have some kernels of good ideas in them and you mix and match these ideas; the last few are almost ready to go; then, finally, you decide on one and refine it to your liking.
When coming up with ideas don’t be afraid to experiment with the different variables that make up the packaging and try to come up with something markedly different in each version. For example, changing the fonts, colors, and even the material can change your perspective on what the
packaging design is conveying. Try to emulate one design on one version, on the next try to be outrageous, and on another try for minimalism.
It is an involved process that is fraught with frustrations, but the impact of the
right packaging design and labeling design should never be underestimated.
Show, Don’t Tell
The cliche of a picture being worth a thousand words is a cliche because it is true at its core,
packaging design proves this. Letting the layout, fonts, pictures, and colors pull most of the weight in the design does more than words ever could. In fact, the use of too many words in your packaging may dissuade people from picking up your product. This is not to say that using words on packaging is a sin of design, but let the words be correct and simple. They should fit in with the design and lend a hand to the visuals of the packaging, not become visuals themselves.
Ultimately, when
creating packaging design and label design you should tell a story of your brand or product, share your ideas, and reflect your product’s and company’s values. How do you want your product to be a part of people’s lives? Do you want your product to appear elegant and posh, or familiar and approachable? These questions are abstract, highly subjective, and difficult to answer, and because of that they are important to answer.
Being that there is taste and subjectivity involved in design, it is can be difficult to know where to begin. Using a professional who has years of experience and a wide range of types of products worked on is a wise decision rather than trying to wrestle with the problems that will arise in an area that may be new to you.
Lien Design, based in San Diego, California has the experience to draw on and artist’s touch to make your
packaging design and label design ensnare the consumers you desire!
