How to examine packaging design

How to examine packaging design

the packaging design seems simple, but it is not; When an experienced packaging designer executes a design case, he considers not only visual mastery or structural innovation, but also whether he has a comprehensive understanding of the product marketing planning involved in the case. Without comprehensive product analysis, positioning, marketing strategy and other pre planning, packaging design is not a complete and mature design work. The details of the birth of a new product are quite complicated through the internal R D, product analysis, positioning to marketing concept and other processes, but these processes are inseparable from the formulation of packaging design direction. When the designer plans a case, if the business owner does not provide these information, the designer should also take the initiative to understand and analyze

before analyzing the packaging design, we should first clarify the differences between "products" and "commodities": an unpacked content is a "product", and a packaged product is a "commodity". It can be seen that a product must pass through "packaging" to become a commodity sold on shelves in stores

first, the main purpose and basic functions of packaging

■ the purpose of packaging

introduce goods: through the elements on the packaging, make consumers understand the content, brand and name of goods

labeling: information such as the shelf life of commodities, nutrition tables, bar codes, load-bearing restrictions, environmental protection labels, etc. must be clearly marked in accordance with laws and regulations

communication: in order to enhance the corporate image, some enterprises will attach some caring publicity and search on the package. Generally, they are raising children's or positive advocacy messages, so as to have a benign interaction with consumers

occupy the shelf position: the final battlefield of goods is in the store. Whether it is the shelf in the store or the vending machine, how to compete with the competitive brand and how to create a better visual space are all the considerations of packaging design

invigorate and stimulate the desire to buy: the combination of packaging design and advertising can make consumers remember commodities and stand out from the diverse commodities on the shelf

self selling: commercial packaging is the packaging that consumers have the most contact with. Now there is no longer the sales behavior of salesperson promoting or recommending in the store, but direct face-to-face communication with consumers through packaging. Therefore, a good packaging design must truly provide commodity information to consumers, and let consumers browse quickly in 3 seconds at a distance of 60 cm (general hand length), At a glance, "I'm what you need!" Therefore, successful packaging design can make goods easily achieve the purpose of self-sale

promotion: in order to clearly inform the information of commodity promotion, the packaging must sometimes be redesigned to match the promotion content, such as increment, discount, price reduction, buy one get one free, free gifts and other promotion content

■ basic functions of packaging

centralized, storage and carrying: through "bag" and "loading", products can be centralized and placed in the same space for convenient storage, measurement, pricing and carrying

convenient for delivery and transportation: products from the place of origin to the hands of consumers must be packaged before they can be assembled and transported to stores for sale

message notification: through the material and form of packaging, let consumers know the properties of content and convey consumption information

preserve products and prolong service life: depending on the attributes and needs of commodities, sometimes in order to prolong the service life of commodities, the functionality of packaging is often better than visual performance, and even more packaging material costs must be paid. The development of packaging materials such as cans and fresh houses allows consumers to use goods without being affected by time and space

under pressure: due to stacking or transportation, the selection of packaging materials is also the key; For example, sausage, darling and other commodities are packed with nitrogen, so that the air in the package has enough buffer space, so that the product will not be crushed or deformed

resistance to light, oxidation and ultraviolet rays: in many countries, there are regulations that some goods must use packaging materials that are resistant to light, ultraviolet rays and oxidation to prevent deterioration

II. Packaging design endows commodities with added value

in addition to the above-mentioned basic functions, packaging design shoulders a wider range in the current competitive consumer market. From the following points, we can see the added value given by packaging design

convey commodity culture: this item is related to advertising. From the advertising image, consumers generally have a certain impression and understanding of the corporate culture, so the product packaging must be roughly consistent with the corporate image. For example, Baijia black cold capsule and advertising appeal echo each other

improve the added value of goods: after the goods are used up, the packaging can be reused. In addition to increasing the added value of goods, it also reduces the amount of packaging waste. In this way, enterprises and consumers can do their part for environmental protection

brand image re extension: there are many operation modes for brand image extension. Packaging design is a way, and advertising appeal is also a means. For example, Lipton takes the yellow color block as the basis for brand image extension. The medium or method depends on the communication between the owner and the designer

basic cognition of participating in and implementing packaging design

■ confirm the purpose of product launch

the launch of new packaging is not necessarily the launch of new products. The marketing planning of products affects the design direction of packaging. Therefore, confirming the purpose of product launch is the most basic cognition in packaging design

new brands and new products: the introduction of new products in the market must have a new brand

general products of new brands: general products have many competitive brands in the market. In order to establish different brand images, it is necessary to establish a new brand for differentiation, such as the NAC NAC baby cleaning products series of liyingfang

new products of original brands: when existing brands develop towards new products, it is also necessary to integrate the original brand image into the packaging of new products. For example, bath milk is not a new product for the market, but for the original series of products of curved brand, it is a new product when the journey is within the standard range; Three in one milk tea powder is not a new product in the market, but a new product for "Lipton" product line

new flavors and new items of existing products: extend existing products, such as the introduction of new flavors or the deployment of ingredient ratios

packaging of existing products (old products and new ones): in order to meet the needs of different channels or public conditions, the same content will adopt different packaging designs due to different channels. Generally speaking, most of these goods are of low concern and need to stimulate consumers' desire to buy through clever packaging. For example, luxurious silk stockings are packed in gift boxes

increase of existing products: often in a competitive environment, operators are unwilling to reduce prices and promote sales, but instead increase internal capacity

new product launch + promotional SP: promotional packages launched in conjunction with the launch of new products to attract the attention of various channels or consumers

existing products + promotional SP: in order to promote irregularly in special channels, it is often limited by time, and often can take existing products plus gifts as promotional means

existing product portfolio: business owners recombine their products or consumers combine product flavors according to their personal preferences

gift packaging of existing products (for specific festivals): gift boxes launched in response to specific festivals

in order to inform the launch of new products, the business owners will gather dealers in all channels to hold a launch briefing, in which, in addition to explaining the product characteristics and sales niche, they will also give sales kits to dealers; This method has gradually become a new marketing method

■ understand the demands of goods from the perspective of strategy

before packaging design, we must fully communicate with the business owners, which can not only avoid wrong attempts, but also save time and cost of mutual exploration. From the perspective of strategy, designers should first grasp the key points that business owners want to show, so that the design direction can be accurate

shaping brand image: packaging design takes the performance of brand image and purpose as the main demand

new product notification: when Lipton Ming leisure three-dimensional tea bag is newly launched, the information notification of "three-dimensional tea bag" is the focus of the design

new item notification: refers to the expansion of product items of existing commodities, such as the launch of new flavors, or the new launch of "night safety" and "lengthening" of women's hygiene products

strengthen product functions: tell the unique selling proposal of the product. For example, Lipton tea leisure three-dimensional tea bag, the space of the three-dimensional tea bag can make the original tea fully stretch and taste more mellow

strengthen the use situation: it is mostly used in the product packaging of emotional appeal. If the taste of the contents of canned coffee is basically the same, packaging is needed to create a unique situation of "Blue Mountain coffee" or "Manning coffee"

expand the consumer group: when the market pie has become saturated or stable, ambitious business owners tend to create another market. For example, as the shampoo market of Futong becomes more and more saturated, some manufacturers launch various formulas to explore another market

crack down on competitive brands: the most obvious example is incremental package. The "no price increase for value-added enjoyment" is really charming for consumers and more destructive for competitors

low price strategy (sell high and sell low): it is mostly used for gifts on pack or promotional goods. For example, consumers can buy at a higher price to get exquisite gifts at a lower price

arouse interest and attention: use characters or topics to combine with packaging design to tell stories for the launch of products. For example, Taiwan once introduced six drinks with the bottle type designed by celebrity Yang Huishan, which indeed caused a wave of popularity in the early stage of listing, but if the business owners do not operate carefully, consumers may weaken their loyalty because of the fading curiosity

combined with advertising Stories: through the collocation of advertising stories, consumers will have a deeper impression on the goods

after confirming the purpose of product launch and understanding the demands of goods, packaging designers should be able to easily cut into the design focus and accurately grasp the design direction; However, a truly successful designer, in addition to the above basic cognition, should have a deep understanding of the real needs of consumers, provide consumer life benefits, and meet consumer psychology; Only packaging works that take into account the physiological, psychological, user-friendly and other aspects of consumers, and truly achieve the marketing purpose, can be called a work that "made the company build a 30000 square foot warehouse in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, USA, last month"$ Page break $

IV. how to examine the quality of a packaging work in packaging design

is not just a grasp of beauty, but should be examined one by one from the following five levels: visual performance, packaging material application, production, cost control, and channel management

■ visual performance

when formally entering the visual planning, the elements on the packaging include brand, product name, taste, capacity label... Some items have logic to follow, and cannot be expressed by the designer's unrestrained creativity. If the business owner does not clarify in advance, the designer should also carry out according to the logical deduction method

maintain brand image: some design elements are the existing assets of the brand, and designers cannot change or abandon them at will. For example, the yellow color block on Lipton yellow brand black tea packaging extends to Tetra Pak and ice black tea packaging, but also retains the impression of yellow color block, even Lipton Ming leisure bag