Hey folks, ever looked at why some items or brands stand out more than others? It’s unlikely that you even know what the underlying science, architecture, or package design is. And why should you, right? We have greater uses for our time. As consumers, we’re just trying to determine what is right for us.
The key to strong product packaging design is empathy
All the great brands and the products you love are typically due to their packaging architecture. If you’re anything like me, I usually prefer simple things. I don’t like to over-process packaging. You must learn that the key to strong branding and packaging design is empathy. Having this ability to empathize with how our consumers engage with our products and understand their shopping habits, we can create better solutions.
The paradox of choice
As it turns out, studies show consumers too prefer it when things are simple. When you have limited options to choose from, the choice becomes simpler. The paradox of choice is the name given to this situation. The paradox of choice suggests that having too many options requires more effort, rather than making consumers happy and ensuring they get what they want. It can cause us to feel stressed and leave us feeling a bit unsatisfied with our choices. This is where custom product packaging architecture and design come into play. It has that ability, when done right, to create a structure that can help deliver brand elements simply.
Product packaging has to be functional
The same architectural principles we used to study in college apply to package design. Similarly, packaging architecture doesn’t exist for its own sake. If it isn’t functional then there’s little reason for it. Suppose a house, which includes several rooms such as a living room, kitchen, and bedroom, each with its own unique function. Though it’s not required, we like to approach package architecture similarly.
The framework of the front packaging
The front of the packaging can get quite dense with information as we start to add brand elements along with product details. It can get visually overwhelming without some kind of framework. That’s why, similar to rooms in a house, we like to organize this packaging information into zones:
- The brand zone
- The product zone
You’ll start to see these zones with a lot of the brands. They are all in an effort to empathize with how consumers shop as they toggle between selecting by brand or by product. If your custom packaging designer doesn’t have this structure, you will often see them being a bit willy-nilly with their approach. They will be putting content in random spots on the front of the packaging.
Packaging designers should avoid eye marks
The problem with this is that not having structure may end up with spotty elements around the packaging, also known as eye marks. If it is not managed well, it can complicate how a consumer can navigate the front of the pack. Organizing this information into zones creates the simplicity and conventions that allow shoppers to quickly scan for the information that is most important to them.
The three most common architectural packaging system
Considering the brand’s current life stage and its future goals. Let’s take a look at three of the most common architectural systems to determine what might be the best for your packaging system.
Monolithic packaging system
Let’s begin with monolithic, which is at one extreme of the range. You’ve certainly seen this before, and it is common with many large and small brands. It typically has a more rigid set of rules coupled with a set of visual elements, which creates a perception of consistency for consumers. Having this consistency, greatly improves the consumer’s ability to recall a brand and its products, especially if it has multiple products across various categories. From product to product, nothing really changes across either the brand zone or the product zone except what’s necessary for the consumer to navigate the category.
Custom packaging system
Now let’s jump over to the other end of the spectrum, where the system is less encumbered by visual rules and a bit more bespoke. We like to call this system custom. Unlike monolithic, the custom has far more range in how you can treat the brand zone and the product zone. It incorporates a master brand with a set of design standards for each subsequent category.
It may be less visibly obvious to a consumer, but having standards is still key for brand building. As an example, intentionally keeping the logo mark or logotype one-third from the top of the packaging may be just enough for a consistent brand eye mark when scanning a shelf set.
Small and large brands can easily benefit from a custom packaging system
Small brands benefit from custom as it provides the flexibility to be nimble and bold with their efforts, It helps in increasing their ability to dial in that emotional story for each consumer type. Larger brands that are well-established and widely recognized can leverage their brand equity to increase their packaging range.
Hybrid packaging system
Lastly, this system relies on a fairly standardized architecture by category but allows for modification to meet category conventions within a group of products. This hybrid option is seen largely for brands that have multiple product category lines but still want to build strong brand recognition amongst their consumers. Larger brands would love this system a lot as it works incredibly well for predominantly larger brands with a robust portfolio.
Conclusion
If we boil it down, all this effort and strategic thinking around packaging architecture is designed to do one thing well, and that is to make things simple. We talked about product packaging a lot in this blog and got into a little about our company The Custom Packaging which makes so many brands so successful. The Custom Packaging helped many brands simplify the shopping experience. Those brands inherently make a consumer happier, which can lead to building strong consumer-brand bonds. From our experience working in the packaging space, the best brand or product doesn’t always win. It is the one that conveys the most clearly.
“Remember, life is better when you do good work.”
