With the rapid development of the commodity economy and the further expansion of market transactions, packaging is no longer simply the function of storing and protecting goods, packaging and commodities have become one, and the mission of accepting the new trend has become one of the media of the brand, which is an indispensable element to realize the value and added value of goods.
1.Give your packaging a brand perspective.
Whether it's product sales or branding, packaging is given an increasingly important mission – to give products a unique personality through a targeted visual identity that captures the attention of the audience. What's more, packaging can constantly shout to consumers why they want to buy. This feature has also been valued by brand enterprises, making the entire packaging design industry increasingly prosperous, and the sky-high design fee of nearly one million for single product packaging is not uncommon.
Judging from the current situation, the designers racked their brains to personalize the packaging through materials, processes, shapes, paintings, colors and other skills, which not only made the packaging on the shelves dazzling, but also won the packaging works of international design awards.
Under the scene of packaging prosperity, there is a phenomenon worth paying attention to: when enterprises (especially many well-known enterprises) have a relatively large array of goods, the personalization of single product packaging is difficult to copy and uniformly apply to all categories, in the face of hundreds of redundant goods, enterprises have to divide according to the product series through the function of the product, special selling points, core audiences and other dimensions, and each series carries out its own personalized expression. In many cases, the packaging design tasks of different series are often decentralized, and different design studios are often creatively completed.
As a result, the relevance of the product packaging of each series to the corporate brand is almost only condensed into the exposure of the same logo, but if the style of the logo is not compatible with the picture that the designer of a series of products wants to express, this only connection point will often be deliberately reduced or hidden.
Take drugs and health products as an example, the official *** of the correction and Kangenbei carries nearly 200 baby links, and there will be more SKU options after each link enters, and the state of the product's packaging can be described as "all-inclusive", with all kinds of styles, but the association between these product packaging and the brand is only proved by a logo that appears in a "random position".
It has been a common problem in the industry that product packaging does not pay attention to the association with the brand.
Why is it said that this is a "disease"?
There are a wide variety of products, and the functional selling points of each series of products are different, and it is natural for the packaging to tell their own truths as a silent salesman. However, if the packaging only pays attention to the functional shouting of the category characteristics, and lacks the systematic thinking of the brand spirit, it will not be able to leverage the brand memory assets formed in the minds of consumers, nor can it empower the brand and the product - the reputation of the corporate brand to support the product is not effective, and the glory of the enterprise from the excellence of the product is also hindered.
When you entrust someone to buy a box of repaired ** brand goods, how to describe what kind of packaging is corrected?Or can you tell at a glance which is the packaging of Conbay?Even their respective logos are "deliberately hidden", although they are familiar brands, the brand graphics are difficult for ordinary consumers to immediately associate and form a clear brand memory.
From this point of view, the New Zealand nutrition brand "Sunshine of Life", through the strict unification of the picture panel, will set aside the same shape of information presentation surface above the product packaging to focus on the logo, so that no matter what the style of painting and text in other positions, it will not affect people's feelings - the goods are different, but the salesman is the same person.
The more familiar Tomson Beijian completes the brand identity through the unification of packaging shapes. On the cap, from the blue and white pull tabs that were used in the early days for functional differentiation, the new packaging is all unified in green, which is a very prominent feature that makes it instantly recognizable in the sea of the same category.
Whether it is on the picture or in the shape, packaging, as an important corporate marketing tool, cannot lack the effective presentation of brand symbols.
Unique ideas that don't have a holistic view of the brand will only dilute the brand impression. Only by treating packaging design from a brand perspective rather than a pure product perspective, inheriting commonalities in personality, and effectively repeating brand symbols, can consumers' brand memory be strengthened.
2.Align packaging with channel attributes.
In the field of packaging design, there is also an interesting phenomenon: when we search for the word "packaging" on the Internet, we are followed by a variety of well-designed atmospheric, beautiful and creative packaging, and when we usually go shopping, the scene on the shelves in the supermarket is a different "makeup".
The most typical is the packaging of honey and tea, and the style of supermarkets and online is completely like existing in two different eras and different aesthetics of the multiverse.
What causes this phenomenon?Isn't packaging design not only about the pursuit of creativity and beauty, but also about different channels that have an impact on packaging design?
Indeed it is. We have also encountered similar project requirements, involving the same product to display different packaging patterns in different channels. Specifically, there are many reasons for such stylistic differences.
First, it is difficult for fledgling brands to compete with deep-rooted big brands in terms of promotion investment, cost pricing, and channel resources. In order to cater to the core audience, it is necessary to have a matching mood and attitude, and the packaging design will naturally form a niche;From another point of view, the entry of channels is related to costs, and the negotiation conditions and contract constraints of large supermarkets are not easy to control for new brands, and online has become the first choice for new brands. The FMCG products in the supermarket do not reject anyone, and meet the needs of the public for fast consumption in a simple and straightforward way, and the design of taste and connotation is not easy to sell.
Second, the same brand and the same product, the cost of sales and promotion in offline and online channels is different, if you consider the factors of competitors in their respective channels, there will be different prices and profits of the same products. If the price difference of the same product is too large, it will cause confusion among consumers and even distrust of the brand.
Third, in different sales scenarios, the packaging of products carries different cognitive missions, and the focus of their functions is also biased. **On the brand, the brand's marketing behavior of the product is not only through the packaging, in addition to the packaging, there will be a variety of ways to show people product information, such as the heart of the sales copy, the comprehensive product detail page, the vivid image of the small **, etc., packaging is not the only brand carrier. Offline supermarkets are different, and most of the selling points of goods can only be displayed by packaging, which is less than 0The limited shelf space of 1 square meter should be eye-catching and streamlined, and the small packaging needs to do its best to tell consumers the ...... of "who I am" and "why do you want to buy me".
Therefore, in terms of difficulty and exquisiteness, it is actually relatively easy to design packaging for pure online products, and it is easy because there is more room to play, how concise you want, how to be concise, how to have a forced style, and the responsibility of explaining the reason for purchase is not pressed on the packaging. The brand even has more energy to consider adding some thoughtful designs to after-sales use cases, such as the fruit opener that comes with the three squirrels, so that consumers can feel the brand's thoughtfulness.
So, what are the particularities of offline packaging?
First of all, the brand name should be prominent. The most significant element of offline packaging must be its product name and brand name, which should be enlarged as much as possible in the packaging design, and can be seen clearly from a long distance. The packaging itself is an advertising space, and the brand name is the most important and important key to remember, emphasizing that the brand name is pinned on building brand awareness, or making the brand endorse the product. On the other hand, online, although the name will definitely be the main body, many brands will deliberately handle the name small out of the need for simplicity and beauty, although this will affect the recognizability at a long distance, but in the case of content (article **) as the main body of marketing, the problem is not big, but it looks chic.
Secondly, the use of color is also knowledge. Although large fonts are effective, they are even better when paired with "color". For example, when you see a red bottle or can, you will think of Coca-Cola, and the blue and yellow combination will think of IKEA. In addition, the selection of colors should make people look at the outer packaging to be able to basically perceive or associate with the inner packaging. Such as spicy fiery red, refreshing light blue, these color attributes are rooted in human genes, if the packaging reflects this correspondence, it also plays a positive role in the sales of products.
Third, amplify the "reasons for purchase". In offline shopping scenarios, product packaging needs to come with a reason for purchase. For example, calcium has the function of relieving fatigue, when consumers pass by the shelves without purpose, they suddenly see calcium tablets, and think of the recent busy low back pain, which will temporarily generate purchase demand, so the packaging should trigger this kind of purchase demand: highlight the product function label, so that both consumers and shopping guides at the counter can immediately identify "calcium, iron, zinc" according to the demand.
Fourth, use the product**. Taking Penguin Ice Cream Zero as an example, the whole picture of the packaging on the ** is a beautiful abstract geometric figure, and in the packaging below, the real object of the ice cream ** is the focus of the composition, which is very prominent. Because**on, you can edit a large paragraph** to introduce, but**, the packaging may be your only chance, you need to tell him what he is selling, to let people see the product at a glance, not only to arouse the appetite, but more importantly, to increase the consumer's sense of certainty. Humans hate uncertainty by nature, so how can they buy if they can't clearly control whether the product they buy meets their expectations?
Fifth, make full use of every packaging surface. Some packaging, in addition to the front to make full use of, other sides like to use the technique of blank or fill with a matching color, the information is empty. While this may seem minimalist and high-end, it is a waste of this "advertising space". * Consumers can move, in order to make information transmission more efficient, we must make use of every aspect, and do not be afraid of repetition. Don't rather leave it blank and say "leave room to breathe", because promoting brand communication is much more useful than demonstrating "design level". Offline involves display, placement and being moved, if you can make each packaging surface have important information, so that no matter which side is exposed, you will not miss the brand communication.
Sixth, establish display advantages. The shelves of supermarkets will place the same type of products together. Packaging needs to find a way to catch the consumer's attention in the first place. In addition to the enlarged name and the use of color mentioned above, the emphasis here is to focus on the overall effect of the product coming together, and at the same time consider whether the packaging shape can be easily stacked and make full use of space. Although we usually determine the front or back when designing packaging, in the actual product display, the design should consider how to make it more convenient for supermarket staff to distinguish the front and back, and how to distinguish the direction of placement after consumers pick up and return. If the content of the front and back is relatively consistent, then no matter the front and back of the display, it will not affect the overall chaos.
Seventh, optimize the "touch" of packaging. As a silent salesman, offline packaging on the shelves in supermarkets and shopping malls has an additional dimension of experience compared with online - touch. Consumers can touch and see various details through micro-distances, so it is necessary to consider giving the product a sense of value and comfort through the treatment of materials, shapes, and processes, and enhancing the possibility of purchase. Offline packaging will also involve packaging boxes, handbags and other outer packaging, and it is also necessary to pay attention to whether it is easy to carry.
Of course, it is not easy to make a well-known and sales-driven packaging, and it is not enough to cover all of the above 7 points alone, but we should always have a belief: make the packaging design brand aware and let the packaging design empower the brand.